Howling, but only a couple of hours mid-day

[FeebysOwner]

Feeby (17+ yo) has recently developed a new 'behavior' that I cannot imagine relates to pain, or even dementia. She is routinely howling from around 12P - 2P daily. Never in the morning, never the evening, never at night. It's almost like 'clockwork'. There is no correlation with litter box use either. She occasionally howls outside this window, but it usually related to her wanting more food added to her dish.

If it were to be pain related, why only for just a couple of hours during the middle of the day? Ditto for dementia. She has health issues (hyperthyroidism, early CKD, some arthritis) but none of these conditions explain the brevity or timing of the howling. I can pick her up and 'love on her' in case it is attention she is seeking, but that does not always work. She is not a cuddler, nor is she into playing (anymore).

Anyone else's cat just 'howl for hell of it'?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - is there anything going on outside your household that she might be hearing, sensing/feeling (construction et al) or smelling? Can you try a sound machine during these timeperiods?

 

[Margot Lane]

Hi - is there anything going on outside your household that she might be hearing, sensing/feeling (construction et al) or smelling? Can you try a sound machine during these timeperiods?

That was the first reaction/question I had as well…there must be something going on at that time frame that sets her off.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi - is there anything going on outside your household that she might be hearing, sensing/feeling (construction et al) or smelling? Can you try a sound machine during these timeperiods?

That was the first reaction/question I had as well…there must be something going on at that time frame that sets her off.

Damn guys - LOL! I KNEW I should have added something about outside 'effects'- of which there are NONE. We live in a pretty quiet neighborhood, for the most part. She hardly pays any attention to trees being buzz-sawed down, roofs being replaced, lawns being mowed, and delivery/garbage trucks driving through. She also had 'nothing to say' about the ridiculous 6 hours of fireworks going on last night. Once I closed up the doors/windows, she slept through a big chunk of that time - even if it drove me nuts!

The smells shouldn't be an issue - or, so I assume. We have squirrel/bird activity all day long. No other critters regularly coming through the yard.

I dunno.

 

[ArtNJ]

Everything you are saying makes sense in isolation, but I sure doubt its coincidence that the cat is 17+. Occam's Razor and all that. So I would suspect either something related to dementia, vision or some misc health issue that is tied to daily activities somehow. There are all different kinds of dementia in people, and I'm sure its the same with cats. There could be some sort of tie in to circadian rythms, ambient light, etc. My mother has a kind of dementia, and is frequently worse in the mornings, although admittedly this is probably related to diminished blood levels of her meds. Or perhaps its related to changes in vision, if you have a lot of sunlight coming in during that time and/or patterns through windows, etc... As far as misc issues, maybe its a stomach type issue, triggered off the time of the first meal. My wife gets gas once every 6 months and wails pretty good herself

 

[Margot Lane]

Yeah, but gas every day from 12-2? WEIRD. I think sometimes cats are just that: a mystery, and certain antics should be accepted as such. I had a cat once that “saw” ghosts in the corner (or something WE couldn’t see). Again she was 17 and so maybe tuned in to a different universe. Maybe make a tinfoil hat???

 

[FeebysOwner]

Everything you are saying makes sense in isolation, but I sure doubt its coincidence that the cat is 17+. Occam's Razor and all that... Or perhaps its related to changes in vision, if you have a lot of sunlight coming in during that time and/or patterns through windows, etc... As far as misc issues, maybe its a stomach type issue, triggered off the time of the first meal.

OK. But the simplest of explanations is apparently escaping me. We do not have static weather patterns here, so there is no consistency day in and day out. The stomach issue would be the only 'simplest' conclusion. But there are so many variables related to when and what she eats, I am not seeing a consistent pattern there either.

Sorry, but you must have 'one up on me' that is beyond my intelligence level.

