Elderly cat, strange meowing behavior

I'm visiting my parents and spending time with Patches, our 18 year old calico. I'm sleeping in her room, and I've noticed some really odd behavior.

She sleeps most the night, then I feel her get up. She hops down and walks across the room. Then she turns around, walks back, sits next to the bed, and meows VERY loudly. She has arthritis, so I reach down and lift her up. She cuddles back down and goes to sleep again.

Why in the world is she getting up though? It's not like she's getting up to explore or go to the bathroom. She just walks to the desk, turns around, and walks back. The door is open; it's not like she's trapped in the room.

Related question: the meowing itself is rather weird. She now meows several times every time she jumps on the bed. Sometimes, she meows before. Somtimes, she jumps up, curls down, and then meows. It doesn't matter whether or not we lift her up. The other night, she walked out of the bedroom, went to the living room, and meowed there. I got up to figure out what she wanted, and she just walked back, climbed onto the bed, and went to sleep. What gives with the weird meowing?

At 18 yrs old, she's quite likely to not be completely 'in her own mind' at times, and whatever wakes her up (could be something like a human's burp, or breath catching in her throat, or some dream she's stuck in), she reacts by meowing, probably completely unconsciously. You might get her checked over at the vet, or just don't worry about it if everything seems to be ok otherwise.

If it is just at nighttime, it could be cos she is disorientated, but thyroid probs can also cause excessive vocalisation, so might be worth a vet visit - they should have them at least twice a year at that age, and bloods should really be done yearly.

Older kitties get dementia, just as older humans do. If this gal is 18, and otherwise well, the meowing could be because she is dis-orentied. At her age a checkup by the Vet, if she has not had one recently, is in order.

It's not excessive, and it happens day and night. Our best guess had also been that she was just confused. Poor old dear. We'll get her into the vet to double check.