cat behaving strangely

by Celeste
(Minnesota)

I have a rescue cat, i've now had her about 5 years, she's 9 or 10 i think. She just recently has started to poop on my dog's bed about once every 2 weeks while i'm gone to work or not home. Also she has started howling/crying around 3am-4am for almost an hour at a time, which is keeping me up. Also she's pretty much blind, always has been since i've owned her, although if you didn't know you'd never know it. Can you help me understand why all of a sudden she's behaving strangley.

Answer by Kate
hi
well this can be quite difficult to answer with any certainty, all i can do is to give you some possible reasons for this behavior.

Firstly it may be gae related. Sometimes as cats get older they may become a little more unsure of things a lot more nervous than they were when they were younger. Add to this your cats blindness which may have become worse and she is probably feeling very insecure. the night calls are definitely a sign of a cat who is becoming a little worried and concerned and is often associated with old age and disability.

the other possibility is that something has happened either in the home or outside it which has also made your cat feel insecure. Cats don;t like change very much and this can upset their security. perhaps a new cat has moved into the area and your cat can sense or smell this. It is often difficult to say.

In my layman's opinion I feel that it probably has more to do with her age and possible her eyesight becoming worse. It may be a good idea just to have her checked over generally at the vets to rule out any other possible causes.

I have a web page about senior cats which you may find of further help.

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

best wishes Kate

---