Mourning Cat Cries Out for Lost Companion

Dear Dr. Fox:

In the past year, following the death of her sister, my 14-year-old cat has begun to cry the most distressed calling, either from downstairs or when standing outside our bedroom door. However, when we call her name and tell her to come up, the crying stops and she comes into the bedroom and sometimes onto the bed. Why is this?

-- D.W.

Staten Island, N.Y.

Give your cat extra love and attention. The yowling is an expression of grief, and the mourning cat is calling and looking for her deceased companion.

The emotional loss could have brought on a kind of dementia, or dysphoria (abnormal depression, discomfort), especially if the surviving cat was dependent upon the other cat because of failing eyesight or hearing.