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I was wondering from all you cat lovers out there why they yeowl loudly. Here's some background, we have an orange tabby cat who's 17 years old. We've had him since he was kitten. We also have another tabby cat. He's about 14 years old and we've had him for almost 13 years. We also have a dog. A lab/retriever mix which we have had for about a year and a half. Prior to that we had a very loud and as it turned out dog aggressive beagle for about 2 and a half years. She was killed after being hit by a car.
It's just the orange tabby that yowls excessively. It started out only once in a while and usually in the basement at night. Now it has increased to the point, while usually in the evening/night, early morning hours, he does it upstairs and its very loud at times. The litter box is always clean. They always have food. The dog loves the cats and they seem to like him. When we asked our vet she seem to believe that the orange tabby is losing his mind. He still knows us and is very affectionate as usual He eats and drinks normally and like many cats his age, sleeps most of the day.
If anyone has any ideas as to why this is happening we would really appreciate it. Thanks
Has he been doing this for many years? If not, I'd say it's age-related... many cats lose their hearing when they get old, and start yowling because they can't hear themselves. Just like how old people shout, since they have no idea how loud they are - my 90 year-old grandma does that when she's not wearing her hearing aid, LOL. My sister has a cat who's also 17 years old, and she often yowls for no reason, especially when nobody's in the room.
But if your cat's been doing this since a younger age, he might just be a loudmouth... I had a Persian cat once who was 3 years old (I only had her from age 2-3 before she was killed by a car ), and she would HOWL up a storm for no apparent reason. Sometimes it meant she wanted to go outside, and other times I think she just liked hearing herself talk. So there could be lots of reasons, but I'm guessing old age & deafness for your kitty.
No. He started really yowling frequently about six months ago. It started getting worse over the last three months. I think losing his hearing/old age are the reasons for this.
I once had an elderly cat who yowled at night. It was very disturbing to me because I thought he was in distress, but when I would get up & check on him he would stop yowling & act normal. I then read somewhere that many times real old cats will do that for no apparent reason.
I have an orange thirteen year old tabby that does the same thing. I think he is looking for me because if I call out to him he stops. He only started to do it about a year ago. He likes the rooms best with an echo! He does it in the middle of the night and I just call his name and he stops yowling and makes his way to the foot of my bed to sleep. I know he can still hear because he jumps when it thunders and he can hear the can opener from fifty feet away. He just seems to be calling "Mommy."
Kitty Boy, who we said goodbye to this past winter at 19 was a howler. He was my husband's cat, and I lived with this precious creature for almost 10 years. From day one he would periodically stand in the hallway or an unoccupied room and holler. Sometimes he would go into a closet. As soon as you would walk in he would stop. It did become more frequent as his age began to show. Man, I would give anything to hear him do that one more time.........
My fiance had a 16-year-old male cat (RIP) when we moved in together. He never yowled until we got back from our first 10-day vacation after moving. He howled almost incessantly for three days, he was so ticked off at us for leaving him behind (not that he would have enjoyed Virginia Beach much, except for maybe having access to the world's largest litter box ...). He calmed down a little, but every time we left the house, he'd yowl for a half hour or so after we returned. It was a real guttural, growly yowl, too, like he was channeling BB King or something, LOL. Always singing the blues, that cat was!
One of our cats let out the most horrendous, mountain lion-like yowling, when she saw a huge male cat through the window at night. I think he must have come right up to the window, and she either felt threatened or courted. She hasn't done it since we moved away from there, but it was a voice to behold.
Funny coincidence, we used to have a lab retriever too, the three sisters. She died at 15 of kidney failure. The cats and dog got along fine, slept together. They were buds.
I have a 14 year old female cat that started doing it double time after I moved in with my boyfriend (now husband).
She has been doing it for years but lately its every single night! It's only when I am not with her and if I call her name or go see her, she shuts up right away. It happens downstairs while we are in bed sleeping up stairs.
It is a bit disturbing to me. Her yowl is a very throaty, LOUD sound. I am always afraid the neighbors are going to think I am an animal abuser.
I have read that this can be a symptom of kidney or thyroid issues in older cats. I plan on having her checked soon if she continues.
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for about 2 and a half years. She was killed after being hit by a car. 
He eats and drinks normally and like many cats his age, sleeps most of the day. 
My sister has a cat who's also 17 years old, and she often yowls for no reason, especially when nobody's in the room. 
), and she would HOWL up a storm for no apparent reason. Sometimes it meant she wanted to go outside, and other times I think she just liked hearing herself talk. So there could be lots of reasons, but I'm guessing old age & deafness for your kitty.
I have one!
