My Neighbours must hate me! Help!

[Fruitbatdancer]

First up, I know IABU. But need help!
My cat (Bengal) has always been a few sandwiches short of a picnic, a bit feral and unfriendly, a great rat catcher, but is an independent sole and is the opposite of a lap cat. He’s always been very vocal, but always indoors at dinner time.
Now the problem. In the last 3 months he’s either lost his mind, or gone deaf. He now sits at the back door howling to come in, we let him in, he howls to go back out, we let him out, he howls for food, we give him food, he doesn’t eat it. (Appetite still good just random) he howls for water (will only drink from tap) our neighbours on both sides must want to kill us/ him. He’s started howling in the night. It louder than a dog. What can I do? I suspect he’s gone deaf, or mad. Nothing has changed in terms of house/ garden/ access. He has a cat flap which he will only use occasionally. He prefers to howl. Honestly I want to kill him (joke) so I know neighbours will! What can I do?

Ps he’s 13 if that makes any difference.

Has he seen a vet?

Say to any complaints that it can't be your moggy as he has a catflap. It must be a fox. Or a racoon (rare in the UK but could have escaped from a zoo).

Take him to a vets for a checkup to make sure he’s ok
He is an old cat

No, I haven’t taken him as he hates the cat carrier & cat and I didn’t want to stress him further. But I really should shouldn’t I. Will they be able to tell if he’s deaf? How!!

I did think the fox ruse may work (were very rural) maybe even a screaming badger/ hedgehog.

I assume how they check if babies are deaf, put a sound tool in their ear for a response to it.. cat responds it’s not deaf

Take him to the vet. He's clearly not ok if he's showing such dramatic changes in behaviour.

CHange in behaviour/strange behaviour in older cats can be a symptom of deteriorating kidney function. Meds/diet can really help.

Interesting @kolo I didn’t know that.
Vet appointment tomorrow then.
In meantime any suggestions on other wildlife I can blame the noise on all gratefully received
He’s at it again. I just let him in and he asked to go back out again.

Ring the vets for advice explain that you don't want to take him unless really need to because of his fear. He might be howling for some other reason. I hate to say it but cats can get dementia. Hopefully it's not that OP.

Ours frequently yell in the night, they leave us in the bedroom, go downstairs and then shout because we aren't down there to pay them attention. If we call them back up and fuss them they are fine. They've been checked, they are just idiots.

I would say a vet check first to rule out medical causes, then a pet behaviourist if you need help working out what the issue is, our vet has one on staff for issues like this. A feliway diffuser may help settle him in the house. But he way just be being demanding, in which case a lot of attention has been a help for us.

Must be driving you loopy OP!

Our Burman does the same. Our vet says it's something older cats of some breed just do.

Agree he needs a check up.

But maybe/hopefully, he's he's just hot? 3 months is pretty much the heatwave, no?

It is driving me loopy but DH reaction to it (he loves those cats despite frequent threats to turn them into posh slippers) is also making me loopy!

True. I feel I had a fur coat on in this weather I’d Also howl a lot. They do have their own fan in the utility room tho #spoilt

I have a female cat who does that, either indoors or in the back garden, she is 17. I was told she is going senile. Other than that she is very well. If I talk to her she calms down and is quite normal. Then she'll go into the hall and howl, it's as if she has forgotten where she is.

Our cat is like this. We renamed her Tool. She actually responds to it now too.