Does my cat know she is ill?

[ImFab]

A couple of weeks ago we got the diagnosis that her kidneys are starting to fail. I think we caught it early. She has had treatment and is on her new food plan. She just seems different at times. She will still run about and still cries carrying her toy around but she wants to sit on my laptop when it is on my knee and sit as close to me as possible, when not on my laptop and she hasn't really been a lap cat since she was about 3.

She is 16.

Hello ImFab, sorry to hear about the diagnosis but glad it was caught early so it can be properly managed.

Has she lost any weight as a result of the kidney problems? If so perhaps she's feeling the cold rather more than she used to? My 15 y.o. cat has lost weight thanks to hyperthyroidism. Like yours she never used to be a lapcat but she often jumps up onto my lap now.

I really think cats are amazing sometimes and they just know there is a problem and want comforting.

Whenever my little girl is under the weather she always comes for a cuddle and just wants human contact. The rest of the time she is quite independent and will usually find a cosy spot in a quiet room away from anyone to hide out in.

I would say your cat probably does know something isn't quite right with her atm but probably doesn't know just how serious it is. The new diet might be making her feel a little different so she might want you to comfort her while she gets used to it. When she is and it becomes her "normal" you might find she goes back to her old self on good days and on days where her condition makes her feel different she comes back to you for you cuddles. They're such sensitive creatures.

She has lost weight which was a real shock as she has always been a big girl. She was funny this morning. DH hadn't fed her as I can give her her meds better so she came upstairs and cried outside my bedroom door to get me .

She is looking really old today [worried].

oh bless you, 16 is a good age you know - we have just had our puss put to sleep as a result of kidney problems, she was nearly 18 and my DD heartbroken because she has had her since she was two :(

What i would say is, if she can maintain her hydration then she is ok, the minute this goes, its time to let her go. You can check her hydration by pulling up a bit of skin, if i pops back, great if not, she is dehydrated. Often at the early stages 24 hours on a drip is sufficient to turn things around for a while, we knew it was time to say goodbye to our girl when she didnt maintain for even half a day when drip turned off :(

What medication is she on, has she been given a steriod injection? Some cats do well on monthly injections of laruabolin which is an anabolic steroid like are taken by body builders, it helps to build up protein. The weight loss will be through protein loss - the steroids can reverse this quite well.

Don't give up hope, you'll know when the time comes and all the while she is eating happy and hydrated, shes happy xx

She is on some new tablets she has once a day. She was given an injection and is having another one next week, another blood test I think and she will be weighed. Thankfully she likes the new food we have to give her but is missing her bedtime biscuits. She is acting pretty much as she normally does but sleeps a lot and sometimes takes a while to get up. She also has arthritis and hypoestesias (sp).