Yowling cat?

[funkychunkymonkey]

My mom has a 16 year old cat. She’s recently been to the vet and is on medicine for a bladder infection. Recently my ma switched shifts (coming home about 2 hrs latter). Tabby (the cat), has been yowling loudly every night about 11pm (the time she used to come home). Tabby is never alone at night, we have other cats, and I am home. She sits on the stairs and yowls, instead of walking the extra few feet to my room. What can I do to help her? This is becoming a problem as she is waking the upstairs dog, who wakes the kid, who wakes the crabby old lady. TIA!

 

[LuLuO]

Often cats will do this when they being to lose or have lost their hearing. I don't think there's anything you can do. My mom's cat did that for about 3 years until she passed from old age.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Its not hearing realted. she hears just as well as the rest of the cats. I can stand quite a distance away and she will turn and look when I call her.

 

[HeatherH]

Can't you just go pet her and pick her up and bring her to your room?

She's an old cat, she needs a little extra TLC, just go give it to her and she will no doubt stop yowling.

 

[mackeysmom]

Years ago when I moved my bedroom from one room to another, my Mackey would go to the other room at bedtime and just sit in the doorway and yowl. I would get out of bed, walk to the other room, pick him up and carry him to my bed. He'd be fine. The next night - same thing .

It took about two weeks until he stopped. I've found that the older they are, the harder it is for them to adapt to change.

Be patient and good luck

-- Laura

 

[FlyingDumbo]

She wants her mama. lol. She doesnt understand this new schedule and she is voiceing her opinion.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Does your mom give her food or treats when she comes home? She may be looking for that. Otherwise, they are creatures of habit. As I type this my cats are pacing between me and the stairs because I am usually in bed by now so they want me to get up there so they can settle down and sleep on me.

Go and get her and bring her to you and give her some love (and food/treats if that is usual) and she should get used to the new routine after a while.

 

[phorsenuf]

Does your mom give her food or treats when she comes home? She may be looking for that. Otherwise, they are creatures of habit. As I type this my cats are pacing between me and the stairs because I am usually in bed by now so they want me to get up there so they can settle down and sleep on me.

Go and get her and bring her to you and give her some love (and food/treats if that is usual) and she should get used to the new routine after a while.

Aren't cats funny that way. Ours get so mad when we don't go to bed on time. We tell them they can go without us but they don't.

 

[JOCAmom]

Our kitties are the same way when it comes to the kids going to bed. They know when they should be in bed so they can go find there spot to lay down. If the kids aren't ready when the cats are, they get mighty impatient about it.

OP, just bring her with you and start a new routine with her. It might take a while but she'll get it.

 

[Imzadi]

She wants her mama. lol. She doesnt understand this new schedule and she is voiceing her opinion.

Otherwise, they are creatures of habit. As I type this my cats are pacing between me and the stairs because I am usually in bed by now so they want me to get up there so they can settle down and sleep on me.

Cats have in internal clock. My cat knows exactly what time she is supposed to be fed and is pawing at me ONE SECOND after I've missed the time.

My suggestion to you is to go over to her at 10:59 and pick her up and give her some comfort and attention.

She's 16, this time change must be very scary and hard for her.

As much as you think she knows you are at home, she's not thinking of you in the moment. She's thinking of her mom.

When my kitty was younger and I had to go away for a couple days, when I got back home, she would still go over to the door and cry, like she was still waiting for me to come home. It would break my heart, as I knew she must have done this while I was away. I'd call her and she'd come running, like she forgot I was home. This would continue for about 48 hours, until she did indeed remember and was sure I was home for good.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My mom has a 16 year old cat. She’s recently been to the vet and is on medicine for a bladder infection. Recently my ma switched shifts (coming home about 2 hrs latter). Tabby (the cat), has been yowling loudly every night about 11pm (the time she used to come home). Tabby is never alone at night, we have other cats, and I am home. She sits on the stairs and yowls, instead of walking the extra few feet to my room. What can I do to help her? This is becoming a problem as she is waking the upstairs dog, who wakes the kid, who wakes the crabby old lady. TIA!

You need to redirect her until she gets used to your mom's new schedule.

 

[bitohoney]

I have the same problem with my oldest cat, Kitty, who is 14. But...Kitty has hyperthyroidism and my middle cat and Kitty don't get along so they have to be seperated. I rotate which cat has free roam of the house every 3 hours and when Kitty is seperated, she yowls.
What I have found that helps (and I have tried a lot of things) are calming aids for cats. Pet Naturals of Vermont have a calming treat that helps and also Rescue Remedy helps too.
I use onlynaturalpet.com to research different remedies.

 

[SetzKitten]

Had the same issue with my older cat. She would yowl in the middle of the night. It was not a normal noise, it sounded like she was saying hellllloooooo over and over again. I would just yell out, "Here I am" and she would shut up. She only did it when she got to be about 15. You're right though, it is not a hearing issue. She heard fine, it was like she got lost in the night. Weird.

 

[SaraJayne]

Our 19 year old cat does the same thing...it used to be just the middle of the night, now it's pretty much whenever she's awake.

But she's practically deaf, and the vet said that had a lot to do with it.

Giving her extra love/attention makes no difference. I can handle it during the day, but when it goes on for months randomly throughout the night, yeah, it isn't so cute or funny. We've had to start shutting her in our bedroom so she doesn't wake up the kids anymore.

OP, if it's only at that time of night, I'd just pick her up and give her some extra attention and see if that takes care of the problem.

 

[SaraJayne]

Had the same issue with my older cat. She would yowl in the middle of the night. It was not a normal noise, it sounded like she was saying hellllloooooo over and over again. I would just yell out, "Here I am" and she would shut up. She only did it when she got to be about 15. You're right though, it is not a hearing issue. She heard fine, it was like she got lost in the night. Weird.

The vet said in elderly kitties, sometimes they get confused, especially when it's dark, since they don't see as well anymore. So we put a nightlight in the hallway for the kitty (both bathrooms already have them) but they haven't made any difference.