Why does my old cat cry out at night?

My old lady cat

I am getting a little exasperated. Every night these days my 19 year old lady cat wakes me at 3:30 in the morning crying out. Sometimes her cry is a very deep one and loud. It is insistent. And sometimes it is a standard loud meow.

The deep cry is an interesting sound. She has only really started to make it fairly recently. She is not in pain neither is she ill. She is, however, very old and she is deaf or partially deaf.

One reason she calls out is for the simple reason that the food that I had put down for her has been eaten by a stray cat! She is hungry! Although she won't eat dry food these days unless it is Hills C/d.

Putting that reason aside, the reason she cries out is, I believe, to get attention and reassurance. She might also cry out after eating and after coming in from the outside. I believe that she feels isolated due to her deafness and needs comfort through contact with me to reassure her that all is well. During eating she is focused. When she stops she is a little confused and needs the reassurance of me around.

Another reason for a sense of isolation is senility. The vets call this cognitive dysfunction syndrome. It can cause a loss of awareness of the surroundings. This sense of disorientation and confusion results, I believe in a need for reassurance. She is crying out for that.

Once she has been comforted and eaten she settles down again. The major factor I believe is her insecurity due to her failing senses and particularly deafness.

She might want to be lifted up onto my bed for a cuddle as well. Of course I oblige. All this happens at 3:30 am. I am writing this at 4 am as I have just done all the above.

Apparently up to 40% of cats in the age bracket 16-20 years of age can suffer from disorientation due to cognitive dysfunction. There is nothing that can be done about it seems. A drug that is used for dogs, L-deprenyl (Anipryl), which improves the action of the brains neurotransmitters has not yet been approved for cats but is being tested (this drug was first used to treat Cushing’s disease in dogs - source: www.veterinarypartner.com). Things may have changed as at the date of this post. Personally, I would not prescribe drugs for something that is a natural consequence of aging. Plenty of tender love and care is the better treatment, I feel.

Here she is the night howler....! She has lost weight.

You can hear her cry at the beginning of this video:



Persistent crying in a young cat is probably due to discomfort or pain. For newborn kittens, an infection of the blood (kitten septicemia) will cause crying.



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Cat Tiffany Lamp

Cat Tiffany lamp

This lamp is called "The Cat's Meow". It lights up. It is claimed to be the first ever Tiffany style lamp design of its type. Click on the pic to buy it...!

Athough it is robust and looks as if it is made of stained glass it is not. It is "hand assembled in high quality translucent vinyl". It is extremely colourful. I would expect it to be durable too.

It looks particularly nice when lit up and the room is illuminated by subdued lighting. It cost $59.95 on Amazon.com. This is 4 cents cheaper than from Bradford Exchange who are sell it "exclusively". Not sure if that is exclusive!

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Next we have a similar looking cat Tiffany lamp:

Dale Tiffany
Tiger Cat Accent Lamp, Art Glass Shade

A bit more expensive at $71.99 (prices as at date of post). This is because it is made of glass. The real thing you could say although I prefer the other design. Click on the image to go to Amazon. USA products only.

Tiffany cat lamp

A quick point to make. A Tiffany cat lamp is not a cat Tiffany lamp. The former is a Tiffany cat in the form of a lamp while the latter is a lamp that is called a Tiffany lamp, which is in the form of a domestic cat.



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Strongest House Cat

This short post will tell you the name of the strongest house cat. I won't make this post detailed and long because few people search for this information, for one, and secondly it is a bit silly to be honest. We should not have a fascination with the biggest, fiercest and tallest but how to solve the feral cat problem.

The largest house cat is probably the strongest house cat provided that the cat is not the largest just because he or she is overweight!

Some time ago I provided a detailed list of domestic cat breed size and weights. The so called "house cat" must include wildcat hybrids as, although these are relatively rare, they are fully domesticated (if bred properly) and act as domestic cats should.

The largest domestic cat is the first filial Savannah cat. This is a cat whose mother is a domestic cat and whose father is a serval, a medium sized wildcat.

The best example of such a cat is Magic - deemed the world's largest "pet" cat. These really are large cats and they are athletic too (see video below). They have fabulous jumping abilities which is evidence of their strength and flexibility. First filial Bengal cats will be similar of course but the wildcat parent of the Bengal cat is the Asian leopard cat, a wildcat that is considerably smaller than the serval.



