Why Does My Bengal Cat Meow At Night?

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1 Bengal Cat Meowing At Night – 6 Key Reasons

In this article, we are looking at the following question:

“Why does my Bengal cat meow at night?”

You might have noticed your Bengal cat meowing and being noisy at night time, and you could be wondering what the cause for that is.

This can be frustrating and troublesome, and may cause sleepless nights and even resentment towards your cat.

Let’s investigate and determine why your cat is making noise and meowing loudly at night time, and what – if anything – yo can do to stop this.

If your Bengal cat is meowing lots during the day, then check out our article on why Bengal cats talk so much.

Bengal Cat Meowing At Night – 6 Key Reasons

There are a number of reasons why your Bengal may be meowing during the night.

Here are some of the most common ones:

Natural Nocturnal Activity – As we’ve established in other articles, Bengal cats (like all domestic cats) are crepuscular animals, meaning they are most active at twilight (cats aren’t truly nocturnal, as many believe). This means that your cat is more likely to be active in the evening and possibly in to the night, and the meowing m
ight be a natural extension of this. There is an UK English saying to “have a night on the tiles”, which comes from the common idea of a bunch of cats wailing the night away on the roof tiles of a house (the saying basically means to have a big night out). Younger cats especially have a tendency to be more active and vocal at night, because their instincts tell them that nighttime is a great time to get out and hunt!
Boredom – Your Bengal cat may meow at night out of boredom, especially if they haven’t had sufficient opportunity during the day to expend energy. The meowing may be your Bengal simply expressing excessive energy that hasn’t had a suitable outlet during the day. The solution here is to ensure your cat is entertained and given plenty of opportunity to play. Also ensure you have plenty of toys for you cat. Check out our guide here to the best toys for Bengal cats for more information on great toy options for your cat that will cut down on boredom!
Advancing Age – As cats get older, they can develop Cognitive Disfunction Syndrome (CDS). One of the symptoms of CDS is increased vocalisation, especially at night. If your Bengal is getting on in years, then this may be the cause of their nighttime noisiness!
Thyroid Issues – Excessive vocalisation – especially at nighttime – can be a symptom of overactive thyroid or kidney disease in cats. Consider consulting your vet if your cat has suddenly started meowing more at night, as there may be treatments and other options for combating thyroid issues that are causing your Bengal to meow at night.
Outdoor Cat Feeling Trapped Inside – If you have a cat this is primarily an outdoors animal, and is then brought inside at night in order to be safer during nighttime hours, then this might explain your Bengal cat meowing at night. Some primarily-outdoors cats can feel trapped if forced to be inside at night. Over time, your cat will hopefully adapt to this. Depending on how safe your property and neighbourhood is, you may also be best served installing a cat flap so that your Bengal can head outside at night if he/she pleases. However, be aware that this does increase the risk of injury or harm to your Bengal.
Mating – Very loud yowling and screeching may indicate mating at night. We recommend you have your cat de-sexed (unless you are intending on breeding) to eliminate the potential of this.

What you need to do now is get to work determining which of these is the cause for your Bengal meowing at night. Work systematically through the list, and you should find your cause and therefore your solution to excessive nighttime meowing in your Bengal cat.