Senior cat cries before lying down

Question
I have a 19 year old female(spayed)cat(mix of Persian & short hair).  She is free of the big 3 (kidney, cancer, & thyroid).  She cries out 2-4 times before doing the circle-plop maneuver (lying down before a nap).  It's a cry similar to a mating cry, but not as guttural or plaintive.  My vet says it's confusion, i.e. senility.  I suppose he's right, but I don't see other people mentioning this, and I just want to be sure she isn't in pain.  Anyone see this behavior?

Answer
That was my thought, too.  No reason to suspect it's painful, and there is a medication called Anipryl that's being used off-label to treat it successfully in many cases.  Usually that's only needed when the condition escalates to include problems like unprovoked aggression and failure to use the litter box.

The only other thing I might be concerned about is arthritis that may be making it difficult for her to settle into a lying position.  There's a product called Cosequin for cats, which contains glucosamine and chondroitin.  You sprinkle it over food to help with joint health.  That's never a bad idea for cats this age.  It's available through most vets and some pet stores, or online.  If the vet feels arthritis is a problem, he could also prescribe a non-steroidal anit-inflammatory to help with her pain.