The strongest pure domestic cat is probably the Maine Coon cat because this is the largest cat breed other than wildcat hybrids.

I think that answers the question as to what is the strongest house cat. There is one qualification that must be made to the above. I have only referred to cat breeds because that is what I think people are searching for.

Individual domestic cats that are not wildcat hybrids vary a lot in size and strength. There is probably a very large moggie roaming around a neighborhood somewhere who is exceptionally strong.



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CAT FOOD COUPON ALERT

I got a email from a friend of mine in the USA, Bob Tucker. He looks after feral cats. He has a kind heart. He kindly told me about some cat food coupons that are currently available.

Don't forget that cat food coupons are a bit elusive. Things change. They get pulled and new ones appear etc. So this post is date sensitive!

Here is Bob's email..

Hello,

In the last two weeks I've used five one dollar Friskies (Purina Co.) coupons and got three today I know of and maybe more in bags of food. We go through a lot of food here at the Critter Farm. The coupons I know of are in the cases of canned food and large bags of 9 Lives and Seafood Sensations dry foods.

Some Purina coupons are here.

http://www.purina.com/coupons-and-offers/couponsandoffers.aspx

You might find some Friskies coupons here.

http://www.friskiescoupons.com/

People and organizations can register here and be eligible to get donations of food for homeless dogs and cats in the U.S. They have donated over three million dollars worth of food this year.

.http://www.petsforpeople.com/page?pageid=a0e40000001SgXlAAK

This is some info I just found that you can pass around if you like.

Have a good weekend,

Bob

Thanks a lot Bob. Hope you are keeping well and please keep us up to date on those coupons. They are particularly attractive to cat caretakers at present.



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Cat Depression

Cat depression affects cats who are ill. Cats that are ill might get depressed as this is normal. I think the word "depression" is the wrong word to use in this context. Depression indicated clinical depression. An ill cat will feel uncomfortable and unwell which will make him or her unhappy but not necessarily depressed.

Picture in public domain

You will find that anti-depressants are not prescribed (or not normally prescribed) for cats who have been diagnosed as depressed, as a free standing medical condition, because cats are not diagnosed in this way. It is not possible to accurately diagnose a cat as being depressed as a free standing mental illness in my opinion. This is supported by the book Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook where there is not reference to such a condition.

Although cat behaviorists might prescribe anti-depressants to modify behavior - I disagree with this strongly. It is treating the symptoms and not the underlying cause and drugs such as these are to be avoided if at all possible as there can be side effects. Valium can cause severe liver problems in cats. Prozac is also prescribed for elimination disorders.

Anti-depressants such as Valium (diazepam) are used to calm a cat that is anxious and as a result does not use the litter properly. These are called "elimination disorders" or "inappropriate elimination". Once again this is not ideal because the underlying cause of the anxiety (probably something that we have done or are doing) is not addressed.

When a cat is depressed because he or she is ill, we should recognise this and spend more time with her. We should always speak gently and calmly with her and make sure she is getting the proper nourishment and is grooming herself properly. We can help with grooming.

When we leave the house it can help to leave the radio on. Human voices are comforting it is thought even if they are not the voice of the caretaker.

Peace and and quiet are essential to a depressed and sick cat. The cat should have a quiet comfortable area where she can sleep free from drafts and sunlight. The area should be ventilated and be warm. Sick cats can chill down. Some form of heating may be advisable but used with care.

Cat Depression Symptoms

I think we have to use our common sense here. A cat that is still (inactive), that is hiding and quiet might be depressed. Cats are good at hiding symptoms but the better way to decide if a cat is so called "depressed" is to check for symptoms of other illnesses. Common illnesses such as pink eye can be very upsetting to a cat and make the cat depressed for example. Major illnesses such as FIP will almost certainly cause acute unhappiness. As I said "depression" is perhaps the wrong word.



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Don't Fight Your Cat

Don't fight with your cat. Despite the domestic cat being a fraction of the size of the human, you are likely to come off worse.

It is absurd to fight a domestic cat. Treat the cat well, nicely and sensibly and everything will be OK.

