Howling at night time.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Allen...and thanks for your question.

Unfortunately when older cats start to meow loudly at night time it can often be a hard problem to fix. However, there are a few possible things that you can have your vet check for you.

Some cats will howl at nighttime because of high blood pressure which we believe can cause headaches. Some cats will have high blood pressure because of hyperthyroidism and some will have just high blood pressure on its own. If your vet does find that there is hyperthyroidism (by doing a blood test) it is usually treated quite easily with medication. Similarly if the problem is high blood pressure that can be treated with a medication as well.

However, some cats will do this because of something we call cognitive dysfunction which is similar to senility. I have had some animals respond to either a medication called anipryl or another one called amitriptylline.

It would be great to have your vet take a look at Highway and do some general bloodwork and a blood pressure check.

I hope he is oK!

Dr. Marie

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