In the last few weeks my five-and-a-half y.o. kitty has taken to
standing in the bathroom and meowing. When I check on her she flips on
her side, purrs and claws playfully at the bathmat, but she won't be
coaxed out, and meows again as soon as I leave (and sometimes starts
meowing again even if I stay). If I take her out of the bathroom and
hold and pet her, she's fine for a while but soon wants to be let
down. About half the time she'll curl up on the carpet near me;
otherwise she goes right back into the bathroom and starts meowing
again. It's a flat, repetitive meow, not howling, not the cry of an
animal who feels caged (she could leave the bathroom any time, the
door's open). She's eating fine, going potty in her box as usual, and
behaving normally in every way except for this. It only happens during
my waking hours; when I'm asleep she's asleep too, on the bed beside
me (or on me). In the evenings before bed she always used to lie on
the carpet at my feet when I worked at the computer, or sleep in my
lap when I watched TV. Now that seems to be changing. (It might be
worth noting that she is truly *standing* in the bathroom in the same
place by the bathtub every time.) What do you suppose she's trying to
tell me? I know by the way she flips and plays with the mat when I
enter the bathroom that she's not in any physical pain. Could she be
sad for some reason? What can I do to get to the bottom of it? I don't
have a lot of extra money for a cat psychologist.

This kitty is never ignored; I talk to her and pet and play with her
all the time. She knows she's my baby. Of course food and water are
always available. Her sister hasn't been doing any unusual meowing and
can be found sleeping in all her usual places--bed, couch, window
sill. My habits haven't changed at all. I'm nonplused! This kitty, the
bathroom meower, has always been the mellower and more mature of the
two, by the way. She hasn't had any hard-to-figure behaviors until
now.

Thanks for any help,
H.