HollyWoozle
Well-Known Member
We have an odd set-up with gardens here but basically one of our neighbours (not next to us but one along from them, terraced cottages) has a fairly spacious 'catio' type situation in her garden which is maybe 50 metres from the back of our houses. Her garden is directly next to ours. She is keen on animals and I believe previously worked for an animal charity, but to cut a long story short I think she had several cats and then got dogs, who upset the cats, and consequently moved her cats down to the garden. To be clear, they do have a good setup including a varied indoor space (heated) and a secure outdoor area. She lets them out each morning and walks with them in the garden before shutting them back in. I have sometimes fed and cared for them when she is on holiday and they are in good condition and friendly.
She currently has two cats and the oldest one is about 16 I believe. I know she sees a vet regularly, is on thyroid medication and also has injections for arthritis. The issue is that this particular cat yowls and yowls on and off throughout the day and it's getting worse. I have had a lot of cats and fostered cats and I know that sometimes they get a bit confused or senile, but this cat has done it probably for a few years now and I would say it's worse than ever. I am currently sitting at my desk in the house, with window open, and I can hear her. The sound is quite distressing, she's extremely loud and really sounds as though she is in some pain or discomfort. Sometimes she will have a little bout of it as often as every 10 minutes or so, sometimes much less, and basically we feel bad for her! I've heard other neighbours grumbling things like "can't someone shut that bloody cat up!" before and I've been asked if I know where the sound is coming from... I have also messaged the owner before and asked if the cat is OK, saying she seemed more vocal than normal, and she said "she's fine, she's probably shouting at you
" or something to that effect.
My question is would you intervene and if so, how would you tackle it? I think neighbour is likely to be quite sensitive about it and if she has told the vets then maybe she can't stop it, but I feel there must be something underlying. It's quite upsetting to listen to if you're down the garden at times. She must hear it often herself so I don't think it's a question of her not realising the cat is doing it... I think she either feels she can't do anything about it or just thinks it isn't an issue?
I don't want to fall out with anybody and it's more a case of being concerned for the cat than anything. My very kind and patient husband said he nearly cracked and messaged neighbour the other day (she is sometimes at work, walking dogs or not easy to find if she's outside so it's not that easy to catch her in person at particular moments) as he was fed up if listening.
We had an old family cat who sounded like that until she had blood pressure meds... maybe I can suggest she looks into getting that checked? But I don't want to offend! Argh!
She currently has two cats and the oldest one is about 16 I believe. I know she sees a vet regularly, is on thyroid medication and also has injections for arthritis. The issue is that this particular cat yowls and yowls on and off throughout the day and it's getting worse. I have had a lot of cats and fostered cats and I know that sometimes they get a bit confused or senile, but this cat has done it probably for a few years now and I would say it's worse than ever. I am currently sitting at my desk in the house, with window open, and I can hear her. The sound is quite distressing, she's extremely loud and really sounds as though she is in some pain or discomfort. Sometimes she will have a little bout of it as often as every 10 minutes or so, sometimes much less, and basically we feel bad for her! I've heard other neighbours grumbling things like "can't someone shut that bloody cat up!" before and I've been asked if I know where the sound is coming from... I have also messaged the owner before and asked if the cat is OK, saying she seemed more vocal than normal, and she said "she's fine, she's probably shouting at you
" or something to that effect.My question is would you intervene and if so, how would you tackle it? I think neighbour is likely to be quite sensitive about it and if she has told the vets then maybe she can't stop it, but I feel there must be something underlying. It's quite upsetting to listen to if you're down the garden at times. She must hear it often herself so I don't think it's a question of her not realising the cat is doing it... I think she either feels she can't do anything about it or just thinks it isn't an issue?
I don't want to fall out with anybody and it's more a case of being concerned for the cat than anything. My very kind and patient husband said he nearly cracked and messaged neighbour the other day (she is sometimes at work, walking dogs or not easy to find if she's outside so it's not that easy to catch her in person at particular moments) as he was fed up if listening.
We had an old family cat who sounded like that until she had blood pressure meds... maybe I can suggest she looks into getting that checked? But I don't want to offend! Argh!
