Odd question I know, but I have a Female 4 year old Siamese that has been going through some “Menopausal-type” issues as of late. We recently brought our Male siamese back from the vet and the female went ballistic. Hissing, being obtuse and angry towards him. She had been alienating herself in the basement which subsided after a few days. Now she hangs out in the windows and watches the bird feeders as usual. The two are staying away from each other, and she will give him the occasional HISSS when she walks by him. It’s mildly funny now because she won’t even break stride, she will saunter past him looking at me and abruptly turn her head to him…HISSS… turn back and continue walking - without breaking stride.
Anyway, my wife and I have noticed that her vocalizations have been changing. She has a different meow now, more high pitch yet gutteral. Almost like she doesn’t have enough breath to get out the full on siamese MEEEOOOWWWWW!!!
We have suspected her of having an issue with athsma [she has a vet appointment Sept 4] as she snores quite loud and when resting we hear a distinct wheeze which subsides over approx 5 minutes.
But this change in meow has us concerned. Has anyone out there experienced this with their cats? What gives, I mean she doesn’t smoke or take drugs . Neither do we for that matter.
Given she’s a Siamese, it’s hard to tell. They sound vaguely heat-y all the time. And I’d suspect if she was in estrus, she’d be chasing after the male, not driving him off. My female (I was told she was spayed when we took her in. Yeah, not so much.) was yowling at our male (fixed) and my husband and the broomstick to just DO SOMETHING, DAMMIT!!! While she came on strong enough to drive them away in terror, she wasn’t hissing or trying to make them leave.
I’d suggest getting her into the vet sooner rather than later. Often the only way you can tell if a cat is in pain is if it gets grumpy. Her voice could be sounding weird just behaviorally or as a sign of general illness (think about how your voice changes when you’re down with a cold or a stomach bug) or something directly affecting the vocal folds or throat, like a cyst or tumor.
Sorry. I know “see the vet” is not a very satisfying answer.
ETA: on the other paw, it’s possible for a vet to miss a bit of ovary and for it to slowly grow back until it’s big enough to trigger a heat cycle again, so I wouldn’t rule that out either. Your boy is fixed, right? If not, separate them until you can get to a vet!
The reason your female cat is upset is that the male cat smelled strange when he came back from the vet. Indoor kitties often get upset when one of their companion cats goes outside and comes back.
When my cat Rex escaped last year, his sister C.C. totally rejected him upon his return. He just smelled wrong to her. So I rubbed him all over with dry cat food. That cured the problem, and they went back to being best buddies.
A cat’s meow can change due to age or overuse. If your cat is hissing or vocalizing a lot more now that she’s rejecting her friend, that could cause it.
Try rubbing your boy cat all over with dry cat food. I think you’ll see a change in the girl cat’s attitude.
That happened to my Siamese. We got a new cat to be her companion after the first one died and she didn’t like him at first. She vocalized her displeasure a lot and her voice changed–it was lower and a bit more hoarse. It never went back to the way it used to be either. Now that she’s 21 and mostly deaf, she has the loudest, lowest, growliest voice in the world–and it carries up and down 3 flights of stairs.
I’m flattered. I would have your veterinarian check her out. Best case scenario: absolutely nothing. Worst case scenario: Laryngeal tumor. In between scenario: mild upper respiratory infection. If you are gonna be anywhere near western PA this weekend I’d be happy to take a peek.
BTW: the smart money is on the “best case scenario”.
. Neither do we for that matter.
