crying kitty

Question
i took in a beautiful young (maybe 10 mos.)black female kitty a couple of months ago.  she looks like an oriental shorthair and is very sweet.  never puts her claws out.  loves my little dog (they chase each other and play).  

often she looks up at me with the most pitiful expression and just yowls.  especially when we're in the kitchen.  she's getting excellent food, both dry and wet.  she turns up her nose at treats.  i give her all the affection she will tolerate.  "what?" i say to her.  "what, zahra?"  

my thought is that in her former short tenure in somebody's home, they gave her something that i cannot fathom.  is there something i can do to uncover the secret?  what could it possibly be that makes her so needy?

thanks,
fc

Answer
Fredrica, thanks for the kind ratings.

I just wanted to say that I failed to mention something.  If she does have Oriental lineage, she may just want to talk.  Siamese and Orientals enjoy carrying on discussionw with their owners.  Usually, they'll talk back to you as long as you talk to them, whether you use human words, or just meow back!  Their words may not make perfect sense to us, but it's this type of social interaction that Oriental cats crave.  Perhaps she's just looking for a little conversation. :o)