My cat is 18 years old and sometimes she will frantically cry almost sounding like she is in pain, but then we go check on her and she does her happy cry. I was starting to think that she could not see as well and frantically cried when she did not know where she was going, but leaving the light on does not change this behavior, she also frantically cries before she drinks water. I just wanted to know if anyone else noticed this in their senior cats.
2008-03-08T04:40:48Z
I have tested her hearing, and that seems to be good, she still responds when we call her name and make clicky noises at her to get her attention. And I do plan to take her to the vet over spring break.
Laurie2008-03-07T22:08:07Z
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A eighteen years she may be having health issues. Take her to the vet for a blood workup. There may be intermittent pain. If all is clear she may becoming more needy or forgetful and needs reassurance. If this is not a normal behavior, something is wrong. Talk to her when she meows and see if this calms her. She will need more affection at this age, but remember that the vet check is very important.
You need to take your cat to the vet....We had a cat for over 19 years..during the last 3 years or so she started doing the same thing. We thought it was cute at first. Thought she was scolding us for being gone at work and stuff. We then discovered that she had lost her hearing and had the mournful cry cause she didn't know where we were at til she saw us. However, when she started the stuff at the water bowl we became concerned. It seemed she was having the first stages of renal failure. Her kidneys were not doing all the job they should be. She would be getting dehydrated but would only sit at her bowl and cry..sometimes she'd drink but very little. We finally started her on some IV treatments that would have been very expensive but the Vet was good about showing us how to do it. It seemed to help her quite a bit for about a year or maybe a little less. Once it got where she refused to let us give them to her and we saw that we weren't helping her to have any kind of quality life we let nature take it's course. Not an easy decision, but a very necessary one. I'm sorry this is not good news, but please see your Vet and he/she will help you make her last years as comfortable as possible. I think they see this a lot. Our girl was a great friend and we are grateful we had her for so long. Hope this helps. Hang in there Steve
yes, it does sound like your cat is in distress. I would take them for some blood work, to see if there are any issues with the kidneys, or if there is any type of infection. I would say too, that as cats get older, they do seek more attention. If the meows are frantic though, I would take the kitty to the vet. If they want you to pick them up, then I would do that. Pick up the kitty, if this is something you have always done, and see if it calms the kitty. They may need more attention, but I think they are trying to tell you something.
In addition to examination by your vet, request a full chemistry profile, complete blood count, thyroid test, and blood pressure assessment.
Hypertension with or without hyperthyroidism or renal problems can result in behavior changes and is very common in older cats. There may be signs of this already evident in your cat's eyes. As the condition advances, the retinas are damaged and pupils will be less light responsive.
My 2 year old cats do that for some reason, go in another room and start bawling until someone calls for them. Get a clicker of some sort and when she does it start clicking to call to her.
Otherwise, you could take her to the vet and ahve them check out her eyes. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea considering her age.