What causes an older cat to meow silently or lose their voice?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Brooks. If he's lost his voice and cannot meow, that can be a sign of a medical illness such as a respiratory infection. I would be concerned this could be the case, and I would have him seen by a vet in the morning. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

There are a few medical reasons for a change in voice in a cat, including upper respiratory infection, hyperthyroidism, nasopharyngeal polyps, and other oral concerns. I would recommend having Rosco examined by a vet to see if this could be the case.

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.

Your cat may have laryngitis, which is an inflammation of the larynx or "voice box". Signs of laryngitis include hoarseness and/or loss of voice. The most common causes of laryngitis are excessive vocalization and chronic[ coughing](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/coughing). Both put strain on the vocal cords. Laryngitis can also be due to other underlying medical conditions such as throat infections, [allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/feline-allergies/), tonsillitis, [pneumonia](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/pneumonia-1/), tracheobronchitis, foreign bodies and rarely tumors. Since it has been three days since your cat's symptoms began, I recommend having him evaluated by your veterinarian to check for throat infections or other sources of irritation of the larynx. You may need to feed a soft, bland diet and keep him as stress free as possible during his treatment and recovery.

That’s a tough one! I don’t think the vet would think you are wasting their time as it’s always beneficial to have a physical exam and I think in Stinky Pete’s case, it would be beneficial. Hyperthyroidism can cause increased activity and increased vocalizing and is common in older cats. Older cats can also get dementia which presents the same way. Lastly, older pets can be more prone to anxiety, just like older humans. The vet may test the thyroid and go from there based upon the results. Many of these cats will get sedatives at night if anxiety is suspected. You could also try a pheromone diffuser called Feliway. There is also a prescription diet called Calm which some cats respond well to. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Yes, they can. Sometimes it can be temporary, but othertimes it can be a sign of a medical problem. Hopefully since he is so young, its nothing thats major or concerning, BUT, i wouls recommend an exam to be sure. They will do full exam of mouth, ears, throat, chest and heart and guide you from there.

If he is acting otherwise normally I would give him a few days to see if the problem resolves. If not, he should see the vet. You didn't mention Loki's age but if he is a bit older a thyroid problem can cause a loss of the "meow".