Civvie question - wild at night

[Shenandoah]

My civvie (2 years younger than Shenandoah) has been yowling and running around like wild-cat every night. Overall the behavior has probably lasted ~2 years now, but it seems to be getting worse. Before that he would sleep soundly through the night.

Vet does a full senior exam every 6 months, including bloodwork, and sees nothing physically wrong - he has some kidney disease, to be expected at his age, but otherwise he's perfectly healthy. I was worried about hyperthyroid with the energy level this 17-year old has, but his T4 is in the lower half of the normal range, and vet doesn't see anything else that would indicate hyperthyroidism to her.

With some detailed discussion of the symptoms, vet and I think it's probably some combination of cognitive decline and a decline in his senses, causing anxiety when the lights go out. There does seem to be a stress component, because if I talk to him he comes flying over to me and lays next to my face. But then he'll wander off again shortly after and go back to running around and yowling. It always starts right as I turn the lights out -- even if I go to bed significantly earlier or later than normal. Lights out -> wild cat.

I have tried spending some play-time shortly before going to bed to tire him out, and it may slow him down slightly after the lights go off, but not significantly. Vet did suggest trying a nightlight for him, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. I've been thinking about trying some melatonin, but the cat ones tend to get poor reviews (mostly because the cats refuse to take it).

I wanted to ask around here, because the people here tend to have a lot of older cats in general, so I thought maybe someone else had dealt with it and might have some advice. Has anyone dealt with a senior running around yowling at night for likely cognitive/sensory reasons, and if so, did you find any good solutions? Any supplements that were successful? Any behavioral changes that helped?

I can tolerate it myself, but I just feel so bad for him. I feel that he is clearly stressed out and anxious when it happens, and I wish I could find a way to bring him comfort. I also somewhat worry about the neighbors below me, as he has a tendency to launch himself off things at high speed, causing huge thunks as he lands (no one has complained, but I still feel bad).

Side note: I am taking him to a different vet in early May, so maybe she will have some different ideas.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

[Sean & Rufus]

I don't really have an answers. I see you said you left a nightlight on, but how about leaving the light on in a spare room or lliving room? That way he can hang out in that room with the light on?

 

[Shenandoah]

I don't really have an answers. I see you said you left a nightlight on, but how about leaving the light on in a spare room or lliving room? That way he can hang out in that room with the light on?

It's certainly worth giving a try.
My feeling is that if the nightlight isn't helping, the overhead probably won't. I think he partially doesn't like that I'm "missing" from the living room - perhaps part of the cognitive issues going on. I should perhaps add that I work from home, so except for one day a week when I volunteer, and some weekends when I go out, I'm generally in the living room most of the day and evening. I only go into the bedroom at night.

But it certainly can't hurt anything for me to give it a shot! I'm willing to try anything at this point.

That also struck another idea in me, wonder if I should try sleeping in the living room a couple nights to see if he's more comfortable with me there rather than in the bedroom. I don't have company over often, I could easily swap a couple things around to permanently sleep in the living room if it's successful.
The things we're willing to do for our fur babies

 

[Sean & Rufus]

I was going to say that before. Maybe he just doesn't know what to do with himself when you are sleeping and he gets anxious. Does he sleep with you? Maybe it is worth a shot to try sleeping in the living room.

 

[Shenandoah]

I think he comes and goes during the night. He is definitely near me in the mornings, usually wrapped around the top of my head. Often he will climb under the covers with me during the night, too - sometimes he wakes me trying to pull at them to get his head under, or I'll wake up and find him sprawled out right against my stomach. But other times I wake up and he's nowhere nearby.

 

[krazy4kritters]

Do you have curtains closed or open? Look at the room after the lights are off like you are a cat. Is there a glare or reflection in or from the window? It might reflect in the room somewhere or on the window itself.
Has there ever been or are there stray cats outside that you know of? If so, he may feel his territory is threatened.
He may have seen something outside at one time that scared him.
He may associates lights off with a threat or something scary even if it's not there any longer.
Just a thought.

 

[Sean & Rufus]

I think he comes and goes during the night. He is definitely near me in the mornings, usually wrapped around the top of my head. Often he will climb under the covers with me during the night, too - sometimes he wakes me trying to pull at them to get his head under, or I'll wake up and find him sprawled out right against my stomach. But other times I wake up and he's nowhere nearby.

Yeah both of my cats come and go during the night. Do you think maybe he's night blind?

 

[Shenandoah]

Do you have curtains closed or open? Look at the room after the lights are off like you are a cat. Is there a glare or reflection in or from the window? It might reflect in the room somewhere or on the window itself.

Usually open, but I close them on really cold days because they seem to give a little buffer that keeps the heat in better. I haven't really noticed a difference in his behavior, but I wasn't really focused on it at the time, either. It's worth playing with when I'm specifically paying attention to that to see. I'll give that a try, too, and see what comes of it.

Has there ever been or are there stray cats outside that you know of? If so, he may feel his territory is threatened.

I'm on a third floor apartment, and the common area and stairway don't have any windows. The only things he gets to see from here are birds, and a couple years ago we had a squirrel who would visit on the porch. He loved that squirrel, they would spend hours just sitting nose-to-nose through the window (yes, literally hours, crazy cat). No idea what happened to him.

 

[Shenandoah]

Do you think maybe he's night blind?

