What Could Be The Reason For My Cat Meowing More?

[Somebody]

Hello all, first post here.
I have a pretty old cat. We don't know how old she is, but probably around 15 or so. For some time now she seems to be meowing often, low volume, not sounding stressed at all. She's just sitting or lying and making these noises.
She shows no sign of distress or pain. When I pick her up, she stops.

I know that she is going blind, she had some eye problems a few years ago and the specialist said something that her retina is degenerating and there is nothing that could be done about it. She gets around fine and I have the feeling she can see the big picture just not details close up and such. For instance she meows loudly and distressful oftentimes when she drinks and I think it's because she can't see the surface and dips the nose under water at first, then she's OK and drinks.

We had her at the vet last year, she had an XRay mid year because of constipation and I assume if she had any stones they would have shown up. She also had bloodwork done around Christmas, the vet said that her kidney values are elevated which is common for older cats but nothing to worry about just yet.

So my guess is that she is afraid because of the continuing degeneration of her vision. Does anybody have experience with a similar situation and can confirm this?

Thanks for any answer

 

[Somebody]

I forgot to add that she had some phases of diarrhea around Christmas and the vet said it could be some form of inflammatory bowl disease. He put her on special steroids and antibiotic and now we are continuing the steroid and her poop situation is OK. I manage her consistency continuously with various degrees of pumpkin pwder and some benefiber because without that her poop gets hard and small which let to the constipation last year. It's a constant challenge but so far I managed to keep it in an acceptable range with her pooping mostly every day, sometimes every 2 days.
Other than that she seems to have no health problems.

 

[ArtNJ]

Check this link: Cat Excessive Meowing and Yowling: Why Cats Meow

And in particular see the paragraph on aging cats:

• Aging cats. Cats, just like people, can suffer from a form of mental confusion, or cognitive dysfunction, as they age. They become disoriented and often cry plaintively for no apparent reason, especially at night. A nightlight sometimes can help if your cat becomes disoriented at night, and veterinarians often can prescribe medications that help these symptoms.

I suspect your correct and its related to the loss of vision, which is causing the same kind of disorientation described in this paragraph, though for a different reason. She doesn't know where stuff is and is stressed by that.

At this point in her life, she might do better in a small room where she knows where everything is, provided you can be with her a lot. Or somehow make her an area in the living room. Probably there is a lot of good info out there if you google "blind cat" and probably some good stuff here too, but I don't have expertise so we'll have to wait for someone else to help, or you can search.

 

[Somebody]

Thanks, yes I have all that set up, she mostly lives in my office with me now, has special places there with a space heater even and a water fountain, just the food and the toilet are elsewhere but she has no problems getting there.
My wife says that she does not make any noises when I'm sleeping in the bedroom.
We lost our other cat mid last year but they never were very close, more ignoring each other and she didn't show any change in behavior right after the other one died, so I don't think that's related

 

[ArtNJ]

It could be that wanting to be picked up and cuddled is exactly why she is meowing. Big difference between navigating to food/litter by a familiar path and jumping into your lap, which I assume she can't do on her own anymore. If thats it, there may not be a great solution. Hmmm, well maybe I have one idea. If you are busy and can't respond to the cat, maybe you can provide something she can associate with "not right now'. Like she meows, and if its not convenient for you to pick her up, maybe you can play some particular music? Some say music is comforting anyway, and it certainly cant hurt.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I don't have first hand experience with this, but have heard from others that a cat will adjust to losing their sight over time. One of the key things is to keep her areas clutter free and don't move furniture around, or relocate her items to places other than where she is used to them being. I am sure, based on what you have said, you have already thought this through.

Whenever possible, at the times she is meowing talk to her and let her know you are nearby. Sometimes, that is all it takes, once they realize you are close by, they will stop.

Sometimes cats that are blind are more easily startled by movements, so always talk to her when you are entering the area where she is at so she knows it is you.

If she likes to play, you can look for toys that are made specifically for blind cats, but many of them are just the typical toys that make noises. Of course, let her know you are there with the toy and her when introducing a new one.

She might be too old for a change like this, but you could consider a water fountain - that would let her sense where the water is because it is always moving.

I hope you hear from other members soon who can offer you personal experiences of living with/caring for a blind cat.

 

[rubysmama]

Somebody : Hello and welcome to TCS. Is that your senior girl in your avatar pic?

About her meowing, it's not unusual for older cats to start meowing for no apparent reason. It could be due to her vision. Or just age. Of course, if you sense something isn't right, do check with your vet.

Here's a TCS article on What To Expect As Your Cat Ages you might find helpful.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! The suggestion of music is great , try low volume harp music, there's an app called Relax My Cat, and another source is MusicForCats . com .

 

[Furballsmom]

By the way, excellent on you for working out a way to keep her constipation under control!

 

[Somebody]

Hello everybody and thanks for all the replies, yes it's my cat in the picture. I think I take it as a behavior problem for now especially since she is not showing any signs of illness and we just had the complete examination. I had an old cat die from kidney failure 20 years ago that was not properly diagnosed, and I am very concerned since then whenever a cat makes excessive noise, but the type of noise is clearly different, and with the info on age and blindness I got now I think this is really probably the reason for it.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Somebody]

I read some articles that were linked here and want to update that it took about a week or less for my cat to stop this behavior. I give her attention during the day and then at night strictly none when she starts her noise. It took only a few days and she stopped. She is awake during daybreak when I get up and waiting to get her special food but no more nagging.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hello there, Somebody and family, and welcome to TCS! She is beautiful -- what's her name? We love pix here at TCS

My eldest, Tarifa, is 15 and in good health. I believe she has some Siamese or Burmese ancestry, and she's always been quite a talker with personality plus. Sometimes she'll yowl throughout the house, often when she's "caught prey" (a twinkle ball, from a bowl of them) and she'll prowl the long hall that runs the length of the house with it in her mouth, announcing her success. She sees fine, and is very active, with a good appetite and good systems. Her being vocal is part of her personality, which I love.

 

[rubysmama]

Glad to hear she's stopped the excessive meowing. Thanks for the update.

 

[jen]

If it hasn't been done, full bloodwork is #1. You said the cat was at the vet for other things so just make sure that was done too. If you said and I missed I apologize, I skimmed through all the replies. Second is to check blood pressure. That wouldn't be something they would necessarily routinely check so make sure it was done also. That is the first thing checked when my older cat started meowing so much more, especially at night.