Pets - specifically cats related (posting here for traffic) - sense check before I agree to get kittens!

I have a lovely 17 year old gentleman. He sleeps all day. All night. Eats. Goes outside for half an hour. Sleeps....

He occasionally throws up a hairball, but that's very occasional and normal for him.

His brother died last year and was clean and compos mentis until his last day. Very creaky and a slow decline where he started eating less and less, but no real bother until, like I said, his final day with us.

And both of them were outdoor cats and never had runny poos.

I think possibly you got a bit unlucky.

This is sad.

I have a 17 year old cat who I adopted when she was 4 - owners were emigrating. I've always had cats and love them but she never really took to me and I think tolerates me as I feed her. She adores ds2 though and pretty much lives in his room. He will be going to university next year and it does worry me how much she will miss him. She has no health issues or toileting issues but I admit part of me thinks it would be better all round is she didn't outlast him going by too long.

We also have a pair of 1 year olds having lost another cat suddenly at the age of 10 to cancer. He masked any issues right up until he couldn't and had to be pts but his habit of bringing in live creatures all the time is the one thing I don't miss about him. You never know how they are going to turn out but a cat-free life is not for me!

We have seen two cats through to old age and they just declined. Yes there were a few bad weeks at the end but that's life, isn't it?

You should be thinking about the challenges of kittens really? Ours is super cute but I'd forgotten the trail of destruction!!

Our cat was in her early 20s when she was put to sleep. I was seriously sleep deprived for many years leading up to that because of her. Much as I adored her, I couldn't go through it again.

I love cats and growing up we had lots of cats without any of these issues. None of them lived to that sort of age though. I definitely miss having a cat.

My 15 year old is fine. No litter issues. She has occasional runny poos, but think it’s the amount of grass she eats.

she is less active, but eats well. Will run for her treats. She is long hair, gets mats now and looks a bit scruffy. She hates being groomed, so they get cut out. She has a dodgy haircut. Started to use a dry shampoo that is helping.

she has never been a lap cat. But has started to sit by me for attention. Still purrs, still runs occasionally. But happier sitting outside in the sun.

get the cats. They will bring you joy.

I have a 16 year old cat. I never wanted a cat but agreed to a kitten when DS2 was 10.
DS is long since left home and I still have the cat. It's never been remotely friendly or cuddly. If I had the time again I would say no.

Our cat is roughly 18, we adopted her as a young adult so not completely sure on her age. She's no bother at all, just wants a comfy, sunny spot on the sofa, some fuss and some decent quality food and that's it. She goes to the toilet at the bottom of the garden but never actually leaves the garden. She sees the vet once a year for her jabs etc. We just went on holiday and our neighbours teenager popped in twice a day to feed her (and escape his mum and watch our netflix for a bit). We used to have 2, the older one made it to about the same age in very similar condition, she went downhill really fast because of her kidneys, but she'd been very healthy and happy up until that point. We've been very lucky, but both of our elderly cats have been healthy.

MrCat is 15yo, minus 1 canine and another tooth, still hunts and eats his occasional catches. He’s not very bouncy any more, and getting up on our laps can be quite an effort. He still climbs up for his dose of adoration and to chill with us. He’s stiffer and cannot groom his lower back. Fortunately he loves being groomed. He’s definitely lost condition.

He had to have surgical treatment for entropion on both eyes, which was covered by our insurance. I’m cancelling the insurance this year, as it is now over £1K and he has reached the age and condition when we would not put him through prolonged treatment. Treating the entropions distressed him a lot. It was the right thing to do at the time, but I’m not sure I’d put him through surgery again.

We’ve switched to mostly raw food for him, as we think it best at his age. He still gets one processed meal every day so that he will be used to it when we go away. We don’t want the petsitter leaving raw food out for several hours at a time.

