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Has anyone else has elderly cats? I'm wondering if mine is getting ready to pass on. He's 14 but thanks to a reccent Rabies Vaccination recommended by his old vet because i was moving out of state he now has a seizure disorder called Hyperesthesia where he has spells where he will growl and bite the end of his tail. Or he'll be obsessed with cleaning and practically mow a patch of his fur at the base of his tail off. Also his skin is very sensitive and you can see his skin causing the fur on his back to ripple.
ANYWAY thanks to a wonderful Naturopath that I use, he has helped me choose herbal remedies that all but completely stop these symptoms. Instead of plaguing him everyday they may only happen once ever 2 months.
However, now I am noticing he has days were he seems dazed and even loses interest in food which is a rarity for him. He usually bounces back the next day but I'm just wondering what I should expect. Today is one of those days. However it has also been pouring rain all day and he is afraid whenever it rains so perhaps I shouldn't be so worried and should give him some slack. What do you all think? I know in human years he is in his mid 70s as he is probably closer to 15.
How did all of your elderly cats act in their sunset years?
Location: Vermont, grew up in Colorado and California
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Our Cat is 18ish, we take it one day at a time. Mostdays you wouldn't know she is that old.
Has thyroid and kidney issues, is on a thyroid med.
I assume she she has dental problems from time to time.
Just like people they have their good days and bad days.
It is scary and sometimes frustrating, we just want to do what's best. No matter how hard you try they are going to have some bad days.
Has he had any catnip toys lately?
We just recently re-introduced them to our Cat..(she tended to be a meanie drunk so hadn't had them in awhile lol)
..It has helped her not be so depressed over the loss our Dog we lost last summer and has eased her arthritis...got her stretching ect.
IN A NUTSHELL, lots of trial and error and patience.
Thanks for your reply Summerz. You must be a great cat mom if yours is 18. Right now my kitty at 9PM after sleeping through his supper time shows no interest in his dinner usually] served at 4PM--- and he has slowly walked into the dining area and is staring at himself in a floor to ceiling mirror (not my interior decorating choice. I'm renting this place).
Location: Los Angeles>Little Rock>Houston>Little Rock
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My cat Catfish is 15 and suffering from another UTI. Last night she started crouching and dribbling bloody urine all over the place. She suffers from kidney and thyroid issues and has a heart murmur, and she is blind. Some days she is fine and other days she pukes 4-5 times. I took her to the vet today and got some Clavamox for her.
I had a cat that lived to the age of 20 and she was a real trooper. I just think of it as taking care of your elderly loved ones and carry on.
Poor Catfish. I worry that my Weejie's eyesight might also be deteriorating. I look in his eyes and they seem ok but one is a little cloudy in one spot. I really want to PREVENT cataracts as six months ago the vet said she saw cataracts starting but I thought dealing with the siezure problems and also (i forgot to mention) he has a urinary tract condtion (Feline Urologic Syndrome) that he had when I adopted him 11 years ago, but I have been able, except for one incident two years ago, to make that go away thanks to a raw food diet with supplements-- and not have it be an issue --EXCEPT that the vet found his kidney levels high. So I switched his diet to a kidney disease lower protein diet (with squash and butter and lecithin to lower cholesterol added to the meat). So far so good...except for these days where he walks around so slowly and quiet. Now he is back sleeping at the end of my desk on a cushion
There is a great book by a homeopathic vet ( Dr Wolff I think) that probably lives in the UK that I'm SURE would know the DEFINITIVE constitutional homeopathic remedy that could fix all of his problems. However thanks to the politics of medicine in this country, all the SAFE treatments that really cure are maligned and swept under the rug or made ILLEGAL if BIG MEDICA/BIG PHARMA had its way and no coneventional vets have a clue how to use them since they aren't taught anything about it in medical school (because there is no $$$ in making patients well again).
Please continue to post your experiences if you have or have had had elderly cats. Hopefully we can all learn from our successes and failures with a view to taking better care of our kitties. Thanks! ~ Emily
Just thought I'd mention that Catfish has been blind as long as I've had her. I rescued her when she was approximately 7 weeks old.
What a Saint you are. I imagine you haven't moved or if you have, Catfish was able to learn her new surroundings OK?
Do you travel ever? I have declined invitations recently from relatives to visit them because my cat needs at least 3 times per day feedings and or medications given. I don't trust a commercial pet sitter that I don't know to take the time evem though they charge as much as a two or three star hotel would just just to quickly stop by the house and feed my cat and check the litter. I could never forgive myself if I left him with someone like that and he died while I was away on a weeks vacation.
I had one cat who lived to be 18 y/o. She eventually got kidney failure and it was time to say "goodbye." Best thing you can do for them but so hard! I've had one who died at about 10 y/o w/ nasal cancer (PTS when he couldn't breathe), one who made it to about 11-12 who died of IBS (had a heart attack but it was due to the strain of IBS), and one who made it to 15 who died (PTS) from general weakness and not happy (also diabetic). Your cat has reached a good age, let him tell you when he is ready.
What a Saint you are. I imagine you haven't moved or if you have, Catfish was able to learn her new surroundings OK?
Do you travel ever? I have declined invitations recently from relatives to visit them because my cat needs at least 3 times per day feedings and or medications given. I don't trust a commercial pet sitter that I don't know to take the time evem though they charge as much as a two or three star hotel would just just to quickly stop by the house and feed my cat and check the litter. I could never forgive myself if I left him with someone like that and he died while I was away on a weeks vacation.
We just lost one to cancer in September that was almost 18 and a half years old. In the end which I called her "Hospice Care", her comfort and happiness came first. I didn't travel anywhere and no one came here. You can do that after your furbaby is gone. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Location: Los Angeles>Little Rock>Houston>Little Rock
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Quote:
Originally Posted by emilybh
What a Saint you are. I imagine you haven't moved or if you have, Catfish was able to learn her new surroundings OK?
Do you travel ever? I have declined invitations recently from relatives to visit them because my cat needs at least 3 times per day feedings and or medications given. I don't trust a commercial pet sitter that I don't know to take the time evem though they charge as much as a two or three star hotel would just just to quickly stop by the house and feed my cat and check the litter. I could never forgive myself if I left him with someone like that and he died while I was away on a weeks vacation.
I've moved three times since I've had Catfish. Once from house to house in Little Rock. Then from Little Rock to a new house in Houston, TX. Then to another house in Houston. She has been fine each time. She gets around remarkably well. My nightstand sits about three feet from a window. If Catfish notices the window is open she will go sit on the nightstand, sniff a bit, and then jump to the windowsill to enjoy the fresh air.
We do travel once or twice a year, but hire a pet sitter that comes to the house every day and can give medication, if needed. She charges $20 per day for one visit...not sure what the charge would be for more than one visit.
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and has eased her arthritis.
..got her stretching ect.
Thanks! ~ Emily
