Vocal Senior Cat.. Please Help :(

[domani]

Hi all -

I'm glad my "go-to" forums for all my kitty needs is still very active, even though I only seem to pop in every couple of years, lol.

My senior cat (16.5 years) Cammie is a LOUD MOUTH. It's not necessarily new, but I think it's gotten a little worse in the last year or so. Nothing else about her behavior has changed. She eats well, drinks, fairly active, no litter box issues. She may have lost some weight over the last few years, but it seems to be steady now.

With that said, I think it's attention seeking or a senile thing. It's mostly at night. My mom said you can't even tell she's in the house during the day because she's so quiet. But once the evening rolls around, she seems a little unsettled - like she'll cry, then lay with me for a little bit, then get up, walk around the house, start crying again, come into my room and stare at me and cry (while I respond with "WHAT?? I'M RIGHT HERE") - she'll wake me up once or twice at night and become vocal once I'm awake, but then settles down by the time I'm leaving work. It's also worse when my boyfriend's here. She'll go into the other room & start crying as if she's saying "Let's hang out in here instead" lol - she likes my BF, but it's as if her space is being invaded.

Anyway - everything I'm reading says to ignore it and don't reward the behavior. Will that really help?? That's what I do in the middle of the night, I usually fall back asleep pretty quickly and she usually doesn't go on and on like she does in the evenings. But in the evening & early morning, it's SO hard to ignore. It also makes me feel like an a-hole. I've never used calming spray with her - would that make a difference?

I should also add that another cat is not an option. Sometimes I wonder if she's lonely since she used to be part of a pair, though her and the other cat weren't particularly close, but I do know that she became more vocal after my other cat passed away 5 years ago.

I just really need some relief. Some days I can tolerate it. But like this morning, I couldn't fall back asleep, my Dad was blasting the TV at 6AM, the cat starts crying, and I almost went off the deep end

Thanks!!

 

[susanm9006]

My bet would be that some senility is creeping in. She wants something, but she isn’t sure what it is and she meows. It could be crying for you or for her departed pal or she may not have a clue what she is meowing for. Mine always liked to howl in the middle of the night at the top of their lungs in the basement as they reached their senior years. But perhaps she is also getting uncomfortable from arthritis or something else so I would suggest a full senior kitty workup at the vet, including blood work.

And, unfortunately I don’t think ignoring her is going to change her behavior, and another cat will probably make the situation worse. If she were mine I would give her cuddles or whatever seems to soothe her. I know it is horrid to get shorted on sleep but she won’t be with you forever.

 

[danteshuman]

Have you tried night lights? Night lights have helped many senior cats.

 

[domani]

My bet would be that some senility is creeping in. She wants something, but she isn’t sure what it is and she meows. It could be crying for you or for her departed pal or she may not have a clue what she is meowing for. Mine always liked to howl in the middle of the night at the top of their lungs in the basement as they reached their senior years. But perhaps she is also getting uncomfortable from arthritis or something else so I would suggest a full senior kitty workup at the vet, including blood work.

And, unfortunately I don’t think ignoring her is going to change her behavior, and another cat will probably make the situation worse. If she were mine I would give her cuddles or whatever seems to soothe her. I know it is horrid to get shorted on sleep but she won’t be with you forever.

Of course, she’s been quiet all damn night lol - but I was home with her last night and it seems that nights following nights I was home with her, she’s fairly quiet. If it’s a night after a night I came home late, she’s more vocal. It’s like she’s angry at me for leaving her alone, lol. I’ll try to keep track of it more but that seems to be part of the pattern.

When she wakes me up in the middle of the night, it’s usually a loud meow or two, and then she settles down and sleeps next to me. I wonder if because I never respond or hardly respond (half asleep scratch on the head) that she doesn’t expect attention?

I’m going to work being more patient in the evening with her. Reading about other people and their frustrations with their vocal cats made me feel better because I felt so awful that it made me so angry I’m thinking I won’t indulge the attention right away but wait until she has a quiet moment and then pet her. But I definitely can’t completely ignore it and if she’s confused, it might not even help.

Thanks for your response

 

[domani]

Have you tried night lights? Night lights have helped many senior cats.

I actually thought about that the other day. The house is usually dark, maybe I can try to set up some lights for her

 

[happilyretired]

When my first cat was about 17, she howled at night, and my vet said it was 'hormonal.' It stopped after a while.
But he also advised leaving lights on for her at night, as their night vision diminishes with age. I kept a light in the room where her litter box was located, as well as one in the kitchen where her food station was.

I have electric candles in my front windows, so the house isn't ever totally dark.

 

[domani]

When my first cat was about 17, she howled at night, and my vet said it was 'hormonal.' It stopped after a while.
But he also advised leaving lights on for her at night, as their night vision diminishes with age. I kept a light in the room where her litter box was located, as well as one in the kitchen where her food station was.

I have electric candles in my front windows, so the house isn't ever totally dark.

I had a few quiet nights with her since the post - but have also had some unbearable ones. I’m very sensitive to noise and it immediately heightens my anxiety when she starts crying non-stop. I decided to make an appt with the vet. I’m not sure if it’ll be good or bad if there’s nothing wrong LOL, but it’ll make me feel better to go.

I’m going to try to put some more lights where I can and see if that helps. There was a night or two I slept with the TV on that she was quieter, but I don’t know if that was a coincidence. The vet appt is in a week, so I can experiment before then for a bit.