Elderly cat miaowing

[JAF2015]

Hi,

new to the boards and need some help, I have an old(ish) mog called Boris, he's a rescue and we think he's around 13/14 - he's been with me for about 7 years now and we've always had a great bond between us!

Over the last year though, his life has been turned somewhat upside down with first my GF moving in, and secondly the addition of a new little person in our house, who is now 9 weeks old. And so my priority has shifted somewhat from him to her

At first he seemed ok with the addition, but more recently all he does is miaow from first thing in the morning to last thing at night.

The vet thinks he's suffering from dementia / senility and prescribed Activate, which is a herbal supplement to try and settle him but that seems to do very little, we've tried Feliway to no avail.

My partner is really starting to hate him, and wants me to consider putting him in to a shelter, but i cannot bear the thought of putting him through that

Does anyone have any experience of anything similar? or could any one recommend methods of calming a noisy cat down?

Thanks

[jillyvillyvoo]

Hi yes we have a 13 year old cat and he, in the last year has had the dementia question mark hanging over his head . He is very vocal at times but for no apparent reason and looks little confused and finds it hard to settle. Wants up on lap, down from lap, on setee off settee etc etc. It can be annoying, but we love him and would never dream of putting him in a shelter! He is our responsibility ! I realise you now have a baby in the house and will b a priority but there is no reason why his should prevent your cat from keeping his home too. Perhaps he is missing getting all,the attention and is confused by this and the new smells,and sounds and changes in routine that a baby brings. I would say be patient and work it out. Perhaps explain to your girlfriend that it has been his home for a long time an you can't just turf him out. Work I out, he deserves it. Could be it is dementia and yur vet need to advise but maybe it's just all he changes. Good luck I really hope hinges get better. Keep us posted.

[lilynmitz]

Please don't let your girlfriend talk you into rehoming him. He's had a lot to deal with lately, but I do understand that constant meowing can be bad enough on it's own, without a new crying baby and sleep deprivation to deal with, and all the worries and exhaustion of new parenthood.

Two things come to mind. First, he may just want some attention. I know your priorities are elsewhere right now, but he can't understand why he's being ignored and this is probably very unsettling for him. Try to find the time and energy for some regular quality one to one time with him, playing, petting, cuddling. When he''s meowing, pick him up and hug and reassure him. Rather than reinforcing this behaviour, the reassurance he gets from it may make him not feel the need to call for you so much. I know there are other demands on cuddling activities right now, but his needs haven't changed, in fact, with the new addition, he needs a bit more attention to help him adjust and feel secure in his place in the household.

Secondly, hyperthyroidism is common in older cats, and one of the symptoms is increased vocalisation, along with weight loss, increased appetite, increased thirst and generally higher levels of activity and restlessness. The vet would need to take blood tests to confirm this, and it's very treatable with pills. Without treatment, the condition places a strain on his other organs, but with treatment he may have many more contented years ahead of him. My old puss Lily went on for about 5 years on daily pills (hidden in webbox meat sticks, so she never knew we were pilling her). It's a good idea to have older cats blood tested periodically anyway to check for other treatable age related conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes and liver function.