Meowing and growling cat.

Dr. Marie replied:

I'm sorry to hear that Baby is having these problems. Vocalization issues in older cats can sometimes be difficult to figure out. I'll give you a few possible reasons for her symptoms.

Some cats will vocalize like this when they have issues with high blood pressure. I have had several older kitty patients that came in for excessive meowing and we have determined that they had high blood pressure. They usually do really well on a medication (often amlodipine). Some cats with hypertension (high blood pressure) have underlying health problems such as kidney disease or hyperthyroidism that need to be dealt with in order for the blood pressure to come down.

Another possibility is something called cognitive dysfunction. This is a form of senility in cats. While there is no cure for this, some cats do well on medication. Some that I have used include amitriptyline, clomicalm, reconcile and alprazolam. Cognitive dysfunction could account for the aggressive behavior as well.

A pain issue is possible as well. While cats with pain don't usually vocalize a lot, what you are describing with the growling and aggressive behavior makes pain a possibility. Pain could be arthritis pain, dental pain and many other things.

One final possibility is fleas. I have seen a number of cats get really weird behavior issues (especially if you are trying to pet them) in connection to fleas. Fleas can be difficult to find on some animals. If she has any hair loss or lesions over the base of her tail (on her back) then treating her with a prescription flea product is a good idea.

You mentioned that Baby had normal blood tests a year ago. It really would be a good idea to have things checked again as a lot can change in a year. If this were my case I would likely be recommending a physical exam, blood tests, possibly urine tests and a blood pressure check. If we can find a medical reason for her issues then this would be great.

If nothing was obvious on the tests then I would likely try a trial of pain medication such as Metacam for a while and see if her symptoms get any better. And if that didn't work we could try an anti-anxiety medication like one of the ones I mentioned above for cognitive dysfunction.

With all of that being said, I have had some cats with behavior like this where I couldn't find a reason and I couldn't make the problems go away. If you feel that she is uncomfortable (and it does sound to me like she is) then it may be time to be considering euthanasia.

Hopefully the doctor can find something that can be treated!

Dr. Marie.


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