Any owners of older cats around?

[ByThePowerOfGreyskull]

Our lovely bagpuss of a cat is 14 years old and has had no health worries so far in her life (she is overweight but aside from that has always been very healthy)

the last couple of weeks she has been having difficulty jumping, onto the bed, onto the sofa etc. Now about 5 years ago we cut a hole in the bottom of the garden gate because she could no longer get over it but thought no more about it.

Seen the vet today, he has found a clear heart murmur and the mobility of her hips and lower back is significantly painful.

He wants us to go tomorrow and pick up some antiinflamitary/painkilling drugs tomorrow and then on Tuesday he wants her in for the day to take bloods and blood pressure

He is wanting to check liver, kidney, thyroid function.

I went in there thinking we would come away with kitty codliver oil tablets. Now it looks scarey and serious.

If anyone has knowledge or experience I would be grateful for any advice. Thanks

.

Any news, Power?

thanks ladies just got her home
her blood pressure is within the normal range for a cat at the vets who doesn't want to be there.
will get her blood results tomorrow.
She has gone a bit mad obsessively cleaning her tummy (she has a tendancy to do this) and has made it bleed, I hope now she is home she will be calmer.

FFF sorry to hear she has been wobbly, I guess the answer to that is lots more cuddles?

Glad it went okay, Power.

FFFCat gets all the cuddles she wants. She just doesn't want many and the ones she does are always on her terms.

OOh I didn' mean that you weren't giving her enough loving!!
off to bed now for a good snooze with my fury friend (on another thread that could sound very rude!)
night x

I know you didn't mean that! .

She bit me this morning and then walked off in disgust when she saw what I had given her for breakfast.

dh took ours to the vet today. Vet suggested an arthritis friendly diet and also thought the meloxicam reaction might be transitory. Other than that vet was happy with the cat. Last night I was convinced they would say shes on her last legs.

what do they mean by an arthritis friendly diet?

My cat was wobbly until she went on the dieretics or blood pressure I can't remember now. I hope everything is okay. She had good days and bad days.

ok, results are in..

further vets and expert advice needed.

blood tests suggest kidney function ok and liver ok, but thyroid is at 79.
suggesting she has over active thyroid.

she is an overweight layabout (5.2kg's) which hardly sounds like over active anything!

Vets guidance is to put her on something called Vidalta for now then after a couple of weeks start on a lower dose of the metacam (just in case the thyroid is hiding kidney problems)

I had wondered if it would be worth leaving her thyroid for a little while to help her loose a little weight, which would help the arthritis and then start the thyroid drugs once she isn't such a hefty girl. - he thinks this is a bad idea as she could get heart disease from the thyroid stuff

Does this sound good advice?? She is 14 nearly 15 and whatever time she has left I want it to be happy. what to do for the best??

Oh I don't know. Hopefully the vet can advise you.

greyskull - I'm not sure. dh said the vet was going to order a bag in. will report back!

Good luck, Power.
I really panicked in 2009 when my cat number 2 was diagnosed with kidney failure and spent 5 days in the vet on dialysis At the time I thought we'd lose her, to the point I was googling cambridge pet crematorium and looking for prices.

Anyway she's still here asleep on the back of the sofa with her claws in my neck.. her arthritis is also under control with occasional pills. She'll be 16 soon and we take each day as it comes. They can sometimes really suprise you.

The beautiful moggy girl is on vidalta and it is working really well for her I mix it and the metacam in some wet food and down it goes. The disadvantage of not starting the thyroid meds is that the excess thyroid hormone can affect the heart muscle. Personally I would feel that if you get started on the meds and she is in less pain take more activity and weight will fall off.
There is great information about hyperthyroidism and arthritis in cats at www.fabcats.org

thanks ladies,
she had her first vidalta yesterday in a piece of chicken
she is about to have another.

then this time next week we are going to start her on the metacam
cambridgeferret which vets do you go to, (we are also in cambridge but we see a vet in burwell)