 

[neely]

I know Feeby has H-T and you are very familiar with the side effects. Do you think it could be anxiety due to an increase of stimulation in the nervous system since howling is one of the symptoms of H-T? I remember Carleton would also howl before he started Methimazole and recently the I-131 treatment. I'm just trying to brainstorm and come up with a logical reason for her change in behavior.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I know Feeby has H-T and you are very familiar with the side effects. Do you think it could be anxiety due to an increase of stimulation in the nervous system since howling is one of the symptoms of H-T? I remember Carleton would also howl before he started Methimazole and recently the I-131 treatment. I'm just trying to brainstorm and come up with a logical reason for her change in behavior.

Thanks. She needs her thyroid level checked - hence the upcoming blood work. I just can't figure out why she would have a reaction to the AM dose (1.875 mg) as opposed to the evening dose (1.25mg) which she shows no reaction to. Seems kind of backwards. But her kidneys are affected, so maybe that is why it is the reverse? Taking longer to get the AM dose to do its thing? Maybe I should reverse the dosage and see if that has an impact? (Great, so then she will howl at night instead of mid-day - LOL!)

 

[Ashanti]

I was going to suggest making notes when you give her meds which ones when she eats uses the box and also what your doing. Are you making noises fixing lunch ect and when she howls. Another idea is to set something up to record things going on and using software to see if there's sounds at that time that you cant hear. Switching hef med doses around may help to confirm if it's a reaction to the higher dose.

My girl was flipping out for a few days testing showed normal finally figured out it was jet pilots practicing over our house.My mom and I couldn't hear them but she could. I started playing videos and music and she calmed back down. Cats can be weird.

 

[Tobermory]

Is it a “standard” kind of Feeby howl or is the sound different? Iris (also 17) has developed several new behaviors over the past six or eight months, one of which is yowling. It happens after I’ve gone to bed, sometimes while I’m reading before I turn off the light and sometimes after I’ve turned off the light. Usually she’s carrying one of her yarn balls while she’s vocalizing around it…but not always. It’s a different sound from any she has made in the past which is the reason I wondered about Feeby’s sound. I’ve finally decided it’s a touch of dementia.

 

[Caspers Human]

Cats can't tell time. In fact, science can't even be sure that cats know what "time" is.

If a cat does something like clockwork every day at the same time, it's likely to be some human-caused event triggering that behavior.

A cat's hearing is a LOT more sensitive than you think it is! You think a dog's got good hearing? A cat's ability to hear, in both sensitivity and frequency, is nearly twice as good as a dog's. In fact, they can even echolocate like a bat!

Their sense of smell is no less amazing. Although a dog has more scent receptors in its nose, a cat has more different TYPES of scent receptors. They also have nearly twice as many neuronal connections between their olfactory organs and their brains.
If you were cooking a pot of soup while a dog and a cat were brought into your kitchen, the dog would smell the food a little bit sooner but the cat would be able to tell you what ingredients are in your soup.

Have no illusions! Cats can see, hear and smell things that humans can't.

There might be something happening every day, between noon and 2:00 that you can't detect but your cat can.

It could be something like a construction project, a mile down the road.

It might also be something as silly as the sun shining off a window or something on a shelf, some place in the house, that's causing reflections and shadows which bother your cat.

 

[danteshuman]

I have no answer. Just a guess

My mom’s cat Quasi would get lost around 3 am, go in the stair case and screamhowl. We think it was dementia and some hearing loss. Telling him to shut up helped. Since multiple people have mentioned dementia, that would be my best guess.

Next time she starts screaming, can you try talking to her? (& maybe picking her up?) I know my talker shuts up faster if I talk to him & call him to me.

 

[imaginewizard]

Cats can't tell time. In fact, science can't even be sure that cats know what "time" is.

Actually there's been studies that suggest they can tell the time in a routine sense.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Is it a “standard” kind of Feeby howl or is the sound different? Iris (also 17) has developed several new behaviors over the past six or eight months, one of which is yowling. It happens after I’ve gone to bed, sometimes while I’m reading before I turn off the light and sometimes after I’ve turned off the light. Usually she’s carrying one of her yarn balls while she’s vocalizing around it…but not always. It’s a different sound from any she has made in the past which is the reason I wondered about Feeby’s sound. I’ve finally decided it’s a touch of dementia.

