My cats are driving me crazy

[heatherwillard0614]

When is the last time he was seen by the vet?
Is it possible him pacing all the time and howling is due to being in some kind of pain/discomfort or just generally not feeling well in some aspect?
If he were my cat I think I would go ahead and get him an appointment to be seen. Also I know you moved is the vet that you use near you or would you be finding a new vet?

 

[Willowwombat]

I have to find a new vet. I've already tried calling some even before I moved here. Half of them aren't taking on new patients and I don't think I can get an appointment for weeks. My mother is coming to visit for a month and I have no idea what to do. I have a screaming headache form the constant meowing and the only way I can get away from it is to leave the house but I can't do that when my 92 year old mother is here.

I've already had his bloodwork done twice over the last year -- if cost me $1,000 -- and the vet found nothing. So I don't know what to do. But this cannot go on. None of us have any quality of life and it gets worse daily.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

I have to find a new vet. I've already tried calling some even before I moved here. Half of them aren't taking on new patients and I don't think I can get an appointment for weeks. My mother is coming to visit for a month and I have no idea what to do. I have a screaming headache form the constant meowing and the only way I can get away from it is to leave the house but I can't do that when my 92 year old mother is here.

I've already had his bloodwork done twice over the last year -- if cost me $1,000 -- and the vet found nothing. So I don't know what to do. But this cannot go on. None of us have any quality of life and it gets worse daily.

Has anything else been checked besides bloodwork? Such as xrays ultrasound free T4 to check thyroid, which isn't in the normal blood work panel.
It could be the move that is throwing him off still. Does he have everything he had at your old house:
Cat beds, cat tree, cat scratchers, little houses for them to go, in pretty much everything that is a scent soaker

 

[Willowwombat]

Yes, he has all the same everything. I can't imagine that this is all about the move, which was almost 6 weeks ago now. The behaviour is getting worse, not better.

My other cat whined about not having the balcony access any more but after a couple of weeks she accepted it and went back to short leash walks and just being her usual sweet self.

Dude is getting worse and worse by the day. Today was the worst of all. I've had a headache for a week from the constant meowing. It is LITERALLY every three seconds, and he never stops pacing.

I saw this behaviour every now and then a year ago, which is why I had him tested, and I didn't believe the vet when he said there was no issue with his thyroid so I want back 6 months later and made them do the bloodwork again.

Hopefully I can him into a vet this week but again, I'm in a new town and I have no regular vet, no relationship with a trusted vet who will believe me.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Yes, he has all the same everything. I can't imagine that this is all about the move, which was almost 6 weeks ago now. The behaviour is getting worse, not better.

My other cat whined about not having the balcony access any more but after a couple of weeks she accepted it and went back to short leash walks and just being her usual sweet self.

Dude is getting worse and worse by the day. Today was the worst of all. I've had a headache for a week from the constant meowing. It is LITERALLY every three seconds, and he never stops pacing.

I saw this behaviour every now and then a year ago, which is why I had him tested, and I didn't believe the vet when he said there was no issue with his thyroid so I want back 6 months later and made them do the bloodwork again.

Hopefully I can him into a vet this week but again, I'm in a new town and I have no regular vet, no relationship with a trusted vet who will believe me.

I would look up all the vets in your area and check their reviews. This is how I found my baby girls new vet and we absolutely love her.

I would definitely get him into the vet if you had doubts back then. I think a second opinion will be good.
Please keep us posted

 

[Purrfect Meow]

A friend of mine had a cat that howled all night, nothing wrong with him, he just howled. He turned on a radio to the all news station and within a few days the cat had stopped. Might be worth a try. My cats love jazz on low. Just another thought. Could Dude be grieving? Another thought.

 

[iPappy]

No, it's not play. I'm not kidding, He starts to pace and meow EVERY THREE SECONDS as soon as I get up and he does it all day -- ALL DAY -- until I go to bed. I can't think. Playing with him for half and hour buys me no more then 5 minutes of peace and quiet. IT'S NOT MY FAULT so please don't blame me.

And it's having a horrible effect on my other cat. She just lies in a heap on my bedroom and won't come out. This not normal. It isn't about play or not play. There is something horribly wrong.

You know how cats are supposed to sleep 18 hours a day? I don't think he ever sleeps.

Yes, that's definitely not normal. The vet will probably have to do a really good wellness exam to see if something physical is causing this. Can you get a video of him pacing and meowing? Stress to them that this is all day with no breaks in between.
I promise you, no one is blaming you for this. We just like to throw out every possible suggestion even if it's a shot in the dark.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

W Willowwombat

I promise you, no one is blaming you for this. We just like to throw out every possible suggestion even if it's a shot in the dark.

This is so true no one here is blaming you for what is going on. Offering play technique is nothing to do with blaming anyone as to say you are not playing with your cat but just looking at something simple to help.

