What makes a cat YOWL so LOUD??
 

Tigger is a 17 y/o domestic shorthair female, spayed since 9 months old. Her yowling started probably back in early last summer, 2016. Loud yowling, mostly in the open basement at night, and not really often. We got the house ready to sell, that may have caused her some distress, moving furniture around and out. We lost her companion cat in July, but they never got along. For 16 years! Unless there was a sunny spot on the floor, then she, the other cat, and the dog would just a.l.m.o.s.t touch each other.

So we've been in the new house since August. Her yowling has gotten way worse; she's like a rooster - starting at daybreak. If she's not sleeping she's wondering around screaming. Horrible terrible sounds coming out of her mouth! We took her to the vet because I read these vocalizations could be caused by thyroid or kidney disease. Pain? maybe, I don't know.

She's quite aware of us, not dementia, and I don't think she's deaf.

Bloodwork showed she has an allergy, got meds for that. Although the vet could feel her thyroid was enlarged, bloodwork didn't indicate a problem there but did show a kidney problem. She's now on Science Diet KD, expensive food!

Here it is a month later, and we just lost the old dog. Tigger's yowling is now almost out of control. Is she afraid we're going to get rid of her, too? Is that all this is about? The noise is unreal!

Any cat psychologists here?

Just guessing here, but due to the changes & the loss of the other pets , "her companions"...she may be lonely and calling for them.
Her age is getting up there , so could be some ageing discomfort as a factor too.

Poor baby. My guess would be all the changes that have been happening. As long as you know she's not sick or in pain I'm not sure what to recommend.

Hopefully MrsD will respond soon. She knows a lot about cats.

Did the vet give prednisolone to her for the allergies?

If so, I'd taper her off and see what happens. Pred can cause psychosis as a side effect.

Are you giving her more attention during the day? Some treats of shrimp or chicken?

Do some Googling about feeding a diet for kidney problems. The treatments tend to favor wet food instead of kibble now.

It sounds very sad, your description of the howling which sounds like humans screaming.
We've had cats die of cancer-- no howling.
We had a cat with hyperthyroid disease -- no howling, but extreme hunger and begging for food.
We've had a cat die of kidney failure-- no howling
We've had a young cat with a severe abscess on her neck from an animal bite in extreme pain-- no howling

However, our Maya, did wail when she was young and a kitten and afraid.
And I have had cats really wail during car travel (they were caged).

I am tending to agree with Jo, that this might be a severe grief or stress reaction. Giving the kitty more attention, and loving, may make this better.

I can surely sympathize with you and how the howling makes you feel.

You could also try giving some quality catnip. Some cats settle down with it, and we found it helpful for pain issues too. We use it for traveling in the car.

Sparky10, i think that the others have made some excellent suggestions.

My much-loved cat Susie, who died last year as a 23 y.o., howled a lot after her companion cat Spike, as a 22 y.o., died the previous year. I suspect that she missed him.

One thing that you could think about is getting a replacement cat or dog to keep Tigger company.

This may not work because Tigger, as a 17 y.o., may find it hard to deal with a new companion animal but it might be worth considering.

You might want to check out this link:


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Kiwi has a good point. However if your kitty is aggressive as well as loud, I would be careful about introducing a new cat to him.

She never liked the other animals, but she's an "only pet" for the first time in her life. I need a cat psychologist if this isn't a health issue!!



I remember your posts about Susie, Kiwi, and I'm so sorry for your loss. My boyfriend and I are going to go petless after Tigger. I certainly hope she lives a long time, but quietly.


That's the page I read that sent me to the vet in the first place! I had no idea that a cat yowling was a real situation.

Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and suggestions. :Thanx:

I hope you can see this:
.
. Has some great ideas.

Hi Sparky,

I hope Tigger is feeling more settled. The yowling at night doesn't help anyone rest. Ba-ba cried at night after our dog died and then again when she had two teeth that needed to be removed. Time took care of the first cause and oral surgery the second. As she got older she also used to call out for me at night, not yowling so much as meowing loudly. Sometimes she wanted companionship while getting something to eat. Well she was kind of a diva :p. I ended up giving her a before bed snack and moving a food bowl in the bedroom and that helped.

:hug:

No, Littlepaw, Tigger is still in full throttle. She certainly isn't looking for my companionship, as she will stare right at me and yowl. My boyfriend just got hearing aids. Her noise will be very hard for him till he gets used to them.

Hope my being gone for a week doesn't send her over the edge. If she gets worse with the noise then I'll know her problem is losing companions and having her world generally disrupted.