It is an insistent howl, but pretty much the same as any other howl that she does - all of which started maybe a year or so ago. She used to make a 'squawking' noise, which went on for a number of years before the howl started.

Funny you mention the yowl that Iris does while carrying around one of her yarn balls! Feeby used to make a very odd, funny noise while carrying a string in her mouth around the house. It was the only time she made that particular noise. I always thought having the sting in Feeby's mouth is what caused her to sound differently. Maybe that is why Iris sounds different on those occasions?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Caspers Human - I suppose anything is a possibility. Whatever it is, it is something going on during weekends & holidays as well as weekdays, whether it is sunny, cloudy, or even raining outside, regardless of whether the TV/music is on or off, doors & windows open or closed, A/C-heat on or off, etc. It can happen in any room of the house, whether she is by herself or sitting right beside me.

I guess she will stop howling, if/when 'it' stops. I am not going to hold my breath, though!!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Next time she starts screaming, can you try talking to her? (& maybe picking her up?) I know my talker shuts up faster if I talk to him & call him to me.

If she is near me, I will call to her, talk to her and pet her, but it doesn't always stop her. If I have to go looking for her, I will generally pick her up and give her 'kisses' (which she really is not crazy about) and then place her in/on one of her favorite hangout spots. Sometimes that works, but not all the time. I have also told her to stop, and that seems to be more effective than anything else!!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I was going to suggest making notes when you give her meds which ones when she eats uses the box and also what your doing. Are you making noises fixing lunch ect and when she howls. Another idea is to set something up to record things going on and using software to see if there's sounds at that time that you cant hear. Switching hef med doses around may help to confirm if it's a reaction to the higher dose...My girl was flipping out for a few days testing showed normal finally figured out it was jet pilots practicing over our house.My mom and I couldn't hear them but she could. I started playing videos and music and she calmed back down. Cats can be weird.

Her meals and meds are logged already. I don't log her litter box use, especially not the time, but I clean it out shortly after each use, so pretty familiar with her 'routine'. I can be anywhere in the house, and she can either be with me or somewhere else when she starts howling.

It wasn't a deliberate test, but the other day she flat-out refused her morning meds. I don't normally have an issue with her so on the rare occasion this happens, I don't force them on her. So, if that counts, I do know missing a dose entirely had no impact on the howling!!

Not sure how to go about recording anything, I guess I could go through the entire house, recording in one room a day? But I don't own equipment that would enable me to do that really.

As I said above, I guess she will stop howling, if/when 'it' stops. But I am not going to hold my breath!

 

[Ashanti]

I understand. A cell phone with a voice/sound recording app on it could work if you wanted to see if it's noises related. But I also understand just leaving things be when you have no clue and exams come back as normal for your cat.

 

[Caspers Human]

Actually there's been studies that suggest they can tell the time in a routine sense.

People might say things like, "My cat wakes me up every morning at 5:00 a.m." But, what people don't notice is that such behavior shifts when we change the time every spring and fall. If a cat's behavior shifts ahead when the time shifts in the spring, or back when the time shifts back, it's the sun that's cueing the cat, not the clock.

I used to think that Casper knew what time I came home from work because he would often be waiting to greet me at the door when I come home but, one day, I walked to work. (I live close enough to my workplace that I can walk when the weather is nice.) I got home only about fifteen minutes later than usual. Casper was in his bed, sleeping. I've repeated this experiment several times over the course of the last summer. Always the same results. He's not waiting to greet me when I walk home.

On another occasion, Casper's Girl-Human was out of the house, doing shopping and errands and I was home, minding my own business. Casper got up from where he was sleeping and walked to the door and sat down, waiting for her to come home. Not thirty seconds later, she walked in the door and he was there to greet her.

It took me a couple of repeats of this behavior for me to figure out how he knew... It was the sound of the car, parking in the driveway.
Not only that, but Casper can tell the sound of OUR car apart from the sound of everybody else's in the apartment complex.

Cats know when the sun rises or sets and can anticipate when things might happen, based on that but "clock time" is meaningless to them.