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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / July 2005howling at night
I have two ten year old female litermates. These are indoor cats and neither has been outside where the evil monsters reside. Both cats are would appear to be in good health, but neither has been to the vet for several years. Their behavior is normal for them as they play and wrestle and occassionally get into arguments like any sister will. Their appetite is good and they drink ample portions of water. There is no signs of parisites in their stool. One cat will sleep all night with my wife and I, waking up usually minutes before the alarm goes off each morning. The other girl has started pacing the floor after the lights go off and howling. She has a lowd voice and it makes sleep impossible. She usually gets put into the garage where she can howl as much as she wants. She has water, food, and a literbox of her very own out there. Any thoughts on this irritating behavior? > I have two ten year old female litermates. These are indoor cats and > neither has been outside where the evil monsters reside. Both cats are [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Any thoughts on this irritating behavior? I'm assuming they're spayed? If they haven't been to the vet "for several years" I would say that's the *first* thing you should do. Any behavioral change is usually caused by a physical problem and that should be ruled out before you start to work on changing the behavior. She could have a UTI. My Percy started going into the bathroom and howling when he was in the final stages of renal failure right before we had to have him euthanized. Hugs, CatNipped >The other girl has started pacing the >floor after the lights go off and howling. This behavior in older cats is a classic symptom of a hyperthyroid condition. Please get your cat into the vet and have her thyroid function tested ASAP. Megan  Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray > I have two ten year old female litermates. These are indoor cats and > neither has been outside where the evil monsters reside. Both cats are [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Any thoughts on this irritating behavior? Drinking "ample portions" of water is not necessarily a good sign, most cats don't drink much, so this might indicate a problem, particularly if their water intake has increased. There are a number of possible causes of howling at night in an older cat: http://www.felinecrf.org/symptoms_treatments_index.htm#H Please get her checked by a vet. Actually, please get both cats checked by a vet. Helen > I have two ten year old female litermates. These are indoor cats and > neither has been outside where the evil monsters reside. Both cats are [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Two issues here... -Are they both spayed? -Resolution of behavioral problems, particulary in this case since as you say they have not been to a vet in several years, start with a visit to the vet for a checkup. Discuss these issues with the vet when you are there. Their appetite > is good and they drink ample portions of water. There is no signs of > parisites in their stool. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Any thoughts on this irritating behavior? The first order of business is a thorough veterinary examination to rule out potential medical causes (e.g., hyperthyroidism, hypertension). However, the fact that she vocalizes apparently only after the lights are turned off leads me to suspect a possible decline in hearing and/or sight and/or cognitive function (she may become disoriented with the lights off). Some older cats begin to vocalize as their senses or cognitive function begins to decline. So, you might want to have your vet check her hearing as well. If the vet gives her a clean bill of health, you might want try leaving a few night-lights on around the house - particularly near her food and water bowls and litterbox. Best of luck. Phil Phil wrote: >However, the fact that she vocalizes >apparently only after the lights are turned >off leads me to suspect a possible decline >in hearing and/or sight and/or cognitive >function If this was an older cat I might suspect this too, but the cat is only 10 years old, which makes it unlikely. It's more likely this is related to hyperthyroid or hypertension. I point this out just to underline the need for the OP to take the cat to the vet and not chalk this behavior up to old age. Megan Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray > Phil wrote: > >However, the fact that she vocalizes [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > If this was an older cat I might suspect this too, but the cat is only > 10 years old, which makes it unlikely. Not necessarily. I've seen cognitive dysfunction affect cats as young as 10 - that's why I mentioned it. It's more likely this is related > to hyperthyroid or hypertension. Possible but not probable in this case -- unless the cat becomes hyperthyroid or hypertensive only when the lights are turned off.. I point this out just to underline the > need for the OP to take the cat to the vet and not chalk this behavior > up to old age. I absolutely agree that the cat definitely needs to be seen by a vet. That's why I opened and closed my post with advice to have the cat thoroughly examined *before* considering cognitive dysfunction. >If this was an older cat I might suspect this too, but the cat is only 10 >years old, which makes it unlikely. It's more likely this is related to >hyperthyroid or hypertension. I point this out just to underline the need >for the OP to take the cat to the vet and not chalk this behavior up to >old age. Our two cats do a little yelling after we go to bed for the night. I think that's when the ghosts come out. :) Alan Signature---------------------------------------------------------------------- ** Please use address alanh77[at]comcast.net to reply via e-mail. ** Posted using registered MR/2 ICE Newsreader #564 and eComStation 1.14 BBS - The Nerve Center Telnet FidoNet 261/1000 tncbbs.no-ip.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > I have two ten year old female litermates. These are indoor cats and > neither has been outside where the evil monsters reside. Both cats are [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Any thoughts on this irritating behavior? Perhaps a night light would help MLB -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- OOPS!!!!! -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- >Hi there ! > >Sorry we missed you two (yesterday ?) we just got back from vacation last >night. Went to Montreal, had a great time. Hope we can get together soon. I >am writing you at two addresses because that is what I have in address book. >Not sure which one is correct. Both addresses work, for now. You missed out on a good hike Sunday! Hot, but a good breeze. We're thinking of either doing a hike along the river from Knightville to the Chesterfield Gorge, or going up Tekoa Mtn to look for a geocache, this weekend. The long range forecast looks good for Sat. or Sun. Either day works for us. Feel like getting some exercise? |
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