I remember seeing this subject before, and there is a medical explanation
for it, so he needs to see TED asap.  I'm sorry I can't recall what the
exact reason is, but he definitely needs the vet IIRC.  It's a symptom of
something I wish I could remember, sorry.
Tweed

It can mean a lot of things. Often cats who are having thyroid trouble yowl.
Schmogg is the right age. He should probably get a geriatric panel done when
you can.

Could be he is losing his hearing and likes to make enough noise so he can
hear himself.

Jo

A serenade to you in return for the lovely dinner.   MLB

Does he walk around while he's doing it?  Stinky has always done this,
especially in the summertime, but also occasionally in the winter.
For Stinky, it's usually when he gets a snootful of outdoor air, and
suddenly decides to take on all the possible and putative cats that
might be lurking around his territory.

Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Make Levees, Not War

I don't want to alarm you as it may be something entirely different, but
that's what Percy started doing.  We didn't know what it was and didn't take
him to the vet soon enough and he died of kidney failure.  Of course it may
be something as simple as he's getting a bit deaf in his old age.

Hugs,

CatNipped

Izzi used to do this, when she got older. I honestly think it's a form of
cat dementia, and Fergus's arrival is just coincidental. The fact that he
shuts up when you speak to him ties in with how Izzi reacted, it was as if
she was lost, and needed some reassurance that I was around.

Actually, Cav does it now, and has always done it. It's his way of saying
'Where the hell is everyone?'. As soon as I call out and he knows where I
am,  he shuts up.

Love

Jeanette

Aaargh, top posting!
The short answer - different things to different cats!

We had two different kinds of yowlers.
There is Spock, who is probably part-Burmese, and he wanders around the
house like a strolling mintrel yelling his fool head off.  He's just
singing to the world and will stop for a moment if we speak to him
(maybe he's interpreting it as singing in competition), but then will
keep going.  He does this daily and it's just one of those funny things
he does.
Mum's old cat, Psnott (RB), part Siamese, used to do the same thing.
It would drive Mum nuts, but it was just something he did.

Then there was Ted (RB).  She started yowling (howling, really - a
mournful sound) around 'bout when she was 14 or 15.  We're pretty sure
it was because she was going deaf and could no longer hear where we
were in the house.  If we walked past her, waved at her, or otherwise
engaged her attention visually, she would calm down immediately and get
on with whatever was on her agenda at the time.

I would suspect that maybe your Schmogg is getting a bit on in years
and with the advent of Little Bear and IBK the house is noisy and he
can no longer locate you by hearing, so is letting you know that he's
"lost" you.

Tish

I should smack myself around the ears some days. I just realised that the
yowl he is making is exactly the same yowl that he makes when Levi, next
door's cat, comes around.

The Yowl, only after food, and only since IBKFergus arrived, is Shmogg's way
of saying to IBKFergus "Bugger off, this food is mine". Of course, he
doens't yowl when he's actually eating (he's too busy stuffing his face) and
of course, thats when IBKFergus eats too. But once Shmogg has finished
gorging himself, he'll look around to see IBKFergus eating food as well, and
will try and scare her off.

If she doesn't leave, he'll beat her up and guard the food bowl and its
leftovers so she doesn't come back. Of course, he spends most of his time
sleeping, so IBKFergus has plenty of oppurtunity for eating whats left (and
there's always kibble available too), but it all makes sense now.

Thanks everyone.

Yowie

I have another question - what's cat yowling like?  Since Betty is my
first cat, she had to teach me all about catly ways, but I'm not sure
if I've heard her yowl.  Sometimes at night, she'll wander around the
house and make short, throaty "Wauuuu" sort of calls.  If I call her
back, she'll run trilling to me and purr loudly when she locates me.
Are those yowls, or are yowls longer?