I wish we could just talk about it

[cellio]

Baldur has become more vocal of late. It's not just since Erik died; it's been building for a while longer. But it has gotten worse, maybe because of that or maybe coincidentally. The vet can find nothing wrong with him (other than that he's almost 19 years old); she suspects senility. Near as I can tell his vision and hearing are still ok -- at least, he chases the laser dot and hears a can of food being opened from a floor away. But he'll stand in the middle of the hall, yowling piteously and failing to respond to being called. If I go get him he stops for a while, usually. It's weird.

Alas, he has been doing a fair bit of this in the middle of the night of late, which is wearing. Tonight I shut him in the basement -- with plenty of warm soft stuff to sleep on, food, water, litter, and a light, of course, but still... He cried for a while but seems to have settled down. We'll see if it lasts.

I don't want to have to do this every night. I want my cat to be able to curl up on my feet (or, of late, my arm) while I sleep. This feels like I'm failing both of us.

Sigh.

Comments

[sue-n-julia.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

It's tough. We never went through this with Vandal, except when we were travelling. We figured out that it happened when he couldn't get back up on the bed or when there were other odors in the room that he found disturbing. This led to one trip in which he cried all night long except for two 45-minute stints in which he slept (quite literally) on my face. Of course, when I moved my face to breathe, the crying started again. Trying to decide whether I needed sleep or breath more was a no-win solution. We didn't stay at that hotel a second night.

You might see how he responds to a tea of hops, chamomile, and catnip. 2 ml about 2 hours before you go to bed should help. You might talk to your vet about possible anxiety meds.

S

[cellio]

Thanks for the tea suggestion; I'll give that a try.