I have to agree with this too

Yes, that's definitely not normal. The vet will probably have to do a really good wellness exam to see if something physical is causing this. Can you get a video of him pacing and meowing? Stress to them that this is all day with no breaks in between.

A video of the pacing and howling will show the vet exactly what is going on. Letting them know it is literally all day and night with no breaks is important. Just make sure the vet hears you.

I have been unheard by the vet I used to use and that is why we found a new vet.. I know you have to find a vet who is taking new patients. And like I mentioned above if you can check the reviews and that can help you decide which vet you would want to call to try to obtain them as your cays new vet.

I can only imaging going through what you have been going through for so long..
Please keep us posted with finding a vet and the visit. Hopefully the new vet get him situated because it seems something is bothering him/making him not feel well in some way.

 

[Willowwombat]

I've tried to take video, but my presence standing there with the camera changes his behaviour.

 

[rawlins02]

You have my sympathy. What you are experiencing is difficult to say the least. Please don't question how upsetting it is seeing a loved one in distress.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

I've tried to take video, but my presence standing there with the camera changes his behaviour.

Since he doesn't do it with you in the room maybe he has some separation anxiety.. with the loss of your partner (I am so sorry for your loss I know how hard it is) and then him not seeing you in the room might be adding to the anxiety.

So there are a couple of things to talk to the vet about getting him a full workup and possibly on something for anxiety to calm him down when you aren't in the room?

We know something is going on with him. It's just trying to do the detective work and a vet visit to figure out what exactly is going on. I'm sorry it is so hard right now

 

[iPappy]

I've tried to take video, but my presence standing there with the camera changes his behaviour.

My dog is EXACTLY the same. It's so annoying!

 

[iPappy]

heatherwillard0614 might be onto something here. With the recent chain of events, he might be needy and anxious just from all the sudden change. It doesn't make it any less stressful for you, though.
Sarah, my 15.5 year old female, will meow--VERY loudly--if I'm not around for an extended length of time. It usually takes a few hours for this to happen, but if I'm upstairs and she isn't, sooner or later, she'll start in.
I can't remember if this has been discussed, but have you considered looking into CBD or something similar?

 

[Willowwombat]

So -- an update. I took Dude to the vet and she game me some Gabapentin, but during the exam she noticed that something was strange about his abdomen.

Turns out he has a long-term problem that is getting worse and requires surgery asap. He has a hernia in his abdomen that has caused all his organs to migrate into his chest. Cats can be born that way, or this could be from an old injury. His lungs are compressed enough that he has to have this surgery or he will not last much longer. So anyway, the surgery will be happening soon. In the meantime the Gabapentin finally kicked in and he's a bit quieter now.

Ass for Willow, I just leave a massive bowl of food out for her. I'm not supposed to free-feed her because of her weight but it seems to be stopping the worst of the early morning disturbances.

 

[rawlins02]

It's encouraging to hear you know more about Dude. Hoping thing turn out well for him.

Regarding Willow, has hyperthyroidism been ruled out? The early morning disturbances are consistent with that disorder. I understand it's common in older cats. If you've had her for 11 years, it's a distinct possibility.

 

[cmshap]

Turns out he has a long-term problem that is getting worse and requires surgery asap.

Sorry you and Dude have to go through that, but it's good that you finally have an explanation. Hoping it goes well.

 

[Purrfect Meow]

I know that everyone at The Cat Site wishes you the very best. It is wonderful you are starting to get some answers. My heart goes out to you.

 

[Furballsmom]

not supposed to free-feed her because of her weight but it seems to be stopping the worst of the early morning disturbances.

Are you able to get her more exercise to offset all that extra food?

 

[cmshap]

Are you able to get her more exercise to offset all that extra food?

I will second this, but I understand if W Willowwombat would want to put off dealing with such matters until later. With all the life-chaos and Dude's surgery, I can understand just wanting to throw some extra food at Willow for the moment to get some good sleep while dealing with current challenges.

However, I also want to issue a warning, because it can be easy to fall into this pattern after you start. My cat Willy has always been borderline overweight, so I've always had to watch how much I feed him (and free-feeding has always been out of the question). But I've given him extra food from time to time when I just wanted to get him out of my hair (for example, when I'm trying to work from home, but he's making it difficult). And I've found it easy to keep doing that once I start.

I'm not currently doing that anymore, as he is entering his senior years and I'm being more careful about his weight at this point. But there were times over the past several years where I wasn't being as disciplined.

Edit: It becomes easy to fall into this pattern because cats are smart, and they learn what to do to get more of what they want. The more you free-feed Willow at night, the worse she may ultimately night-cry as she learns that this behavior works to get more food. It's a double-edged sword.

 

[Fergusboy]

Oh, gosh. You were sure right that there something wrong with Dude. Poor baby. He must have been in so much distress. No wonder he wanted to escape. Gabapentin is good for getting kitty to chill out. I wish Dude well and hope the surgery goes perfectly and cures all that ails him. Let us know how Dude is. Huge to you both.