howlingcat

does anyone know anything about howling cats? mines 17, and the vet says she is just howling cos shes senile, she doesnt seem to be in pain cos when i go to her she purrs and seems happy enough but minutes later shes howling to herself again and its so distressing to hear, she also howls after she eats, in that she walks away from her food and then sits YOWLING until i go to her and pick her up. she also doesnt seem aware of her surroundings until i touch her then she chirps and comes back, then shes purring again. im going mad with worry here can anyione help???

I recognise the description of your cat's behaviour. My old Havana, Pushkin, used to howl sometimes in the last years of his life. When I went to him he would be sitting there looking into space but would react normally when I stroked him. My mother's cat, who also lived to a good age, behaved in the same way in the last couple of years of its life. It felt to me as though Pushkin had had some sort of nightmare. It was upsetting to hear the howl but he would be fine after some comforting and back to normal. I suppose its some bit of the brain's wiring short-ciruiting.

I can't really help you, but I do know that there is a medication available which helps older dogs that are growing senile. I haven't heard of any similiar medications for cats, but maybe you could ask your vet if this is a possibility.

Good Luck!

It certainly sounds as though your cat is a bit senile. In their old age their hearing and vision isn't as good anymore so they make up for it all by meowing and LOUDLY. She may be a little frightened by it all and a little confused but it seems as though when you're near her she's fine.

Has she had any other symptoms such as increased irritability, loss of coordination, loss of control of her bladder and bowls? If so these are other things that go along with feline cognitive dysfunction. It would be best for her to visit the vet and have an exam and possibly some blood work just to make sure everything else is fine.

Sometimes the vet can prescribe meds to help with this condition but that's usually in cases with all the symptoms are present. So if you do see the vet just make sure you explain all your concerns and that way you'll be able to give her the best care possible.

Our family cat, Loppy, started doing that when she was about 20. It was usually when she was upstairs, alone. It was almost like she forgot that anyone else was around and wanted to know where everyone was. Calling up the stairs usually helped to calm her for half an hour or so. I didn't really matter what you said, it was the sound of your voice that was reassuring to her.

When cats get old, they can start to loose hearing, sight and become a little stiff. They get confused and scared. If they have been checked by a vet, bloodwork and a physical and everything is within normal limits, I would try to adjust things to help her. You can leave night lights on at night, leave a radio playing for her, go and pet her to give her reassurance. You can also try putting some Dr bachs rescue remedy in her drinking water. It's an flower essence mixture to help calm the nerves.