Hi all,
My cat is a 14-year-old tabby. About six months ago he started meowing a lot, day and night, for no apparent reason. At times he seems extremely anxious, with a lot more "crazy time" than before, running up and down the apartment. In particular, he meows at the door a lot, and there is nothing out the door (I live in a high-rise and there's nothing in the hallway). Of course the worst for me is at night. I'm at my wits' end with sleep loss.
I'm using the Feliway diffuser, which hasn't helped. He's had the pheromone collar on for a few months, which seems to help sometimes (less meowing when I give him a newly opened collar). I've taken him to the vet, thinking it might be a thyroid problem or other health problem, but his blood work was normal. He's also not losing hearing or sight based on the way he interacts with me and with toys. Overall he seems mentally sharp, too.
The vet assistant mentioned to me that maybe he can sense/smell a cat among my neighbors (with how he meows at the door). Funny thing is I do have a neighbor with a cat, so the vet assistant might actually be right. Has anyone had a similar situation of a cat that was anxious because it could *smell* another cat next door? If this is indeed the case, is there any way for me to block the scent? As in, is there something like a diffuser that can overwhelm the other cat's scent? Or a scent I can apply to my cat, similar to a collar? I know this is a weird question!
Barring a diagnosis for a health problem... I feel like my last resort is anti-anxiety supplements. I've read up on a few. Has anyone tried these for excessive meowing, and which one specifically has worked well?
Thanks in advance!
My cat is a 14-year-old tabby. About six months ago he started meowing a lot, day and night, for no apparent reason. At times he seems extremely anxious, with a lot more "crazy time" than before, running up and down the apartment. In particular, he meows at the door a lot, and there is nothing out the door (I live in a high-rise and there's nothing in the hallway). Of course the worst for me is at night. I'm at my wits' end with sleep loss.
I'm using the Feliway diffuser, which hasn't helped. He's had the pheromone collar on for a few months, which seems to help sometimes (less meowing when I give him a newly opened collar). I've taken him to the vet, thinking it might be a thyroid problem or other health problem, but his blood work was normal. He's also not losing hearing or sight based on the way he interacts with me and with toys. Overall he seems mentally sharp, too.
The vet assistant mentioned to me that maybe he can sense/smell a cat among my neighbors (with how he meows at the door). Funny thing is I do have a neighbor with a cat, so the vet assistant might actually be right. Has anyone had a similar situation of a cat that was anxious because it could *smell* another cat next door? If this is indeed the case, is there any way for me to block the scent? As in, is there something like a diffuser that can overwhelm the other cat's scent? Or a scent I can apply to my cat, similar to a collar? I know this is a weird question!
Barring a diagnosis for a health problem... I feel like my last resort is anti-anxiety supplements. I've read up on a few. Has anyone tried these for excessive meowing, and which one specifically has worked well?
Thanks in advance!
