My friend has a 17 year old cat that for some reason will take to “mooing” (or perhaps “mewling” is a better word). For 10-15 minutes she’ll pine away unless stopped by (usually) getting yelled at. She’ll do it at any time of the day seemingly randomly. The cat is fixed and 100% indoors (she lives in an apartment on the 28th floor). She has food and water available 24/7 and is not in any pain. If she wants attention she will come to you for it easily but if you go to pick her up she is cool with that too.
Is the cat trying to tell me something or just like the sound of her own voice? She never did this (or did it very rarely) prior to a few months ago but now does it nearly once a day at some point. Not only is it annoyig to my friend the cat is actually loud enough to annoy the neighbors.
A cat that age that does anything different should have a veterinary exam. When medical problems lead to an increase in vocalization, hyperthyroidism is the most common pathology found IME.
The cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism over a year ago and is being treated for it. The cat probably receives better health care than most humans do frankly (the cat has a good mom). The cat only recently started this mooing/moaning/meowing/mewling thing in the last few weeks. She has been to the vet recently and got a clean bill of health although I cannot say what they all checked. The cat seems healthy given her age. She is alert and active and maintains her weight. She loves attention and plays of her own accord. I will pass this on to my friend and have her call her vet just the same but still interested in any other ideas.
If the cat is being treated with Methimazole (tapazole), I would advise having a T-4 level checked. IMHO Methimazole is far from ideal when it comes to hyperthyroidism. If financially possible, I-131 treatment is the gold standard, followed by surgical thyroidectomy. Methimazole comes in a distant third.
This is something that’s actually very common in elderly cats and dogs. It’s a sign of senility. There’s probably nothing wrong except old age, but it won’t hurt to give the vet a ring.
My 17-year old cat started doing this a few years ago, and it’s increasing. I especially noticed an increase on two occasions: when one of my other cats died, and another had to be adopted out. His only physical ailment is hypertension (treated), so I assume the behavior is stress- or age-related.
It’s possible that it’s a sign of hearing loss.