Expert: Dear Tabbi - 4/15/2009

Question
Hello!

I have two cats at home, one is roughly 15 years and the other is roughly 2 years.  I've noticed, ever since we got her, that the 15 year old has a strange meow at times, mostly at night.  The little cat has seemed to have adopted the habit as well.

It's hard to describe.  It's usually when she's alone in our room.  The meow is LOUD, and sort of guttural and a sort of a cross between a meow and a growl.  It almost reminds me of a cat in heat, but she's been spayed.  She will make this noise constantly for about a minute, then stop.  Is it maybe her way of saying she wants to play?

The little cat didn't do it until recently and her meow is the same, only it sort of has a question sound to it.  It's very hard to describe the sound they make.  I know the 'I'm hungry' meow, the 'I'm mad' meow, this strange sound, could it be the 'I want to play' meow?  They do seem to run around a bit before and after making the noise.

I was just curious.  The sound is kind of funny to hear so I thought I'd ask.

Thanks!

Holly

Answer
Holly,

Your old cat is approximately 76 years old in human years at at that age it could be kitty Alzheimer's that is making her act bizarre, or any number of age related ailments or things going wrong. They also get more vocal because they are confused about the changes in their body and mind. Give the cat LOTS of reassurance and love. Don't ever get upset at the cat for getting old and any behavior or health related issues that results from it.

The younger cat is more than likely just being a "copy cat". It's normal behavior for one cat to tend to copy other cat's habits.

Early detection of problems and medication, including any needed pain medication, can help make her senior years more comfortable. She should be examined by a vet that specializes in geriatric cat care and their conditions. Not all vets do which can be detrimental to an elderly cat. She needs to have her hearing and eyes checked, checked for arthritis, and the function of her kidneys, liver, and thyroid checked. An elderly cat needs this checkup about every 6 months.

I am NOT suggesting that your cat is not healthy now, or that something may be wrong with her, but at her age it will happen at some point. Being prepared and knowledgeable about elderly cats will make things easier for the cat and for you.

I am including some very good links about elderly cats. Copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar:

http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html

http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm

http://www.2ndchance.info/oldcat.htm

I hope this helped. She must have had good care and been loved to have lived to be this age. She's a lucky cat to have such a good home and a caring owner.

Tabbi