Unusual meowing

Question
When our male tabby turned 18 he started to make loud meows. These meows are a different tone and quite loud indoors or outdoors for no specific reason. He stands still and does this strange meow without anything going on around him. We only witness this one to three times a day but I suppose he does it when we're not around also. We flea comb him nearly everyday, so there aren't many fleas at any given time and we don't use Frontline.  He has no health issues, pretty good shape for an "old man". Any ideas?

Answer
Barry,

I would recommend a visit to the vet that includes blood and urine tests just to rule out hidden health problems. If your cat's tests come back in the normal range then you can begin to look at other causes. Has your vet checked to make sure that your cat's eyes and ears are still functioning properly? Sometimes loss of sight or hearing can result in behavior similar to what you are describing. I would also suspect that senility may be a cause given that your cat is a geriatric kitty. If your kitty is senile this essentially means that he has kitty Alzheimer's disease and as far as I am aware there really aren't any treatments available for this yet. I am also wondering about the possibility that arthritis is causing your kitty some discomfort, your vet will likely have to do x-rays to confirm this diagnosis. If your kitty has arthritis he can be given daily medication to alleviate any pain that he is experiencing. If you would still like your geriatric kitty to be indoor/outdoor I would strongly recommend that you consider a prescription flea treatment like Advantage because fleas can carry other parasites like tapeworms and can cause a general decline in your cat's overall condition especially at his advanced age. An 18 year old cat is about the same as a person around 88 years old. A kitty that is 19 years of age is similar to a 92 year old person. 20 years of age = 96 years old in human years. 21 years of age is equivalent to a 100 year old person. Essentially kitties of advanced age require special treatment to maintain good health and proper body condition. I hope that you have found this information helpful. If you have any further questions, concerns, or you would simply like to send pictures or updates my way, please don't hesitate to contact me again.