Very restless 17 year old

[sootypuss1]

My cat Millie is 17 years old and she has begun meowing and walking restlessly throughout the house at all times of the day but especially at night. When she does settle on the lounge she just sits and stares at me and I am sure she is not sleeping as often or as long as she used to. It is causing me to have restless nights as well.

She has kidney dysfunction and high blood pressure which is being treated. All her bloods and thyroid are normal. I have spent many dollars on trying to determine a cause. My Vet has put it down to senility. She is completely at ease if I am holding her or she is lying in my lap but I cannot do this all of the time. I have tried using Feliway but as I like to have fresh air flowing through my house, it is just not having the desired effect.

I have tried locking her in the bathroom at night but she just howls and howls and I am sure it is disturbing the neighbours. I am at my wits end and do not know what to do. My Vet has suggested anti anxiety medication but it will add further stress on her kidneys. I am between a rock and a hard place. I do not want to consider euthanasia at this stage as she is my baby and I will do everything can to overcome this latest issue.

Any help would be appreciated from anyone out there who has had experience with this behaviour.

 

[red top rescue]

I would suggest trying some herbal remedies.  There are many calming ones on the market that other people on this site highly recommend.  You can do some searches on here and perhaps find some discussions about it.  I know Jackson Gaalxy has a couple that members have used and approved.  Just scroll up to the top of the page and locate the SEARCH box right underneath the brown bar, and try different word combinations there.  This should take you to many discussions.  I have read some recently but cannot pinpoint them any faster than you could, by searching.  Good Luck!

 

[anne with cats]

My cat Lloyd had kidney decline at age 17. What I didn't realize was that he was losing his hearing. I know that he had constipation issues he last 2 years, an was very uncomfortable at times ( I took him to vet for enemas) At night I would often turn the hall light on so he could make his way back from the kitchen. He also had a bad tooth, which was extracted. So you never know right away what their issue might be. He was happiest just being with me . He had some strange times in the backyard. His morning routine was to wander along the boxwood hedges, through the rose bush bed then down the other side of the yard. He had slowed down a lot, arthritic etc. He would sort of space out, but he had always stared around the yard in his own world since he was young. He loved everyone, never feared strangers. He made it to 20, but the kidney and constipation was just too much for the old fellow.

 

[cbrown540]

She might just be lonely.  My eleven year old boy did this before we got him a friend.  He would just walk around groaning this loud awful meow, and it was an every night thing!  Eventually, I thought maybe if I got him a friend, they would keep each other occupied at night.  So we got a young kitten and the loud meowing stopped!  You can never be too sure on these things, but its worth a try if you can manage it.