Yowling cat

Question
I am the owner of an 8 year old ragdoll cat, a breed renowned for their friendly behaviour and placid nature as well as quite temperment.  Our cat has never been a lap cat and we have always joked that he is grumpy but he has his moments where he likes his tummy rubbed and sits next to you.  He has never been a particualy vocal cat but liked to chat to you when his name was called.  In the summer we moved house, and the cat was fine, if not happier than he was at the old house.  We have moved house before and this was never a problem to him.  About 3 months ago my cat just started yowling at us.  I've never heard him make a noise quite like this.  He will run around the house just shouting at the top of his voice.  We have always shut him in the kitchen at night but now he has started yowling in the night and first thing in the morning, waking everyone up.  It is driving the household crazy and it's embarressing when we have guests over. He also has obsessive behaviours with water, particuarly liking ice and snow.  He also likes to lay in the middle of the cold kitchen floor, something he has never done before.  We have been to the vet, they couldn't identify anything physically wrong with him.  We have tried squirting him with water as punishment when he is really bad but the behaviour does not stop. We have also tried an anxiety diffuser to calm him down, to no avail.  It's like his personality has changed into a crazy abusive cat and its really upsetting.  I'm at the end of my tether, I don't want to give him away or put him down.  I can't think of anything that is upsetting him, nothing has changed in his daily routine and there seems to be no reason for this torrent of abuse. He is kept well fed, watered and is allowed out into the garden a few times a day. Please help!

Answer
Hi
Umm difficult to answer and there probably isn't a definitive answer any way.

If the vet cannot find anything physically wrong then it is either behavioral or a degenerate thing due to age. however 8 is not that old.

I have two pages on my web site which may provide a few more possible insights for this behavior which you may find of further help

/cat-meowing.html

/senior-cat.html

I am wondering if some new distractions around the home may be able to focus your cats behavior away from this new one. It could well be that they are simply not stimulated enough and so are seeking more attention from you.

/indoor-cats.html

Sorry i was not able to give you a more positive answer but with these sorts of issues they all depend on so many different factors that it is impossible to say what could be causing it. In extreme cases i know that some people resort to contacting a cat behaviorist who would be able to do more investigation but this of course would cost money.

I hope you can find a solution to your cats sudden need to call.

best wishes Kate