Expert: Jessica - 1/13/2012

Question
Hi

I have a 9 year old female Siamese cat who is beautiful but very loud and demanding.  She is very vocal, often seems like she is just having a chat and that is great but she can also be very demanding and her chat is more like being yelled at.    I got her when she was approx 7 and for the first year she would sleep with me but for the last 2 years I have had to shut her out of my bedroom.  She is refusing to adjust and will spend long periods during the night yelling the house down.  Long story short but I can't have her in my bed anymore even though i would love to.  Her bed is by the Dog bed, and they are both by the fire.  In winter she is better as the fire helps but in summer she reverts back to being a demanding nightmare and I really need help!!  I can't rehome her, it would break my heart as I took her off a friend who had no time for her what so ever and I felt sorry for her, but this can't go on either!

Thank you,

Gretel

Answer
Hi Gretel,

Is this kitty spayed? Siamese are known to be very vocal, but the fact that she's more vocal in summer and during the night would be consistent with her going into estrus. If she's not spayed, certainly have her done. This should resolve nearly all of the problem. Even if she has been spayed, you may want to ask a vet about Ovarian Remnant Syndrome, which can cause a cat to have symptoms of estrus if a spay is not performed completely successfully. In the end, she’ll need to have surgery to remove left over ovarian tissue removed if this is the case.

Aside from this, the only other cause I would suspect is some anxiety, but I’m not sure why it would intensify in the summer. Unless your home experiences changes in the summer, such as a lot of visitors or frequent shifts in schedules, this theory doesn’t seem as likely as estrus. Nonetheless, the vet would be best to help you out here, as well. You can try some things like a pheromone spray (see www.feliway.com to learn how these work) and increasing play time, on a strict schedule each day. Also, try to feed a good, solid meal of canned food right before bed, which should encourage several hours of decent sleep. But ultimately, cats with severe anxiety may need to be treated with a few months’ worth of antidepressants to get their behavior under control.

Also, to try to discourage her from using her voice as a way to gain your attention, don’t respond to it when she’s using it naughtily. It’s okay to chat with her when she’s being civil, but if she’s yowling and being obnoxious, try to ignore her, no matter how much you’re tempted to try to quiet her.

Good luck!
Jessica