Log the nights in detail, not just the disturbance
It is easy to remember only that she woke you; a written log turns that frustration into usable evidence. For at least a week, note the time each calling bout begins, roughly how long it lasts, and how many times it repeats before morning. Record where you find her when she calls: beside her litter box, in a hallway, in a room she rarely uses, or right beside your bed. Write down what ends the episode — your voice, a light switched on, food, being carried to her bed, using the box, or nothing at all. A cat who calls at the same hour nightly and settles after the litter box is telling a different story from one who calls at random hours and cannot be soothed.
Note what her days look like alongside the nights
Night behaviour rarely changes in isolation, so track the daytime picture in parallel. Record her appetite and how much she finishes, her drinking, whether she uses the litter box normally, and how her sleep is distributed — long disoriented naps by day can pair with restless, vocal nights. Watch for staring at walls, pacing a repeated route, standing in a corner as if unsure how to turn around, or seeming not to recognise a familiar room for a moment. Also note whether she startles less at sounds she used to react to, or calls more in the dark than in lit rooms, because hearing and vision both shape how secure a senior cat feels at night.
Consider the household triggers around the calling
Write down what changed in her environment and routine in the same period. A later or earlier feeding time, a new pet, a family member's changed schedule, building noise, or a moved litter box can all unsettle an older cat whose coping relies on predictability. Check the basics she needs overnight: can she reach water, food if she is fed late, and a low-sided box without stairs or closed doors in her way? A night light on her route and a small late meal help some cats settle, and whether those measures change the calling is itself information worth logging for the vet — improvement with light, for instance, points attention toward her night vision.
Protect everyone's sleep without punishing the calling
She is not calling to annoy you; she is lost, uncomfortable, hungry, or seeking reassurance in the only language she has. Shouting or shutting her away from the household usually raises her anxiety and the volume with it. Instead, answer her calmly, guide her to what she seems to need, and keep the interaction brief and boringly consistent so nights become predictable rather than exciting. If calling clusters before dawn, a predictable wind-down — play if she wants it, her evening meal, a settled sleeping place near household scent — can anchor the night. Keep your own brief notes even on good nights; a run of quiet nights after a change is as meaningful as a bad week.
Raise it as a pattern at the check, sooner if it escalates
At the vet check, present the log: when the calling began, its timing and frequency, where she is found, what settles her, and the daytime changes that travel with it. Ask your vet what they want to examine and monitor, and what developments should prompt a call between visits. Contact the clinic sooner if the calling arrives suddenly with pacing and distress, if she stops eating, drinks far more, soils outside the box repeatedly, seems painful, or appears disoriented during the day as well, because an abrupt change in a senior cat should not wait for a routine slot. Your night-by-night record will help the vet separate a gradual age-related pattern from something that needs faster attention.
Keeping the night log, daytime notes, and what helped her settle together in her KinsLe Pet Passport gives your vet the full rhythm of her nights rather than a tired summary.