Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My cat is 19 years old. You'd never know it, she's not feeble at all.

Her one issue is that she cries relentlessly! She woke me up last night every 2 hours. (of course now that I'm up she's sleeping peacefully) Often in the evening when I'm watching tv, she just cries and cries.

She's not just walking around crying, she's doing it to get my attention, but I have no idea what she wants.

She's not in pain. She eats ok, but is amazingly picky. Her stool tends to be soft and sometimes she comes running out of the box like a banshee.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

She's not just walking around crying, she's doing it to get my attention, but I have no idea what she wants
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Laura the very first thing i would do would be to take her to a vet.
She may be in some kind of pain at 19 years old i guess it could even be authritus.I know at my age i have pains i never had when i was young.
Now my cat Babba has got the biggest mouth a cat could have.Hes very demanding and will whine until he gets what he wants.Babba is only 8 years old.
To be safe take her to a vet and then go from there.Get her some of those little salad shrimp or treats and that may help.
Lou

Thanks Lou

She's been to the vet. He thinks it's just a symptom of being old, can't hear as well, etc. I will probably have to take her back anyway.

She can hear me just fine. I can't see evidence of any pain, she runs when she wants to (up the stairs if she thinks I'm going to nap!) and she rolls over for me to rub her stomach (and everywhere else) daily.

I think it's behavioral. She probably needs a companion, but I just can't bring another cat into my life right now.

I think it's behavioral. She probably needs a companion, but I just can't bring another cat into my life right now.

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I don't think it would solve a thing to get another cat.Shes used to not sharing you with another cat.
Babba is my one and only and i almost got another cat a couple of times but i really believe it would change him and thats the last thing i want to do.I know when another cat comes around he gets awfully mad.
Lou

Yes, you're probably right. She does get excited (in a good way) when a cat outside comes to visit her at the window, and I did have another cat until this past spring, but she's bcome very dependent on me.

And I forgot to mention before treats won't help because she's never eaten them. Or played with bought toys. The one thing she will eat as a treat is CHEESE.

I've had senior cats do that. I think (as does my vet) that they do get a bit hard of hearing or a bit of feline senility and cry for us to come get them. It seems they always pick a spot that echos really well, like a bathroom or kitchen. Though it occasionally happens during the day, it seems to mostly occur at night.

Do get a vet check to make sure there is nothing medically wrong.

Funny. Yes, she does cry in the bathroom at night sometimes, but I thought it was because she has a new obsession with the faucet. She always wants me to turn it on so she can drink out of the puddle in the sink. I think it's because it's cold and fresh.

I thought about trying to leave a small light on tonight. I had another cat that lived with my parents for a while (she was old too). Mom used to say Shpot would cry very loud in the middle of the night, but stop when she was petted.

I wish petting would appease Walker. I had a talk with her one day and told her she could do anything else - walk on my head first thing in the morning, rub against my legs - just please stop CRYING!

You've received a lot of great advice. Excessive crying is a thing many senior cats do. I've live through two kitties doing this!

Best wishes. It is hard, but just think of the many years they've give you their love.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

Madame Alto i think your right and all i can say is just like humans its rough to grow old.You just have to adjust and make it as comfortable as possible for her.
Lou

I do think it's senility more than deafness. She can hear me when I just go "psst". (I do that sometimes to let her know it's time to nap or cuddle.) And she seems to always know where she is and where I am because when she cries during the night, she comes right to me and says "MOM!".

She does make me crazy and I'm especially nuts when sleep deprived, but at 10 AM, when I'm trying to stay awake, she looks so sweet curled up and snoozing. I just wish she'd do that at 2 AM, too!

How did you happen to name your cat Beth?

Laura i don't know Walkers feeding habits but Babba has food available 24-7.He has breakfast and dinner which is canned food(Fancey Feast and Friskies)and dried food 24-7.I don't know if this would help but it may be worth a try.
He does get a treat after his dinner (Perfections Seafood Medly or Creamy Dairy) and i give about six pieces and thats all.He loves them.
I let him choose his Menue.One time i tried Science diet and got him two cans and he loved it.I bought a case of it and he ate about two more cans and then he wouldn't touch it.So i gave the rest of the case to a lady who has seven cats.
Yes hes Spoiled Rotten.
I really hope you find out what is bothering Walker.She sounds so special.
Lou

Well, Walker has food available 24/7 in that I'm almost always here. She won't eat dry. Tender vittles are the only cat treat she'll eat. I give her whatever she wants (including baby food!), as long as she'll eat it!

Posted by: laura-walker at Tue Dec 27 22:44:28 2005 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

Well, Walker has food available 24/7 in that I'm almost always here. She won't eat dry. Tender vittles are the only cat treat she'll eat. I give her whatever she wants (including baby food!), as long as she'll eat it!
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Sounds like she makes up her Menue to.Thats good.
Lou

have you had her checked for hyperthyroid? i had a 22 year old cat...my beloved mokie passed oct 28...and she would wonder around the house an 'talk' alot too with a toy in her mouth. i asked my vet once and he thinks it was becasue she was getting old, senile and hard of hearing. she did have hyperthyroid too. with the hyperthyroid she was hungry ALL THE TIME and also picky and seemed restless alot. (she was on a med that control the thyroid.) esp in her last days. i think part of that too was she didn't have to many teeth left so hard for her to eat some things.
some nights though smokey would just talk all over the house. but as soon as she saw me she would stop and want some lovin. :0)
i hope you have your baby for a few more years yet. this is my beloved mokie...

She does have hyperthyroid, but I just can't get the pills in her! I tried for a while, but it was torture for both of us. I finally got them in her by crushing them and mixing with hairball medicine, which she loves. But I don't know how often it's ok for her to have that. Did the hyperthyroid treatment help calm your cat down?

Here's my girl.

oh!! what a sweet baby you have there. yes the med smokey was on controled it very well. i used a gel that was rubbed in her ear. SO much easier then giving a pill. ask your vet about switching. it was called methimazole gel. smokey got it every other day. just once in the morning. i talked with my vet when i found out she had hyperthyroid and he told me about the gel vs. a pill. i think walker? will be much more happier. thyroid meds are suppose to be given on a regular basis.

Wow! Thanks. I will look into the gel. That would be so great. I wonder how much more expensive it is than the pills.

I know she needs the thyroid medicine regularly. After the awful struggle with the pills, I decided she's old enough that if this is her only problem, better to go without than have her be afraid of me every morning.

I'll let you know what I find out!

i paid 19.95 for a 3ml seringe and smokey got 0.1ml eod in her ear. i had to get it from a drug store that specialized in pet medications. they have to mix it or something like that.you will find its so easy. from what i remember about hyperthyroid it makes their heart beat fast and eventually it can kill them. i'm not trying to get you down. but yes, check it out.

I paid $80 for a month of pills! I found info online about the gel and they do say it has to be mixed. I asked the vet at one point about alternatives to the pill and he downplayed options implying that it would be very expensive.

no its not expensive. $80 month for pills..that sound expensive! eod with smokey would last like a month or so. my vet just called the drug place an told them what he wanted me to get for smokey. you will have to work with your vet at first to figure out the dosage. smokey had it every day at first then we rechecked her blood work and it was to much so we went to eod. it really controled it very well.

Sorry, I was wrong. I spent $30 on a month of pills.

I called the vet this morning and the assistant said someone tried the topical gel once and ended up going back to the pills. She said hairball medicine everyday wouldn't hurt her. So I'm going to try that for a while.

Thanks for the info!