Yowling Is Driving Me Nuts!

[Rackonteur]

My cat somtimes just yowls and yowls and she’s driving me up the wall. As long as I’m sitting down, and she’s in my lap, all is quiet and peaceful. But I can’t even get up and go to the bathroom without her calling and calling and calling. She knows where I am. If she wants to be with me she can come with me. But no. She just stays put and yowls.

I love this cat. We have been together 18 years. But I cannot stand the constant yowling whenever I try to do anything that does not involve her. I can’t get breakfast. I can’t even get her meals, without YOwL YOWL YOWL.

I don’t think she’s in pain. She gets around very well, eats very well, drinks plenty of water, pees, poops, hasn’t thrown up in days. She gets Solensia once a month for arthritis. She gets Miralax as needed before she gets constipated. The vet says she looks wonderful for 18. But it’s like she’s so insecure or something that I literally cannot do anything but sit with her, or she will start calling me.

It’s nice being needed and wanted. But good grief. Between her yowling and my telling her to hush I’m scared the neighbors are gonna start complaining. I know I would. I don’t want her to be in pain. I don’t even want her to feel achy the way I do almost all the time. I just want her to be happy. But she apparently isn’t, unless I’m glued to the chair and she’s glued to me. I guess it’s insecurity on her part. She’s old. But I can’t sit and hold her paw 24/7.

And why on earth does COTH think my thread title is similar to carriage driving at Walnut Hill? Good grief.

[CindyB59]

My vet told me years ago that they get kitty dementia and get “lost”. So maybe if she’s not in physical contact with you, she’s scared? Maybe vet can give her anti anxiety meds.

[betonbill]

How is her eyesight?

[SuzieQNutter]

Another here that thought she might have lost her eyesight.

[Rackonteur]

Thank you. I think it may be dementia. She is after all 18 years old.
I’m very lucky in being retired and not having a busy life, so I can be home with her so much. It suits us both. But then I feel so guilty and evil when I need to do things around the house. Sometimes I carry her with me and talk to her while I do stuff, but sometimes I need both hands! I wish they made something like baby seats for kitties where I could have her right next to me on the kitchen counter but could have my hands free.

[Rackonteur]

@betonbill and @SuzieQNutter

Thank goodness her eyesight is still very good. She gets around easily, never misses a step or a jump or a deer outside on the lawn! She doesn’t go out but she does enjoy looking out every morning, and stalks birds and squirrels through the screen door.
And her hearing is fine as far as we can tell.

[CindyB59]

WUAI Unisex Men Women Pet Carrier Hoodies Cat Dog Kangaroo Pouch Holder...

[hoopoe]

this is a common sign of high blood pressure in kitties. Sadly it goes along with the aging issues of kidney function.

[erinmeri]

@hoopoe

this is a common sign of high blood pressure in kitties. Sadly it goes along with the aging issues of kidney function.

I was just going to say this. My first thought was BP and CKD.

[Zu_Zu]

* just a thought but if she likes/doesn’t hate her carrier (if large enough ) she may enjoy a nap in that secure place and quiet down a bit ~

* or a heating pad / or dryer warmed towels placed in her favorite place or on the bed ~

You two are lucky to have one another ~ what’s her name please ?

[Rackonteur]

Her name is Velvet. And I am very lucky and blessed to have her. I want her to be happy and I try so hard to think about what could be bothering her. We were just at the vet last week and as always they said she seems to be doing very well. But the yowling just breaks my heart. And sometimes I have to do other things while she’s sleeping. And she and I can’t talk about it.
Sigh.

[Texarkana]

I’m just sharing to commiserate.

My cat is 18-ish and has hit this point, too. However he’s always been a yowler since we got him around 5 or 6 years of age. But it’s gotten more frequent as he gets older.

His blood pressure always checks out ok. If it were eyesight, you’d think he’d be used to it by now.

I don’t know if I should take it as a sign the end is nearing for him. He’s otherwise in decent shape apart from some arthritis.

[Rackonteur]

I don’t know about my girl either. The vet and I talk and we agree it isn’t time yet. She still takes an interest in things and enjoys cuddling and massages even though she hardly ever plays. As best I can guess, she’s kinda like me: slowing down, wanting “something” but not knowing what … “lazy” … eating well… maybe she yowls for a similar reason as I feel like yowling sometimes when I miss my out of state friends and want to be with them and with a horse and want someone to “fix” whatever’s wrong because I don’t know what really is wrong.

[Rackonteur]

I came across this poem years ago, when Velvet and I were younger. I just thought about it again just now. Maybe it fits your boy too, @Texarkana –

https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/poetry-180/all-poems/item/poetry-180-061/sister-cat/

[ravenclaw]

I have a cat that has started yowling too. She is in the 17-18 year old range. She likes to hang out in the upstairs bedroom and she mostly does it when she goes upstairs. She doesn’t do it all the time but she does it at least a few times a day. She didn’t do it when she was younger.

She is going for her annual in a couple of weeks so I’ll mention it to the vet. The last time she had bloodwork done her kidney numbers were a little elevated but not severe. But this might have progressed. She is showing her age a little but she’s still eating and seems mostly OK physically and mentally.

[moonlitoaksranch]

Our 16 year old kitty has always been a yowler. She does have kidney issues. We bought a water fountain just for her. Sometimes she gets more talkative. After reading your experiences, I might try to carry her to the fountain for a drink when gets going. That fountain has extended her life. Helps her kidneys.

[Rackonteur]

My girl won’t go near a water fountain so I give her occasional servings of tuna water and sardine water from canned people fish. I also mix her Miralax in this water at need. Her canned food is mostly the chunks or shreds in broth; instead of pate.
Anything to keep these elderly kitties hydrated! She has CKD but her kidney numbers are always good thank goodness.

[Rackonteur]

I wish we could have a Zoom meeting with our vets so we could all confer about our kitties.

[4horses]

I had one of my older cats put down. She was crying all night long. We tried medication and all sorts of management options but nothing was working and she was an old girl. Clearly she was not feeling good towards the end. I knew her kidneys were failing as well.

Hug your girl because you have limited time left together.

[Fiesta01]

@Rackonteur

I wish they made something like baby seats for kitties where I could have her right next to me on the kitchen counter but could have my hands free.

Could you put a kitty bed in a shallow box that you could actually put next to you on the kitchen counter?