Community Chat

[lynne6was7]

Did the vet check her thyroid? Uncontrolled thyroid issues can lead to high blood pressure, and high blood pressure can make them very vocal at night because it destroys their vision. Please double check with your vet.

[Jeremiah 2911]

Oh, one more thing...

You might try adding more playtime to her schedule. Cats sometimes howl out of pure boredom.

There's an interactive toy called a TURBO SCRATCHER at Walmart ($12) and it has a ball that the cat can swipe at and a cardboard scratcher in the middle. Cats can play with this toy independently.

You can also get a wand with a feather on the end and flick this at her. She'll jump up and try to catch the feather.

Increased playtime relieves anxiety in cats.

You may also want to buy a Feliway diffuser. Feliway is a synthetic cat pheromone that helps to relieve anxiety in cats. It can temporarily stop the cat from howling and once she is out of the habit of howling, the behavior will stop permanently.

[lolakimono]

It sounds like HYPERTHYROIDISM. Has your kitty lost weight too? How does the coat look? Is she drinking more?

[candys mine]

I'm in the hyperthyroid camp too. Signs include eating VERY well yet losing weight. Going through a "second kittenhood". Vocalizing more. Increased heart rate. Soft stool. even vomiting. watch the trends. Let the Vet know kitty has a change in her behavior, at 15 years old things can start to happen. If she hasn't had any bloodwork run in the past 6 months that may be in order just to check that all systems are in working order. OR maybe it's just the change in the seasons!

[kittymomNC]

My question would be, has your cat had a complete "senior wellness profile" --bloodwork--done recently? If not, that might be something you should do. This can rule out kidney disease (which can have some other issues along with it) or other problems. Also, vets don't always do it, but have you had her blood pressure taken?

I found out a couple of months ago that high blood pressure is a common occurrence in a cat with kidney disease. One of the symptoms of a blood pressure "spike" can be odd behavior, looking around at things you know aren't there, and vocalization of different types. My cat that has had kidney disease for 3-1/2 years had those symptoms, and the vets first thought it might be "dementia". There is a drug called Selegiline (used mostly in dogs) that can also be prescribed for cats for dementia, but you need to have a serious talk with your vet before trying it.

We went through several weeks of different meds, etc., but finally had her blood pressure checked when she had one of these episodes and it was WAY high. She was put on a low dose of blood pressure medication, since then has had two more episodes and has had her meds increased twice. The high blood pressure can mimic dementia.

The article in the link Sabatini2 posted mentions both dementia and high blood pressure. This is just something to consider if you haven't had a complete blood workup done. I've been blessed with 3-1/2 years with my cat that I didn't think I would have, and it's due to catching the problems early and treating them.

[ical]

On 9/15/2014 Tinkrbl44 said:

Sleep walking?

Eating spicy kibble before bedtime?

lol!

[ical]

On 9/15/2014 chrystaltree said:

Animals are weird. Maybe she's having nightmares? My cat is 16 years old and does that but not every night. Probably 3 or 4 times a month; we took to the vet because my husband thought she had a dental problem but she checked out fine. She's very fit and active. Every now and then, she'll make a growly-howling sound and run around the house like she's chasing something that only she can see. She'll stop dead in her tracks and just stare at "it" whatever "it" is. And then start running around again. This goes on for 30 to 45 minutes and then she stops and goes back to her normal routine. She's usually very quiet and mild mannered. According to her vet it's "cat behavior". Which translates to "I don't know why she does it".

That's what she will do! She stops suddenly and sometimes her tail will woof out and then she runs away and stops again, lol!

What do cats see that we don't?!

[ical]

On 9/15/2014 Jeremiah 2911 said:

Is your house completely dark at night? Elderly cats can lose some of their sensory perception as they age; hearing, sense of smell, sight....

Try leaving a light on or add night lights to your home so that your cat can see where she is. This may calm her down as she may be slightly confused about where she is.

If your cats sight or hearing is starting to fade a bit, you might consider putting her in your bedroom or in another bedroom at night so that she doesn't have the run of the house -- as she may be getting confused. If you can put a small night light in the room, that may help.

Two of our older cats howl at the mirror in the hallway. I would imagine that they are concerned about that strange looking cat that they see peering back at them. We began to put these two cats in a bedroom at night to sleep so they aren't howling at the mirror all night long. That solved the howling problem immediately.

Most of the time there is a definite reason for a changed behavior in cats. Try and think like a cat. The answer to the problem will eventually come to you.

The other thing to consider is that your kitty may have an undiagnosed medical problem. There are several things (besides sensory loss) that can cause a cat to howl. Ask you vet to do a work-up on your cat to find out if your kitty has any medical problems.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for this information and sharing! You know, it's funny because I was trying to figure it out, and I thought, maybe because it is getting darker earlier, she might not be able to go to the basement to use her kitty litter box (even though there are windows and she never had a problem in the dark before). So I dug out one of my Bethlehem lights automatic window candles and placed it near her litter box so it will automatically turn on when it is dark. It runs on batteries (thankfully, there is no convenient plug down there). I love your mirror story about your kitties! Cats are so awesome!

Also, my kitty didn't howl as much last night! Maybe the light worked? I don't know, but she also is sleeping in odd spots too all of a sudden. I am going to call the vet and have her checked out again too, just in case! Thanks again!

[ical]

On 9/15/2014 lynne6was7 said:

Did the vet check her thyroid? Uncontrolled thyroid issues can lead to high blood pressure, and high blood pressure can make them very vocal at night because it destroys their vision. Please double check with your vet.

Thank you! I am going to call the vet. I don't think they checked this, unless they do this routinely and I am unaware! I really appreciate how helpful and informative everyone has been. Thank you all!

[ical]

On 9/15/2014 Jeremiah 2911 said:

Oh, one more thing...

You might try adding more playtime to her schedule. Cats sometimes howl out of pure boredom.

There's an interactive toy called a TURBO SCRATCHER at Walmart ($12) and it has a ball that the cat can swipe at and a cardboard scratcher in the middle. Cats can play with this toy independently.

You can also get a wand with a feather on the end and flick this at her. She'll jump up and try to catch the feather.

Increased playtime relieves anxiety in cats.

You may also want to buy a Feliway diffuser. Feliway is a synthetic cat pheromone that helps to relieve anxiety in cats. It can temporarily stop the cat from howling and once she is out of the habit of howling, the behavior will stop permanently.

Nice! I never heard of Feliway! I wonder if it would work on me, lol! (kidding!)

She does love to play, but maybe she is getting bored, you may be right! I am noticing she is sleeping in odd places, and she's jumping on things, knocking them down when she never did this before. I have to shoo her away because she jumped on the counter with the stove on and I nearly tripped myself trying to make sure she didn't walk on the stovetop. She loves socks (the missing that have no match) and I will put a bit of catnip into the toe and tie off the sock. She will carry this around as if it were some great hunt she just accomplished! Thanks so much! I appreciate all your suggestions and I will also look into that Turbo Scratcher!