Ive had 10 cats over the years. Id say about 50% were easy. My current 16 year old is very good. She used to pee round the house when she was young and never does now. My last one would poo under the sofa a lot and had chronic diarrhoea but I loved them dearly and it was my privilige to care for them in their last years.
Old cats have special personalities.
All but two lived to 20.
They did cost a fair bit at the vets. Madam here cost me £4000 having radioactive iodine for her thyroid but she's cured now.

We currently have a 19 year old and a 15 year old. The 19 year old sleeps and drools a lot and doesn't go out any more but still toddles to the litter tray and has a good appetite. For sleeping (and drooling) he's got his favourite cardboard box with a hole cut into it so he can walk straight in. The 15 year old has been blind for nearly 4 years but never stepped in his poo and has only just started to miss the litter tray. We've put the trays on puppy pads to catch any mishaps. I think there's some cognitive decline beginning as he's started shouting a lot in the past few weeks.
Other cats have gone quite quickly or been pts (cancers or kidney problems). One had a heart attack at about 18 when she was climbing out of the window which I think was a good way to go.

This isn't going to be popular, but cats don't enjoy not being clean and often the time has come to PTS. My very fluffy male, now eight years old, hunts rats and we have to occasionally clean him/do hygiene trims. Get the kittens, if it will fit in with your plans for the next 12-16 years. In ten years you can holiday whenever you want, but you'll have cats to board, possibly, so outside school holidays, won't be any cheaper.

All my cats when older didn’t have the issues you had.

Our cat only started going downhill from 19 and that last year was difficult, emotional and really put me off getting another one. She was irreplaceable really.

However a few years later we got one and she's an absolute delight. Only 5 now and completely different to our other one despite being brought up the same but they're part of the family and I wouldn't be without. It felt really odd not having a cat around for the few years we didn't.

Our eldest (of four!) is late middle aged (11.5 yrs) and she's still like she ever was except a bit tubbier as she steals the kitten's food. When she gets old and doddery we will do all we can for her to keep her happy and healthy.

I would not hestitate to get the kittens. It will be years before they're old and by then the difficulties you went through with previous senior cats will be a distant memory. There is no guarantee your the new cats would go through the same issues anyway, and you could be depriving yourself of years of pleasure on the off chance that they will have these problems too.

My 2 elderly girls (17.5yrs) are still thriving. One has thyroid issues but has lived well on medication for nearly 5 years. The other has 4 teeth and is a bit dribbly, but fine. Not toileting issues.

One is becoming a bit vocal so I am wondering about cognitive decline. But they are a joy. They are litter sisters and have a great relationship.

Would definitely have 2 kittens / cats again.

i have known two friends with elderly cats who drool everywhere constantly due to tooth loss

one of them now doesnt wuite realise she isnt in the litter tray and she is woken up to a stench during the night. She puts towels and puppy pads down around the box every night.

My last 3 cats have all lived to 20+ years, it was hard seeing them slow down but apart from the odd litter tray accident and getting more vocal, they were no more hard work than when they were younger.
All were rescues and I loved knowing that they were safe with me till their last days.

Kitten spam!

We lost our 19 year old much loved cat in January. By the end she was totally deaf and did have a habit of doing her morning pop on the mat by the front door (thankfully never runny!) - we just had 3 mats in rotation so every day a clean one was put down and the soiled one thrown in the washing machine with antibacterial wash.

We were all heartbroken when we lost her- kids aged 9 and 12 and she was all they knew.

3 weeks ago we took on 2 kittens (brother and sister) from a local rescue and haven’t looked back! Do it, get the kittens!

Shoutout to Catitude Rescue!

https://catituderescue.com

My first cat lived til he was 19 and only went to the toilet outside the litter tray the day before he was PTS. He was scruffy and thin and needed kidney friendly diet but apart from that no problems at all.

No, senior years are not always easy with cats. But I have loved all my cats and have always done everything I can to give them a happy healthy long life. My last cat lived to 18 and she was very poorly for her last years, but I wouldn't change a moment. She had to be PTS earlier this year and I miss her every day.

Please could you tell me a bit more about the diabetes medication? I was under the impression the only medication available is daily injections? Thank you and best of luck you your kitty ❤️