My 13-year-old cat is meowing loudly and hiding. What's wrong?

Question

Hi, my cat is about 13 years old and was previously extremely social and always around people during the day. In the past couple months, she has been meowing very loudly incessantly and started to sit in her cat bed in the basement all the time instead of spending time upstairs. She has been eating/drinking and using the litter box normally as well. Our other 13 year old cat is completely normal. She went to the vet in July, but testing wasn't done when I brought up these concerns. What's wrong? Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 13 years and 2 months old | 16 lbs

Makenzie Kurth, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A few main concerns are coming to mind for Bubbles. 1) Hyperthyroid disease- the vocalizing fits with this but usually an increase in appetite is noted. We also usually see weight loss. This can be diagnosed with a blood test that may or may not be a part of the "regular" bloodwork done. 2) Pain - a severe arthritis flare up can cause vocalizing and reluctance to move. If bloodwork comes back normal, x-rays and or a pain medication trial would be my next steps. 3) Cognitive dysfunction (senility) or other neurological problem - Though it is not as well documented in cats as in dogs, we do definitely see cats that have dementia. This usually manifests as: wakefulness/vocalizing at night, loss of litterbox training, seeming to be lost, sudden anxiety, and other signs. I have seen cats act like this with sudden blindness (a few underlying causes) because they are anxious to leave the places they know best (bed, food, litter box). Finally, brain tumors, clots in the brain (underlying heart disease) and other neurological problems may manifest similarly to this. Long story short, get a good eye exam and some bloodwork done. Then consider x-rays and/or a pain medication trial. If none of these help, discuss possible next steps with your vet. Best wishes to you and Bubbles!

My 13-year-old cat is meowing loudly and hiding. What's wrong?

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