Cranky and meowing...suggestions?

dancemuse

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
Messages
130
Purraise
1
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Hi everyone. Life has gotten really busy lately, so I haven't been around as much as I'd like, but I'm back to ask a question.

Over the past 1.5 months, Ziv has developed a habit of sitting by the front door and meowing plaintively. At first I noticed that it was a pattern--he does it whenever my boyfriend is not home--but then the bf reported that he does while he's home and I'm not, too. Then I thought maybe he wanted to play with the laser pointer (which we often used by the door), but he will do the meowing routine even after a long play session.

During this time, Ziv has also been cranky in general--he won't stay still for more then a few strokes of petting, whereas he used to immediately flop down in front of me whenever I used to walk in the door. Even when he does allow an extended petting session, he does not do the deep purring that used to be his trademark. He shows more affection toward my boyfriend than toward me. And he does play with the other cats.

Ziv has herpes, which Lysine has ameliorated a bit, and he does seem to be a bit uncomfortable most of the time. Our vet has also given him a distemper vaccine by eyedrops, which was supposed to help, but only worked for a little whole. Ziv has had herpes ever since we've had him, and he's never been cranky like this over an extended period.

Ziv was last at a vet about 3 weeks ago (when he got the vaccine), and he seems healthy except for the herpes. Oh, he's also overweight, so we've put him on diet food, which he seems to like. He's probably around 2 years old (he's a shelter cat, so we're not sure).

The only thing I haven't tried yet (as far as I know) is Feliway. The cats have lots of toys and a cat tree. Ziv isn't showing any other symptoms/behaviors besides what I've outlined here. Does anyone have any ideas about what to try, what to look for, what to research? If it's at all possible, I'd like to get my sweet Ziv back. Thanks in advance!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

dancemuse

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
Messages
130
Purraise
1
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Yes, he's neutered. (So are Chesty and Eva.)

I talked to the bf again last night and he said Ziv rarely does his meowing thing when he's around, so now I'm wondering if it is partly related to the bf being out.

Also, I forgot to mention that Ziv never, ever meowed (except in the car) before we got Chesty. Chesty's the most vocal of the three, though he's toned it down a lot, but he used to walk around the house meowing. I think Ziv has picked up some other behaviors from Chesty, as well--

This may not mean anything, but I'm trying to get the relevant information out there.
 
Top