For some reason I cannot understand much less imagine, my Siamese cat has been crying incessantly for the past few days. Ever since I changed their diet from dry kibbles to canned food, I started noticing this change in her behavior. She is not sick though. I know this because she regularly visits the veterinarian. I wonder if this has something to do with the diet change because I notice that she is hungry all the time. Has any of you ever experienced this? Even if I shush her, she just cries more. She is like a baby needing something.
I have only had one Siamese, and he was quite a bit noisier than any other cat that I've had. They tend to be talkers. Usually, cats reserve their meows for communication with the people who are important to them, but it can be hard to know what they're trying to say. It could have something to do with the change in food, although most (not all) cats prefer wet food to dry, although the debate between which is better has supporters and detractors on both sides.
Stress is a common cause but that's not overly helpful since it doesn't help you know what she might be stressed about. You don't say how old she is, but I know that I started adding wet food to my cat's diet after they became older, concerned about their hydration. Older cats sometimes get disoriented, and cry, particularly at night.
One of my cats does that. Relatively silent most of her life, she began yelling at night. I found that leaving some lights on around the house helped a lot; at twenty-four, she might have some trouble seeing in the dark. Still, she yells sometimes, usually at night. Thinking maybe she is lonely after my wife and I have gone to bed, we began leaving the bedroom door open and inviting her to sleep with me. Sometimes she does, but mostly she gets up, goes out into the living room, and yells. Leaving some lights on for her helps a lot, but it doesn't entirely solve the problem.
I don't know much about this in particular, but I do always try and go with my gut on situations. Your cat is obviously trying to tell you something. Whether it be the change in her food or possibly another issue she may be having that just came around the same time as the food change, it's hard to tell.
My cat cries because he is super spoiled and I know that's not the same thing that is happening here. If she is still doing it, I would make an appointment at the vet to have her seen. Better to be safe than sorry.
Is she an older cat?
I read recently about increasing cases of dementia in older cats, and one of the symptoms is more vocalization. A change in food could be a trigger as memory problems are a big part of it and the cat being scared by unfamiliar things.
If she has also started showing signs of things like restlessness - walking into a room walking around and around like she doesn't know it, and other behaviour changes it might be worth asking your vet about it. It is new for many vets as well but there are resources for vets to find out about it.
