Expert: Jessica - 1/30/2012

Question
Dear Jessica,

I will be as accurate and brief as possible.  One of my kitties is a 9 year old male Himalayan named Bear.  The past couple of months I have noticed him becoming unusually more vocal. Not just the usual talking..."momma",etc.  It's yowling. It's bothersome and irritating.  I started to wonder if maybe something is wrong and he is in pain.  His eating and drinking habits have not changed. He has not lost any weight. But, after researching symptoms online, it sounds like it might be a symptom of renal failure.   I have desperately been trying to pinpoint when he seems to be more irritated. I do have him professionally groomed 2-3x per year where he is sedated by my vet. There was mention of maybe anesthesia causing problems like this.
 He stills runs around and plays like a kitten, still eats and drinks normally...but, I have noticed he yowls after using the litter box.... he also yowls when I am not paying any attention to him.  I am trying to watch for disorientation. I do have another cat, a male Ragdoll. Meeko is 4 years younger.  Bear bites him quite a bit....

I am starting to ramble...I am concerned about my baby Bear.  Could the yowling be a sign or symptom of renal failure?

Answer
Hi Linda,

Anytime a behavioral change takes place, it's wise to have a vet do a check up. Because your kitty is becoming a senior, yearly blood work is recommended.

Kidney failure in itself doesn't usually cause excessive vocalization, but a complication of it can. High blood pressure is known to cause crying in cats. It's believed this is because this causes headaches and eye pain. Cats with kidney failure and other old age conditions, like hyperthyroidism and diabetes, often have high blood pressure as well. The most common of these conditions that will cause excessive vocalization is hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). This is probably because it's also almost always accompanied by high blood pressure.

All of these conditions can be easily confirmed or ruled out by some simple blood and urine tests. If his eating and drinking habits have surely not changed, and he hasn't lost any weight, I would suspect that they should all come back normal. All three tend to cause quite noticeable weight loss. Diabetes and hyperthyroidism cause increased appetite. Kidney failure and diabetes cause increased thirst and urination. So although these are still possible, perhaps in early stages, I think they would be an unlikely explanation for his behavior.

I wonder if his problem is related to some pain or anxiety. Because he is yowling after using the litter box, certainly ask the vet to palpate his abdomen carefully to check for any signs of bowel discomfort or abnormalities like tumors. If anything is felt, you should follow up with an x-ray or ultrasound. Also, I would recommend a urinalysis to check for blood or infection in the urine (in addition to urine concentration to rule out kidney failure). An infection can be cleared with antibiotics. Urinary crystals or stones can be treated with a special diet, and inflammatory conditions can be treated with anti-inflammatories and anti-anxiety medications.

Anxiety is another reason that cats will cry a lot, and this can be caused by physical reasons or for a reason we can't pinpoint. Cats can start to lose their sight, causing them distress. Bear is young for a typical cat to lose eyesight. Himalayans are prone to a condition called Progressive Retinal Atrophy, which causes blindness at a young age. But he is old for this condition (it usually causes blindness by 5). Nevertheless, having his eyes checked while at the vet to ensure his vision is normal is a good idea.

If he checks out fine physically, he may have developed a behavioral disorder. Sometimes products like the Feliway diffuser (www.feliway.com) or the Good Behavior collar by Sentry HC can help reduce anxiety. Also, keeping changes in the home such as visitors and drastic switches to your schedule to a minimum can be helpful. In the worst cases, some cats need to be placed on antidepressants for a few months to restore them to a healthy mental state.

Good luck!
Jessica