whining at night

[antlin70]

hello everyone- i have a female cat that i think is about 10 yrs old now. by the name of daphne, daffy for short. she is a missed breed. they think she is a mix btw/ calico and tabby (long hair).

lately she has been whining all night and sleeping during the day mostly. does anybody have any solutions to this?

[spirit3]

I  hope daffy is ok! I brush Spirit daily (she's a short hair and is flea-free) my other 2 never exhibit this behavior. her main source stress is when butters tries to chase her under the bed or couch-she really hates this and I can't seem to break him of doing this. She does the same thing you describe-sometimes you go get her and she goes back in the hall and starts up again. It is only nocturnal behavior-she can really get going sometimes!! Good luck w/vet.

[antlin70]

you know tammy you just reminded me of something else daffy is doing. that u may be onto something.
sometimes i don't immediately turn the lights on when it gets dark and just have the tv and computer on.
daffy will sometimes sit there and whine until i turn at least a lamp on. do you guys think the whole thing at night could be her sight.
sometimes if she is whining i will lead her to my bed (cause i cant pick her up right now) , but then after a while she will get down go anto another room and start whining again.
i've started looking for a vet.

[Tammy2009]

My old cat started doing this around 12 years when it seemed like her night version was going.  She would sit and howl until you found her and it would normally be on a cloudy night when there was a lot of light coming into the house from the street lights and she would be in the middle of the room and  wouldn't move.

I would pick her up, put her on my bed or the couch, a couple of pets and say "it's bedtime, go to sleep".  It only happened for a couple of months until she got use to not seeing at night.  

[Jade59]

Oops, sorry.  Second sentence doesn't make sense 'cause I was editing lol...

[Jade59]

I see your kitty in your photo - beautiful calico mix with long fur.  This may not have anything to do with her whining at night, but I do notice she has long fur.  I wonder, it could just be the picture, but it looks like she might have some knots on her back, end of tail and flanks.  Right where you say she doesn't like to be brushed.  Is Daffy able to reach these areas, have you noticed?  Doesn't look like the fur is smooth.  If there are any knots at all, this is irritating and painful and *might* be some of the problem.  You might not notice the rippling skin unless you pet her.  I very well could be wrong about the knots - my vision isn't the best :)

If there aren't any knots, I think it would be best to follow your original plan and find Daffy a vet.

Oh, and Jade didn't used to like to be brushed when we first got her so I started using a little flea comb on her when she was sleeping and relaxed.  Just a suggestion.  I can see, brushing or combing would be a problem without the use of your right side - you're probably right handed :(

[antlin70]

jade59

Daffy, is not really over wt. she has the running spells at night but doesn't scratch anywhere but near her ears. she doesn't have fleas. never goes out side.
i try to brush her every day. but i only have the use of my right side for now. Daffy doesn't like to be brushed near her legs or back end or tail for some wierd reason.
so i am not sure about the rippling thing.

[Jade59]

Spirit...this is called Feline Hyperesthesia (FHS.)  I have an article from my morning paper on it.  Says there are three catagories of causes...behavioral, dermatologic, and neurologic (really narrows it down, doesn't it.)

You're right in the fact that stress, from the cat's point of view, is the suspect.  Says the most common cause of FHS is obesity and flea infestation.  Overweight cats are unable to groom and scratch themselves along the top of their back and near their tail.  They can't reach.  Poorly groomed, greasy coats and a build up of dead hair make the skin underneath very sensitive.  

Jade is overweight and suddenly has this condition!  She didn't come to us this way, but have been showing this *skin rippling* about the last six months.  She's feeling better since I began religiously combing and brushing her with concentration on the top of her back and near her tail, getting all that dead old hair off.  A lot of flea dirt comes with it.  Since doing this every day, the condition seems to be getting better.

antlin70...does your kitty show this *rippling* skin condition?  Spirit very well may be on to something!

[spirit3]

I found something called "rippling back syndrome" when looking up my cat's crying at night-does Daffy ever look like her back is itchy and then run around like crazy for a few minutes? What I found w/the syndrome is it can be caused be stress or something called (I think) eating red tuna. If memory serves it said to try and keep stress to a minimum and whatever the red tuna is-don't feed. I hope you feel better soon-you must be stressed as well! Hope Daffy is happy and healthy too!!

[antlin70]

thanks everyone for the suggestions.
yes, anniebrooke, daffy had just been spayed when i got her from the spca. she was 2 1/2 yrs old then they thought.

i have actually been home more then usual for the last 4-5 months. i am out of work because of illness. except for all my dr.'s appt. i am home all the time.

spirit3 that is exactly the sound that daffy is making the whiney yowly sound.

looks like i will be lookin for a good yet not real expensive vet for ms. daffy.

[spirit3]

My 11 year old female does the same thing sometimes-a whiney yowly sort of noise? Sometimes she wants to be played with and sometimes she just wants attention and other times we have no idea what she's doing. Usually if we call her once or twice she'll stop and come lay down with us, other times we have to physically go pick her up and carry her to bed. However-I agree 100% w/opus88-a check up is never a bad idea.

[AnnieBrooke]

I assume she is spayed?

[opus88]

welcome to the cat community, I hope we can be of some help to you and Daffy.

Is this NEW behavior? has something changed recently such as you being out of the house all day so she sleeps than demands your attention at night?

Its always a good idea to get a good check up esp when our cats get to be seniors..she could be having some health issues and is trying to tell you she is in pain.
please keep us updated.

[mallgirl12]

it could be that the cat is lonely,maybe try to play alot with her during the day and she would be more tired at night,but it could also be something bothering her healthwise.