restless nights

Question
Hi,I am hoping you can help me with my 12 year old mongrel cat.Overall she is very good behaved & a very loving pet,however over the last year (normally within summer months) she paces around our bed with what starts as a little murmur & gradually turns into long periods of meowing.It starts anytime from midnight through to 5am.I have been letting her out (as we do not have a cat flap),&/or fed her,but with her only normally wanting to go out for anything from 15 mins-1 hour,she is bk at our door continously meowing to come back in.It is getting to the point where i dont know what i can do,locking her in any room would be of no good as she can be heard anywhere in the house! she wouldnt take kindly  AT ALL with another cat to play with as she likes us to herself!i will definitly try to tire her out at night,she is in all day though which obviously doesnt help but let out once im back.I am not getting much sleep the last few months & it is very frustrating,i have tried ignoring her cry which after over an hour when you are trying to sleep is pretty damn hard so i end up letting her out.She has never been like this up until a yr ago,please can you help as i am at a loose end!

Answer
Mongrel cat? Be nice...she is a "feline of mixed heritage and parentage"! *smile*

Your cat is approximately 64 years old in human years and at that age they can start having age-related issues. Meowing is a way of them telling you something is wrong either physically or emotionally. There are a number of possibilities.

Meowing can signify pain. She may have arthritis or something else causing her pain.

She may have gone deaf, and in that case a cat relies on vibrations to tell where 'their people' are. At night when everything is quiet a deaf cat gets confused and will cry.

A cat her age can have (or be getting) 'kitty Alzheimers' and start acting in a bizarre manner. That is part of the aging process.

They also get more vocal because they are confused about the changes in their body and mind. Give the cats LOTS of reassurance and love. Don't ever get upset at the cat for getting old and any behavior or health related issues that results from it...she can't help it.

I would suggest taking her to a vet that specializes in geriatric cat care and conditions....not all vets do which can be detrimental to an older cat. She should have an "older cat checkup" to check the function of her thyroid, kidneys, and liver, have blood work done, and be checked for arthritis and/or pain. If she has any pain she can be given medication to make her comfortable thereby improving her quality of life.

If it were me, I would keep her locked in the bedroom with you at night and not let her out. Night time is the most dangerous time for a cat to be outside, especially an elderly one.

You can try tiring her out by playing with her right before you go to bed. If she will play with a pet laser light (from Petco, PetSmart, etc.) then that would work. After you play with her then give her a can of cat food. With a full tummy and tired from playing she should sleep.

Being prepared and knowledgeable about older cats will make things easier for the cat and for you. I am including some very good links about elderly cats:
(Copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar)

http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html

http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm

http://www.2ndchance.info/oldcat.htm

Meowing is a sign and a symptom. To help you sleep, you need to find what is causing it. I can't tell you for sure, only give you possibilities and suggestions...but I hope they help.

Tabbi