Why is my 15-year-old cat howling at night with kidney disease?

Congratulations on taking such good care of Katrina that she has lived such a long life! I would recommend starting with having your vet examine her to what might be going on. If Katrina isn't showing any other signs, then I would recommend having your vet recheck her blood work and check her blood pressure. Cats that have kidney disease can develop high blood pressure which can cause howling. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I recommend a urine screen to determine his urinary tract health and any cause for pain or discomfort in this area. Kidneys are only rarely damaged by urinary obstruction but if there is evidence of issues, a blood test may be required also. Wet food, calming supplements and pain relief may be recommended depending on the results

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry to hear Mojo has been having some health issues recently. Kidney disease can often cause nausea and vomiting. Breathing trouble could be caused by a virus, bacterial infection or something more serous such as pneumonia, fluid in the chest, or lung cancers. Yowling at night or in the early morning could be a sign of dementia which typically happens in older pets. A veterinary check up would be recommended just to check his blood work and do a chest x-ray to see what is going on with his lungs. Anti-nausea medications can be prescribed to help control his vomiting. Sometimes certain medications can be prescribed for dementia as well, however, calming chews or Feliway plug ins/spray you can find over the counter at your pet store may help with night time disturbances as well.

Your kitty is likely senile. She will howl because all of a sudden she thinks she is all alone, or forgets where she is. This is why she stops when you talk to her,...she realizes you are there and she was not left somewhere. You may want to consult with your vet about prescribing Selegiline (Anipryl) for her, which is a medicine for senile cats (and people also) and works very well.

Thank you for asking the question about Rosie. A common cause of increased vocalizing in older cats is Hyperthyroidism. A benign tumor on the thyroid gland tends to cause weight loss, increased appetite, increased Vocalization, and sometimes vomiting and or diarrhea. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian soon. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

There are three very common things that cats get as they age: 1. diabetes, 2. kidney disease and 3. hyperthyroidism (high thyroid levels). All of these can be easily ruled in/out with simple blood/urine testing. I suggest you have Monty to the vet to discuss this.

The acute change in behavior may be a symptom of an overactive thyroid, elevated blood pressure which can occur secondary to hyperthyroidism, cardiac disease or primary neurologic disease. I would advise you to have Booboo evaluated by your veterinarian and discuss bloodwork including T4 levels, blood pressure, ECG, and urinalysis as a baseline.