Senior Cat Yowling And Erratic Eating, Advice Please

[tassie]

Hello all

I have looked though and read many of the topics and advice posted on loud crying/ yowling. I am experiencing this with an aging kitty and have done for a while now. She is getting louder and louder, sometimes wakes in the night yowling which seems quite common. I used to be able to soothe her by bringing her to bed with me. Her eating habits have changed massively - she really wants to eat then eats about a tablespoon and 30 minutes after wants some more. The trouble is I can't leave food out for her to graze as we have other cats around.

The howling is now at 5am and is so loud it wakes everyone up. Giving her food stops it temporarily and of course that seems to be giving in / reward. I have tried cuddles and affection it works for 15 minutes then she starts again. The other morning I fed her at 5, 5:30, 6, 7 and 8am. Possibly hyperthyroid issues (not tested yet) - she is thin but she has never really gained weight or just...aging kitty / dementia (she does have some spinal nerve damage that we don't know the history of)

Other than this she is really well - agile, glossy coat, cleans herself, loves affection, still plays like a kitten!

I am interested in peoples thoughts to what to do when she cries - ignore her? Feed her? Something else?

And those that have experienced this in senior cats, I have read conflicting views on whether medication helps or can cause other issues. I would love to know your experiences.

 

[ArtNJ]

It is well known that sometimes senior cats start to do this because of dementia or for other aging/health reasons. The universal recommendation is going to be go to the vet and get a senior blood panel. Unfortunately, they can cost about $300 US depending on where you are at. But without that, we are just speculating.

 

[neely]

TCS has an Article on Health Concerns in Aging Cats that may be helpful, please note the last paragraph on Dementia/Senility:
Health Concerns In Aging Cats

 

[tassie]

Thanks I hadn't seen that article. I had read about dementia but interestingly there are some signs in the article I hadn't read about that she does - pacing in particular and she has had some toilet issues which had seem very random.

I asked my vet about dementia in cats before and he said there is little to be done. Others had similar advice?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Over the course of the past couple of years, Feeby (15+ yo) has demonstrated varying behaviors that I started to think were possibly dementia related - so, far all those behaviors have turned out to have been brought on by other issues.

I presume aging kitty means at least 10 years old? Has she ever had a senior check up? If not, by now she should. So, get the senior blood panel done, including T4 counts for hyperthyroidism, as well a full Chemistry Panel before speculating on dementia. Pacing, and even the yowling, could also be caused by other signs of hyperthyroidism such as hyperactivity and/or agitation.

I am sure there are exceptions - as there are with anything - but, most cats experiencing dementia typically also start to decrease their level of 'playfulness'.

If nothing else, hyperthyroidism is ruled out - and if all other blood work comes out fine, at least you know her general physical health is pretty good for her age. A baseline senior evaluation is great to have as cats age past 10 years old.

Might not hurt to ask about what the vet can do to check on the state of her spinal nerve damage, that could be escalating with age.
​

 

[ArtNJ]

The senior blood panel is so expensive I personally can't justify it unless there is a good chance it is going to be helpful. In this situation, as FeebysOwner mentioned, it might show a thyroid issue which is very treatable by meds. So this case would meet my standard for going forward, despite the cost. Everyone's situation is different of course, but if cost is an issue maybe you can work something out with your vet.

 

[tassie]

Thanks that's useful. She is about 16 and had blood tests about 2 years ago when she wasn't well and everything was normal. There is nothing to be done for the nerve damage and it doesn't seem to cause pain or inconvenience to her although she is so difficult at the vet he can never examine her properly. She has always been a bit difficult - she is quite stubborn in nature.

Regarding playfulness, if anything this has increased and it is quite manic - you know when they go really crazy and their pupils dilate, she is like that but it only lasts for a few minutes.

Thinking about her now to last year, her level of activity has increased if anything but it could be due to me managing her arthritis pain. I will investigate the blood tests with the vet here

 

[NadiaRey]

Hey there, any news? Your lady sounds a lot like mine: senior, stubborn and difficult with the vet, cleans herself like she was 2 years old, plays if engaged... and few years back she developped a yowling problem which has become suddenly worst last months.

Now, my Sueño is not well (she has cancer), but all the aforementioned (cleaness, playfulness, etc) remain true. Which is why, though I do not want to alarm you, I'd insist you go to the vet, especially if her behavior changed so drastically.

If you did do any test, did you get any results? Do tell us. I'm interested too in this subject. And, by the way, the cancer diagnosis and the yowling may not be related... In fact, I'd like to know about this too because I don't know what's causing this. And just so you know, my case is not exactly the same. Their personalities are somewhat similar (mine is less sociable than yours, though). Also the yowling, is it like a constant repetition of calls for you too?

With my Sueño, it started with ocassional crying-calling in the middle of the night, but they were few times and far in between. I assumed nightmares. (Petting did help.) Then when this tumor appeared, she started doing it more often, I'm guessing scared... And now she's less 'yelping' and more 'meowing very loudly', and it seems like she's asking for something - whether it be I let her out to the garden or give her food or something else. The problem is, sometimes it's extremely dificult to know what she's calling me for.