A Texan thought he would fight a domestic cat with a knife! Afterward he was airlifted to Cleveland Regional Medical Center and then to Houston.

He was clearly seriously injured. The cat was injured too but less so. I don't have details but this person was really foolish.

I have done a Google News search today for "domestic cat" and spotted this story. I would recommend that people do the same. Go to Google News and search for "domestic cat". You will see quite a few stories that show an underlying bias against the domestic cat and lots of misinformation.

I sort of despair at it. Here are some examples:

1. The Birdkillers 
2. Cats Pass Disease To Wildlife 
3. How to stop cats pissing on your car

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These sorts of articles hurt the cat. I haven't read them. I skimmed the last one and some idiot Aussie is mouthing off about why he hates cats in a video. Although he says he doesn't hate cats. You stupid Aussie, it is not the cats but the bloody irresponsible people who keep them. Wake up.



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Cat Pink Eye

Cat Pink Eye - Feline Conjunctivitis - Photo by Elisa Black-Taylor

Cat pink eye is layman's language for feline conjunctivitis, which is an inflammation of the membrane at the back of the eyelids and the surface of the eyeball not including the cornea (the transparent front part of the eye).

It is fairly common and nearly always caused by a viral and/or bacterial infection. The eye is red/pink. The eye itches. The cat or kitten will paw at the eye. If left untreated it can affect eyesight.

A mild form of cat pink eye is "serous conjunctivitis". It can be caused by non-infectious agents such as allergens. If can also be a symptom of feline viral respiratory disease. It can be treated at home: eye cleansed with sterile ophthalmic irrigation solution as used for people. A vet visit may be advisable, however.

When the cat pink eye is more serious i.e. when there is mucus and crust around the eye a secondary bacterial infection is indicated (chlamydophila or mycoplasma - these are types of bacteria). This is called "purulent conjunctivitis". The first infection, a viral infection might be herpes virus, calcivirus (see URIs).

Feline conjunctivitis can rarely be caused by a fungus.

You will have to take your cat/kitten to a vet I am afraid. Treatments include irrigation, warm soaks and antibiotics to treat the bacterial infection (Neosporin ophthalmic ointment for example - USA product).

The condition can be perpetuated by organisms being shed in the cat's stool or urine - carrier state. A vet will deal with this through a 3 week course of treatment - see the vet please.

There are two other forms of feline conjunctivitis listed in the Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook: Follicular Conjunctivitis and Neonatal Conjunctivitis. The first is an irritation of the eye leading to a discharge that is caused by rough mucous glands. It is thought that the glands become rough due to allergens, pollens and infections. A vet is once again required and steroids might be prescribed. The latter condition is a bacterial infection below the eyelids. It happens before the newborn kitten's eyes open up.

Update from Elisa: The mother's nipples may need to be wiped after nursing as this can spread the condition to all of the kittens..thanks Elisa.

The cat in the picture is called "Pinky" and at the time the photo was taken Pinky couldn't see. This might be temporary. We will see. He's on Clavamox and Gentamicin antibiotic eye drops. Here are two photos showing slow progress. The first one I find very hard to look at to be honest:

Two days before the pic below - Photo copyright Elisa

Two days after the photo above
photo copyright Elisa

Pinky about 2 weeks later
- Photo copyright Elisa

You can see in the last image that Elisa has worked her magic with plenty of TLC and the right antibiotics. I can feel the relief from the irritation and discomfort. Well done Elisa. The job is not quite finished but a massive improvement.

Another update - Pinky getting better - phew. I felt for him:

Pinky getting better thanks to  Elisa's devoted work
photo copyright Elisa

Here is another update. A photo of Pinky taken 27th May 2011. I have cropped to a close up of the eyes and enhanced the contrast etc. to show up the legacy of this severe bacterial infection. He is much, much better but still has a little way to go to be in good health.

Last bits of feline conjunctivitis - photo copyright Elisa.

1-6-11 - The improvement continues - phew
I can feel the relief - Photo: Elisa

Update September 2015 - about 2-3 years later. Here is Pinky looking adult with slight "scaring" (around his nose - or am I incorrect?) from his horrible conjunctivitis but his eyes look fine now. He has been adopted. A good ending to a bad start to life. Elisa deserves a pat on the back for getting him over that terrible period.

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