For cats who cry at night, reasons & solutions vary

"Animal people don’t go away!”  -- an area animal advocate

(who doesn’t go away), quoting a frustrated opponent

@ Lord & Taylor, NYC

In mentioning why she reads to animals -- something I had not understood the value of, and even suspected was hokey -- the woman quoted above  made the reasons clear to me: (1) people reading to animals never have an angry voice (which some animals may already be painfully familiar with, so while being read to, they hear a nicer side of humans) and (2) as they listen, animals get used to human voices -- which can be alien to some of them. 

As animals may not be used to human voices, some humans aren’t used to some animal sounds, like cats crying in the night.

Our older cat, Harry, started singing out a few months ago.  To us, he sounded lonely, mournful and maybe in pain.  (Yes, our default reaction to such things is to fear the worst.)  Once when I heard it, I went downstairs to him and carried him upstairs in the dark.  Not smart, or even helpful for the next time.

Harry

After that, I asked a cat specialist-friend about it, spoke with our two cats’ vet and read online about the subject.   

Here are the possible reasons for cats vocalizing at night that seemed most useful to me . . .   

·         Health problems. Have the cat thoroughly examined by a vet asap.  Rule out possible problems like kidney or renal failure or diabetes, and get a thyroid check -- and maybe vision and hearing too.

·         Consider whether the cat might be frustrated or anxious -- maybe from some kind of household change -- or even just bored and wanting attention.

·         Older (“geriatric”) cats could be experiencing Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, or CDS -- also called “Feline Cognitive Dysfunction,” or FCD -- described as “the onset of dementia-like behavioral changes” in older cats and dogs.  Besides changing their sleep cycle so they sleep more during the day and roam at night, CDS can make cats confused, anxious and disoriented.  

So now, with possible causes known, what can we do to head off nighttime serenades?  Depending on what might be causing the wailing, yowling or caterwauling, try these things:  

·          add a nightlight in the area where the cat sleeps

·          maintain predictability of the cat’s environment and schedule

·          de-clutter the house to eliminate obstacles

·          add litter boxes that are easy to find and get into

·          leave a radio on low so the cat has company

·         be sensitive to heat and humidity in the cat’s area and be generous with extra blankets -- older cats seek warmth  

Lavender

·         increase activity during the day and evening to try and re-establish normal sleeping and waking hours

Assuring a crying cat’s comfort in all possible ways, including practicing compassion and lavishing with love -- that has to be the best overall response. 

Fight USDA blackout

In February 2017, shortly after Trump’s inauguration, the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) . “suddenly removed tens of thousands of animal welfare records from its (till then) publicly accessible website.  These documents described violations at federally licensed animal facilities -- including commercial dog breeders, zoos and research labs -- and any resulting enforcement actions taken by the USDA.” 

Totally unilateral, this action has left all those involved with animal welfare in the dark about which facilities are not complying with animal-protection laws and whether the USDA is taking any action against them.  When offenders can continue offending, animals suffer. 

Protest this USDA action by signing the ASPCA’s petition:  www.aspca.org/usdablackout.

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