Swee's 4am noise - vet visit recap

Finally got Swee in for the full workup. I know I've posted about the 4 a.m. yowling before, but I wanted to document what the vet actually said regarding her physical health since the noise is getting louder.

The vet ran a standard blood panel and a urinalysis. Nothing came back abnormal. No thyroid issues, no kidney stress, no infection in the urine. She feels healthy on the physical side. So now we are left with the behavioral aspect, which is frustrating when you know the cat is physically fine but still screaming at the wall.

I put the detailed lab numbers in Swee's lab results if anyone wants to see the specific values, but the short version is: she is healthy.

Good to hear the labs are clean. For a 3-year-old ragdoll, that rules out a lot of the scary stuff. I had to do similar tests for Shadow's recent checkup when he started pacing at night, and it was stressful waiting for the results.

Since the physical side is cleared, have you tried changing the routine? Sometimes these cats get bored. I ask this because I am not a vet, just a guy with a senior cat who keeps me up. Did the vet suggest any specific enrichment?

Oh no, the 4 a.m. club is real 🙄

My Milo sheds so badly I can't even see him, let alone hear him, but Nora is a little monster who meows at the door. Did you try the How to stop the 4 a.m. wake up calls thread? I think someone there suggested a puzzle feeder right before bed. Might take her mind off the wall yowling.

I remember when Muffin was that age. She was so vocal it was exhausting. I wrote a bit about it in Ragdoll vocalization tendencies because people always ask if it's normal for the breed.

Since Swee is healthy, it might just be her personality. But I would also look at the environment. Is there a window she can see out of at that hour? Birds? Other cats? Muffin used to yowl at the same time if she saw a squirrel.

@slong I appreciate the logic. I have tried the puzzle feeder, but she just eats it fast and goes back to the wall.

@biscuitmom No, no windows face the street, and the house is quiet. It is just her against the drywall.

I posted an update in a follow-up thread because I tried a new tactic last night that actually worked for an hour, but I want to keep this thread strictly to the vet recap. The new strategy is in the follow-up, not here.