My usually quiet cat is suddenly meowing a lot. What's wrong?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Elder. He is certainly a handsome boy! His face is gorgeous. He may be meowing at you because he wants more attention. He may also be hungry or bored. Try playing with him, make sure he has food, and give him lots of love. Some days cats can be more vocal than usual, and that's normal. I hope this helps!

With that kind of vocalization and restless behavior, I suspect he may have a urinary tract infection. I recommend getting him to see your vet as soon as possible, Male cats are especially prone to becoming blocked and unable to urinate. If it isn't urinary, he still may have some underlying medical condition that is making him uncomfortable and restless. Your vet will do an exam and labwork to determine what is causing this behavioral change and how best to treat it.

If it is an abrupt change in behavior, it could signal some kind of discomfort, physical, such as a bladder infection or some other ailment making him painful, or something mentally distressing him, like a strange cat outside, being in a new place. If he seems fine physically, i.e. eating, drinking, eliminating normally, being his usual self, I would keep an eye on it. If you see any symptoms of illness, get him in to see your vet as soon as possible. Check around and see if you can identify when/where it is happening and if there is anything that might be causing him to vocalize.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your cat. I would recommend a trip to the veterinarian to ensure she is not suffering a medical problem causing this behavior change. A disease known as hyperthyroidism can cause increased vocalizations in a cat. It is usually accompanied an increase in thirst and urination, hyperactivity, possibly vomiting/ diarrhea and weight loss. She will likely have blood work performed to rule out this as well as other internal diseases. If she is found to be healthy, then you can discuss behavioral modifications at home. I hope this information helps!

Vomiting and increased vocalizations can sometimes indicate pain or distress. This could be due to GI upset, underlying illness, etc. If the symptoms continue, worsen, or you see additional issues such as increased vomiting, attempting to urinate or defecate but can't, loss of appetite, etc, then it would be best to seek veterinary care ASAP to find the underlying issue.

It is possible something startled Meesho. Moving him to a calm, quiet room with food, water, litter, etc may help him to relax. If he seems in a lot of distress, is trying to go potty and can't, or has signs of illness (vomiting, pain, not eating, etc) this could indicate he is very ill and should be seen by a vet right away.

If your cat is otherwise acting normal and eating fine I wouldn’t worry too much about this. Keep an eye on your cat and watch for drooling any swelling or soreness in the mouth or any reluctance to eat. If you notice any of the signs then you may want to have her checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.