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Any Hive cat whisperers?


Kanin
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I feel crazy spending so much time thinking about my cat. She's 15 1/2, and is part Siamese - so a big talker generally. The problem is she has started meowing in the middle of the night - a lot! She used to meow once or twice in the night and settle down, but now she's up meowing every hour or so, and I'm not getting any sleep. She occasionally has quiet nights, but not usually. Even when she's quiet, I'm lying in bed anticipating the next bloodcurdling yowl! 

So far I've:

- Ruled out a UTI

- Tested thyroid (on meds), kidneys (not great but not awful)

- Given her lots of comfy beds

- Started trying to keep her on a 3 meals a day schedule, although she's used to grazing so she gets mad when her food bowl disappears. I can't convince her yet to eat a lot at one time and not graze. 

- Try to play more, but she's not always up for it. Plus she's 15, so less agile than in the past. 

- Bought her an anxiety shirt, but she has a hard time walking/jumping in it, so I'm afraid to let her wear it at night. She liked her homemade one, but then got her tooth stuck int he fabric so I had to get rid of it. Sigh. That did work for 2 good nights. Maybe she'll adjust to the new shirt?

- Bought some night lights.

- I try to ignore her meows at night, but it feels so mean! She is usually just sitting in the living room meowing. Sometimes she'll meow then come into our room, but usually she's just sitting there doing nothing. 

- I bought some CBD oil for pets, but it hasn't arrived yet. I need to ask the vet about any potential problems with that idea. 

Help! I'm exhausted and fed up trying to cater to a loud cat. I love her dearly, but the nighttime meowing is *this close* to putting me over the edge, what with remote schooling, covid worries, and usual life stuff. It feels exactly like those Supernanny episodes where they have to put the kid back in bed 71 times a night.

 

 

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My talkative part siamese (pictured in my profile) did the same when she got older. I think it was because her vision was declining or maybe she was getting a little senile. She did so much better when we confined her to one room (ours) at night. We did it because we had to keep her separated from other cats, but the end to the nightly conversations was an unexpected bonus. Can you have her sleep with someone or in one room? 

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Some elderly cats become more vocal when their hearing starts to go.

Have you tried feeding her right before bedtime, or leaving out some food? I'd use a meaty canned food. I'm not a cat whisperer, but I know some. And they swear a good meaty meal right before bed helps a lot of cats. When we had cats the vet said don't worry a bit about leaving wet food out overnight for a cat to nibble on.

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I don't have any good advice. I am a relative newbie to having cats, but I sure do love them. I hope you both get some relief. 

I wouldn't hesitate to leave out some wet food overnight to see if grazing would help some.

 I've only had experience with one elderly cat. He was fine and seemingly normal up until the last couple of days. Anyway, I'm following as I have another elderly (but happy and agile) cat and 3 younguns. 😉 

 

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It sounds like she could be experiencing some kitty-dementia.  It seems like you've tried all-of-the-things, so I'd talk with the vet about pharmaceutical options now. 

Have you tried locking her in the bedroom with you at night? Will she settle down if she knows you are nearby?

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We have one who "sings us the song of her people" every night, and she's only 2. And, as DH always says, her people are loud and whiny. She's been cooped up with me for a week in the master bedroom since I'm in isolation following a trip, and amazingly, she's been quiet and sleeping every night. I think she gets anxiety when we're not instantly accessible or visible - normally the kids sleep with their door closed and she howls at their doors. 

If you've tried that, I don't think I saw it on your list (could you use the anxiety shirt if she's confined to a smaller area as well?), then I'd probably talk to the vet about some meds.

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I agree with everyone who are suggesting dementia. Years ago, I had a small dog on dementia pills but I don't know what they'd have for cats. Since you checked for UTI, kidney and so forth, I'd consider dementia.

Also, this is just at night, right? She's normal during the day?

Wendy

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On 1/12/2021 at 2:44 PM, Alicia64 said:

I wish all cats had you for a mom. You're wonderful. (I had a Siamese as a kid, they're awesome cats.)

Wendy

Aw. Thanks 🙂 I'm trying! Problem is, I'm not a Siamese so our communication isn't 100% 🙂  

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On 1/12/2021 at 2:52 PM, Alicia64 said:

I agree with everyone who are suggesting dementia. Years ago, I had a small dog on dementia pills but I don't know what they'd have for cats. Since you checked for UTI, kidney and so forth, I'd consider dementia.

Also, this is just at night, right? She's normal during the day?

Wendy

Well, it's still sometimes during the day, only when she wakes up from a nap. 

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On 1/11/2021 at 1:59 PM, Paige said:

My talkative part siamese (pictured in my profile) did the same when she got older. I think it was because her vision was declining or maybe she was getting a little senile. She did so much better when we confined her to one room (ours) at night. We did it because we had to keep her separated from other cats, but the end to the nightly conversations was an unexpected bonus. Can you have her sleep with someone or in one room? 

I haven't kept her just in our room, mostly because the litterbox would be pretty much right next to the bed in our small room. I am thinking of buying a gate that would block off our room, the room with the litterbox, and the bathroom. She'd at least be stuck in half the house rather than able to roam the whole thing. 

 

 

On 1/11/2021 at 1:55 PM, Caraway said:

Have you tried Prozac?  (For the cat 😉 )

Ha! Or maybe both of us! 😄 

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On 1/12/2021 at 1:17 AM, MissLemon said:

It sounds like she could be experiencing some kitty-dementia.  It seems like you've tried all-of-the-things, so I'd talk with the vet about pharmaceutical options now. 

Have you tried locking her in the bedroom with you at night? Will she settle down if she knows you are nearby?

Yeah... it might be vet time again. Just after finishing treatment for a 2-month long UTI, $1,000 later... 😕

She settles, but then the jumps up again frequently. I've started bringing her into bed with us each time she meows, and that semi-worked last night... maybe she'll get the message that meowing = being brought to the bed. 

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On 1/11/2021 at 2:01 PM, MercyA said:

Not a cat whisperer, but my dog became very vocal at night as a senior. I think it was a combination of anxiety, senility, and discomfort from arthritis. 

Have you tried a heated bed?

Will she sleep in your bed?

Aw. Poor pup. Maggie probably has all of these. I haven't tried a heated bed, but luckily her bed is on top of a heating vent 🙂  She used to sleep right in between me and DH, for years! Now she usually doesn't. 

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