Hissing Cat

Question
QUESTION: Dear Ms. Burg - Thank you for taking time to answer my cat question. I will try to keep it brief. I have a Siamese X, spayed female cat who is about 15 years old. W/in the last year she has started hissing at me. Usually it's when she's walking ahead of me (to the food bowl mostly). She kind of saunters and looks back at me to make sure I'm still there. When I tell her to "hurry up" she turns and hisses at me then trots off only to show up at the food bowl.  The tone of voice I use is usually one of amusement because I know she's going to hiss at me. I've only owned this cat so I don't really know what the behavior represents, if anything. She is a very loving cat to me but not necessarily to my husband. She's not aggressive towards him. It's more like cold indifference. She does pee all over his clothes if he leaves them in the bathroom floor (she's done that since my husband and I were married). Anyway, other than the hissing and the peeing, she seems normal and healthy. I'm curious to know what's going on in that cat cranium of hers. Thank you for your time and, hopefully, your answer. Have a great day.
Aubrae

ANSWER: Cats can vocalize more/differently as a way to try and tell you something. And that something can either be just not happy or not feeling well. How is her appetite as you say she always ends up at the food bowl? Since it started just a year ago, that tells me something directly is triggering it. How long have you had her now?

On the topic of her inappropriate elimination- does she still use her litter box? I want to make sure she doesn't have a urinary tract infection going on. Otherwise her urinating on your husband's clothes tells me she does NOT like your husband. Haha. But with that, I would suggest placing a litter box in the bathroom as well.

It's common in older cats to have health problems such as hyperthyroidism and even liver/kidney issues and diabetes. How is her drinking/urinating? Does it seems excessive? Those are the things I would start with, so let me know so I can think about this further.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for responding to my kitty question. Your answer was very interesting as I was thinking something totally different was going on. I thought she had found her inner diva and was being bossy and contolling. Anyway you asked a couple of questions about my cat, Phoebe, so I thought I'd answer them and give you a little background info as well. I have had Phoebe since she was a kitten, about 15 years. She weighs about 11 pounds (I think) but she's a big cat. She's not over weight but I've noticed she is getting the flaps of fat (?) on her underside that cats get as they age. She has tummy troubles, more specifically, the valve from her esophagus to her stomach do not function properly. The valve from her stomach to her small intestine doesn't work right also. Because of this I feed her several small portions throughout the day otherwise she throws up. She has a very healthy appitite thats's why she ends up at the food bowl. She's very particular about what she eats. Only dry food, Science Diet Mature Cat Sensitive Systems. She drinks plenty of water but not to excess. She uses her litter box. It's only if my husband leaves the bathroom door open that she takes the opportunity to pee on his clothes. She still plays (wadded up grocery receipts are her favorite toy), mostly in the morning. As far as I can tell she's healthy. She is on a wellness type plan w/the vet so she gets regular check ups. Well, I guess that's about it. I hope my small novel of info helps. Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions about my girl. Have a great day.
Aubrae

Answer
Thank you for the additional information. The problem she has with her esophagus and small intestine make me curious; how did you find out about this? What she x-rayed and observed? It's just a guess, but this whole thing may (or may not, don't get me wrong) tie in together. Maybe a new development is going on and she's feeling unsure about how she's feeling. When was her most recent vet visit and was anything abnormal found?

Thanks again for the info and keep me posted.