Besides, it's not just her: my other cat (Gremlin, male) has started exhibiting weird yowling too. He might go to another room and start yowling inconsolably. It's like, he thought he was lost, and got scared. I got to get over there and make him see me, and he relaxes and comes with.

But if you are mentioning the food problem too, that's a bit less like Gremlin and a little more like Sueño. She has troubles eating because of the state of her jaw after the last surgery to try remove the tumor. Sometimes she needs me to spoonfeed her (in my case, I use my fingers to hold bits she can fit in her mouth). So most of the time, the calling might be asking for my help to eat.

I don't know if this was any help. And I hope your kitty gets better soon.

 

[tassie]

Thanks for your reply and comments, it is helpful. I haven't taken her to the vet yet. Mostly because we had two completely howl free nights but then it came back. I did notice that on those days I was out more and therefore not feeding her every few hours. So I tried very regular feeding again and she has calmed again. When she eats she has a couple of mouthfuls then walks away. If I then show her the bowl she has that face of 'oh food!' almost like she forgot she was eating

It is a constant repetition of calls, they almost sound distressed and so loud you would think it must hurt her to do it. Sometimes there is barely a break between them. If I tell her no, she stops for a minute then starts again (we had her from 10 so she isn't that well trained on voice command like the younger ones are)

I was at the vet the other day (with a chicken) and talked to him about it. He did seem to think it was natural and the key thing was that if she is eating, she is well and that cats in pain do not eat, which I do agree with. As it is so distressing for everyone to take her to the vet, I think I will try and keep the status quo and see how it plays out.

 

[NadiaRey]

lol, you got any cat to obey a word command? XD I wished any of mine did...

Well, it's true that if there's more than one symptom it helps a diagnosis. I am not planing to take Gremlin to the vet either, for example. The vet would know better than me for sure. And like you said, the important thing is that she's eating.

 

[tassie]

Haha yeah my two youngest are pretty good. I am quite strict with kittens, I don't give up until I get them to understand No, their name and follow. Our lovely boy Buddy knows clicking fingers means cuddle time, it's pretty sweet

 

[FeebysOwner]

Feeby is a 'talker' (that translates to various levels/intensity of 'squawking' - she has never really meowed). One of her most recent strange multiple 'squawking' events resulted in me FINALLY figuring she had fleas.

Now, she is in another 'squawking' event that I believe to be her telling me she wants something to eat. I think at other times, she just wants to be acknowledged - a little petting or being talked to.

I am coming to the realization that most of her 'squawks' do have meaning - now it is up to me to figure them out with trial and error, and paying attention to the level/intensity of each squawk.

I too could tell her a form of 'no' and she would also quiet down for a bit. She has a tendency to remain quieter longer if it is attention that she wants rather than food.

 

[Etarre]

My first cat started some similar behaviors when she turned about 13-- definitely late night yowling, a huge interest in food, more energy (but mostly to ask for more food), and some peeing in inappropriate places. Turns out that she was hyperthyroid, so if you're able to get that checked, it's probably worthwhile. Thyroid levels can fluctuate quickly; we were advised to have hers checked every year after we put her on meds and they were stable for a year and a half and then irrecoverably out of whack on her next scheduled blood test.

I don't remember the blood test being crazy expensive, but this was a few years ago, and maybe it just seemed reasonable compared to the other vet things we wound up paying for (an ultrasound, heart and blood pressure meds, etc.).

 

[NadiaRey]

I am coming to the realization that most of her 'squawks' do have meaning - now it is up to me to figure them out with trial and error, and paying attention to the level/intensity of each squawk.

I know, right? Some times I figure it out, but other times, it's banging my head against a wall. But I'm *sure* there's something she's asking. I just need to figure out what.

So, I am the only one who has never been able to command their cats to do... anything? Well, Gremlin, when called, might strout towards me all happy, so at least I think he identifies his name alright. But al of them react to a strong "No" the same way they react to any loud noise: Gremlin jumps, stares and leaps away, Sueño crouches and stares eyes open or hisses, and Clari... she's scared of everything. All of them keep doing the thing that caused me to say "no", though. Well, Clari is honestly too much of a saint for anything she does to warranty a "no" anways...

 

[NadiaRey]

*not strout. "Prance." Or, you know, anything like rushing towards you skipping.
I now see I have been using that word wrong...

 

[neely]

Some times I figure it out, but other times, it's banging my head against a wall. But I'm *sure* there's something she's asking. I just need to figure out what.

Here's an Article about vocalization/communication in cats that might be helpful:
Cat Sounds - Feline Vocal Communication

 

[NadiaRey]

Wow, guys! You are too awesome! You have an article for everything! <333

 

[NadiaRey]

Well, it's a bit shorter than what I was expecting. In any case, I don't have that much trouble understanding the usual vocalization from my cats... The problem is with Sueño today, suddenly calling me at whatever time and not exactly making obvious what she wants or needs. That's what I meant that's driving me crazy. Her being sick doesn't help my stress.