6 year old female neutered cat - crying/meowing/hissing all the time

by Kim
(Nottingham, UK)

Hi there,

I have read through many of the answers here and sadly do not answer my query.

I had 2 cat sisters and sadly one of them was killed in a road accident 7 months ago. My cats were never that close and the vet told us that as solitary animals it would be unlikely for her sister to pine for her.

7 months later we are left with a kitty who cries constantly - throughout the day and night. We try not to pander to it in case this is fuelling the crying and feed her at set times in the day. We have to lock her downstairs as she will cry throughout the night or let her out overnight.

We try and love and fuss her but now she has become quite nasty with hissing and clawing at us.

We did have her checked over by the vet and had full bloods but she is very healthy.

We are not keen to get another cat currently as we are due to get married in a couple of months.

I don't know what else to do :(

Many Thanks,

Kim in the UK x

Answer from Kate
Hi Kim
well yes cats do sometimes miss a cat companion they have had. It is sort of like a period of grief
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-grief.html

However 7 months is a long time and so i am wondering if she is simply not stimulated enough and is using her crying as a way of getting attention.

Getting another cat however is not necessarily the answer. there are no guarantees that she would get on with another cat and so could just increase your problems.

Hissing and general aggression is often a sign of fear rather than any real aggressive tenancies towards you. So I am wondering if something is upsetting her to the point where she is fearful and is reacting in this distressed way i.e calling and reacting badly towards you.

Has any thing changed in the area? Has a new cat entered the area and she can sense or smell them? Have changes happen around the home? Have routines been changed etc? Cats are very good at picking up on changes around them and so i don't know if your wedding plans have caused her some anxiety.

I have a page about anxious cats which you may find of further help. There are some herbal medications available which can help cats to calm down. I believe there are also plug in sprays which can also calm down a anxious cat.

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/scared-cat.html

Also you could try making her home environment more stimulating to try and distract her from any possible sources of fear. new toys and things to do can help. There are all sorts of different things available and again I have a page which you mind helpful

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/indoor-cats.html

best wishes Kate

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