Would you have your cat put down because

[LadyRussell]

She is 17.

She has lost 1/3 of her body weight in the last 4 months but blood tests which cost £250 are really good, clear and nothing wrong with her kidneys or liver.

She is eating twice what she used to eat and scavenging for food constantly and shitting all over the house even though she has a litter tray - tonight she curled a massive shit down in the middle of the dining room table.

What do I do

I have two very skinny cats who are 17 and 18, who I kept running to the vets with. They constantly reassure me that they’re just old. My other 17 yr old was recently put down, because he had starred to fade (die), due to cancer. I strongly suspect he had dementia in his final year. So, no, not just due to weight and age.

He may find the old litter too sharp for his old paws, or can’t get to/find the toilet in time. Try placing an extra litter tray somewhere he frequents and change to a softer, lighter litter, such as Worlds Best Litter. You know your cat best, so will soon find out if it’s dementia, he doesn’t like the litter or he just doesn’t have the strength/energy to make it to the litter.

No I wouldn't. If she's still eating, she's not in pain so you wouldn't be putting her out of her misery.

Does she seem ok in herself? DH's family cat was similar at that age and lived happily until 24 so she's probably fine for her age, iyswim?

What brand and type of food do you give him?

Has your vet ruled out hyperthyroidism? Common in older cats, causes weight loss even though cat may be eating more than usual.

If she's still enjoying life, or has the probability of enjoying life if you can find out what's up with her, then I wouldn't put her down. You may want to limit her access to the parts of the house while she's shitting everywhere.

You'd get better advice if you took this over to the cats board on MN, I think it's called the litter tray or something like that.

A similar thing happened to us with one of our cats when she was old. We let it go on too long because she wasn't actually ill or diagnosed with anything (despite extensive tests). In the end we realised she hated shitting everywhere (she was a very dignified girl) and she was very unhappy and distressed. We did then make the decision to PTS.

I will always regret that we didn't act sooner and she was miserable for longer than she needed to be.

I can't tell you what to do but ask yourself if she still has quality of life. Only you will be able to judge this. Good luck.

Does she have worms? That can wreak havoc with their digestion.

If she's lost so much weight that she's wasting away it might be a kindness to put her to sleep. But if she's just on the skinny side I don't think it's enough of a reason. Old pets have incontinence issues sometimes. It isn't their fault and they can still have a good quality of life if it's managed.

Nope.

Has she got a litter tray?

She def has dementia and she is deaf.

Thanks for the litter tray recommendations you might be right.

No, I wouldn’t have her put down. I’d take her back to the Vets for further tests.

Thyroid?
Dementia?
Old age can be a hard stage. We lost our old girl at 19. She was on painkillers for arthritis and thyroid treatment. She couldn't groom herself and often screeched to be let outside in the very early hours.
Then she suddenly went down hill and it was time.
If your cat still finds pleasures in what they're always loved then I wouldn't.
The weight loss does seem to suggest a medical issue though.

It’s not worms as the vet gave her a pill a few weeks ago.

No I would love her and care for her.

Oh and more litter trays. (They're not at fast as they were!)
Different litter. Softer on paws.
Not high sides. Can be hard for them to get in.
Shut some doors. Old girl wasn't allowed in kids rooms. Avoided mess there at least.

I would try litter trays, but if that doesn't help then yes, I would PTS.
To the poster above who asked if I would be happy being PTS if I was old and incontinent - Yes, I absolutely would.

Yes I would. But expect to get flamed.

We are all loving and caring for her

It depends on her quality of life.

A very large dog crate was really useful for containing our elderly cat and keeping any mess contained overnight. In the day we just limited his access to certain rooms. He was quite happy for another couple of years.

Ah so I can get a shallow litter tray for her?

If she was incontinent and had dementia then yes I would. Is life a pleasure for her? At some point you have to ask yourself who benefits from keeping them going.

I’m a huge cat lover, have never been without one ever. I’m all for doing what you can for your pet but the fact that she’s crapping all over the house is not good. Cats generally do not do that, that in itself could be a sign that she’s not well or not happy. I don’t think it’s just old age, I’ve had several old cats (18, 19 & 21) and they all still managed to make it to the litter tray if not the garden.
I don’t mean get her put down, maybe try some other things, like Lady said.
That aside, you really will get fed up with cat shit all over the house

Our girl started eating loads and stealing food, but losing weight. She had stomach cancer which had lined her stomach so she couldn't absorb any goodness and stuff was going straight through her 😟

Yes, I would.

I also think keeping elderly pets alive as long as possible in a sorry state is just about meeting owners' needs, not the animal.