I think any of his senses are suspect at this point. He does have some hearing, not sure if it's as good as it's been. And he clearly can see some, because he gets around fine even at 100 mph , but I wouldn't know if it was compromised.

 

[Sylvie]

my tux started regularly doing this nightly loud yowling downstairs a couple times each night for about 5 mins each time these past two weeks or so!! he has done it in the past maybe a handful of times when he was being a grump that day but, never for longer than a minute like now. he'd always been a talker when he gets bored at night but, it was just walking around and doing a couple meow meows and that was it.. Curious has your cat's BG gone up some since his yowling got worse? Tux's has been creeping back up more and more since this yowling started. i did put two feliway diffusers on each side of the living room on Wednesday and that has cut down his yowling episodes to once a night (at least that is all i have been hearing the last couple nights). bought a vetscription calming collar the other day but, haven't gotten it yet, they do work great with calming down some cats with anxiety issues, may want to try one to see if it helps your cat, did wonders to calm my orange cat that had bi-polar (what i called it) behavior problems from time to time..

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Sounds a lot like a game China plays a lot (and has for years) that I call "Mama I'm lost!"

She'll go wandering through the house, yowling at the top of her lungs until I say something like "China, you're not lost" or "China, I'm right here" and she'll come running as fast as she can, jump up next to me and then go back to wandering around the house yowling again a few minutes later. After she's done it a few times, she stops and goes about her business doing some other cat thing

All her bloodwork is fine and she's been doing it since she was about 12....I personally think it might be a little kitty dementia but to tell the truth, to me it's just another quirky thing that I love about her (although with the amount of Siamese in her, that yowling can get really intense!!)

 

[Becky & Baby Girl GA]

Have you gotten up & tried feeding?The reason I say this is because my sons cat woke them up & if they fed him some chicken (cat food) he would eat & quiet down. I don’t know if you leave food out for him or if that could be tried. My Lizzie at 16 started doing crazy things at around 16 that was dementia oriented the vet said. But not crying in the dark. I’d say leave on lights - maybe he’s afraid of the dark & can’t see as well.

 

[JL and Chip]

Over the years, I've had a few elderly cats do the vocalizing too. Particularly with a history of CKD, be sure to get a blood pressure check at your next vet appt.

 

[Shenandoah]

Curious has your cat's BG gone up some since his yowling got worse?

He's my civvie, so has never had an issue with high BG. I haven't checked it recently, but do on occasion and it's always been normal. Plus it's checked as part of his 6-month bloodworks at the vet and even with vet stress it's always been normal. Since this has been going on ~2 years, I doubt it's related to that at this point.

 

[Shenandoah]

Sounds a lot like a game China plays a lot (and has for years) that I call "Mama I'm lost!"

She'll go wandering through the house, yowling at the top of her lungs until I say something like "China, you're not lost" or "China, I'm right here" and she'll come running as fast as she can, jump up next to me and then go back to wandering around the house yowling again a few minutes later. After she's done it a few times, she stops and goes about her business doing some other cat thing

All her bloodwork is fine and she's been doing it since she was about 12....I personally think it might be a little kitty dementia but to tell the truth, to me it's just another quirky thing that I love about her (although with the amount of Siamese in her, that yowling can get really intense!!)

That sounds quite similar!
And yeah, it is a sort of fun little quirk - if I just knew he wasn't feeling stressed by it, but it sounds to me like he's pretty stressed

 

[Shenandoah]

Have you gotten up & tried feeding?The reason I say this is because my sons cat woke them up & if they fed him some chicken (cat food) he would eat & quiet down. I don’t know if you leave food out for him or if that could be tried. My Lizzie at 16 started doing crazy things at around 16 that was dementia oriented the vet said. But not crying in the dark. I’d say leave on lights - maybe he’s afraid of the dark & can’t see as well.

He has four different foods in two different locations available 24/7 (I'm trying desperately to put weight on Shenandoah in whatever ways I can dream up, so leave the food around for both of them to eat as they desire)

 

[Shenandoah]

Over the years, I've had a few elderly cats do the vocalizing too. Particularly with a history of CKD, be sure to get a blood pressure check at your next vet appt.

I paid a tech to come check his blood pressure at home in January, and it was fine. So no issues there.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

I hate it that our kitties have to get old.. of course, so do we. There have been a couple of occasions when Willow (who will be 16 in May) has cried out from the living room during the night. When I got up to check on her, she was just sitting on the couch. I talked to her and pet her a couple of minutes then went back to bed, and she did not cry out any more. I do not know why she did it, and it has only been 2 or maybe 3 times ever, so far. Normally, she comes into bed with me a few times during the night and gets me to pet on her for quite awhile then she gets on top of me and lays there awhile before she is up and gone again. She has definitely gotten more needy and more attached to me over the last year or two. My husband says that, when I am gone, she looks for me and sometimes she cries out. That, of course, stabs my heart.

I have done a little research on it, and everything I have read is pretty much what has been said here already. As they get older, they can become more needy of their person, and, in some cases, a bit of senility comes which makes them get, as Chris said, 'lost'. I do not think the senility part has hit Willow, but the needy has. It sounds like your baby might be a bit further along.

I think leaving a light on somewhere is a good idea, and maybe try calling out to him when he does it (like Chris does) to let him know you are still there. Maybe getting him and bringing him to bed with you when he starts it for a few times to see if that would teach him where you are and that he can come to you. Sorry, I wish I could offer something more. I hope you find a solution that works for you.. and him.