Hello -

I know there's been discussion of this topic before, but others had situations slightly different from mine, so I wanted to submit my own desparate query...

My cat, Emily, is about 2 years old now, and we've had her for quite some time. Two weeks ago, I moved into an apartment and brought her with me from my father's house. A few months back, during summertime, they let her outside on accident and she was MIA for two weeks before returning. I don't know if they were responsible enough (for shame) to get her checked at the vet afterwards either.

So, she took the move pretty hard though I kept her in my bedroom, cowering under my bed 23/7, barely eating. After a few days she got a little better, would sleep with me on my bed, and eventually was brave enough to wander the apartment (which is quite small) and meet my other cat, Alex (male). They hissed, but otherwise everything was fine.

Recently, I noticed she had fleas, so both cats were treated posthaste. Now, to come to the point...For the past four or five days, Emily has randomly started yowling and crying, usually around 2 - 5 a.m. She scratches incessantly on my door if I put her out, so I've kept her in and slept on the futon...But when she does this crying, she paces back and forth between the kitty litter and my closet, stretching up onto the wall and compuslively scratching at the carpet around the kitty litter box as if trying to bury it. I thought initially it was something wrong with the litter box, but cleaning it for her does nothing. She just keeps crying and pacing.

When I shush her or ask what's wrong, she stops for a minute, seems perfectly content, then goes right back to it. She doesn't seem to be in pain, but I am at a loss. In all of two years she never did this before, so I know it's not hypervocalization. She hasn't exhibited any strange eating or drinking habits lately, but I'm paranoid that it's some kind of illness--could it be hyperactive thyroid even though she's only 2? Are the fleas giving her trouble? She doesn't scratch at all, and only cries at night. What else could it be?

Thanks so much for putting my mind to rest,

Katie