Geriatric cat. How do I know if she's ok?

[LynetteScavo]

17yo girl cat is blind- she's taken to pooing on the gravel area outside the back door. Is there a wat I can stop this? We have a large garden and she used to use the bushes, which I was fine with.
She does sit in a favourite spot in the garden....but is generally very quiet and still and spending more Andorra time in quiet corners awY from us, but she doesn't seem completely relaxed....more sitting with her eyes closed.
Is this normal for an old cat.

Our cat is 16, she has taken to pooing on the lawn, which is much better than her other recent habit which is peeing on the front doormat.
Other than that she seems fine so we're unhappily putting up with it

Is she eating well? Moving well? Losing weight?

Maybe try a litter tray outside the back door?
It's probably just easier for her to poo on the gravel, so you have to offer her an easy alternative.

The litter tray sounds like a good idea... She is eating ok...but does seem to be generally shrinking and becoming tiny rather than thin. Her brother meanwhile is full of life & getting larger by the day.

They do fade a little but I'd certainly consider an inside tray of some sort with special lower sides so that it's easy to use. Has she seen the vet recently in case she has any discomfort eg from arthritis? (Pooing as you describe might be because she's sore as much as anything else.)

Is she eating ..... reasonably? (I was going to say 'well' but that's not always so easy with an older cat.)

Back in April/May, I thought I was going to lose Seniorboy, that indomitable old gent. For example, he seemed to have gone very quiet and 'into himself' in some sort of way - a sort of looking inward. There were other things also.

Then I thought to myself that what he was showing might well be as close to symptoms of pain as you get with most cats and that perhaps, although he was already on meloxicam for his arthritis, some supplemental pain meds might help him - if only for a short while. His vet practice agreed and since then, he's been on extra pain meds which I'm allowed to administer as needed.

He's a happy chap again. Poor eyesight but eating reasonably well (although on an appallingly indulgent diet), maintaining his weight, using his tray fine and having long luxurious sleeps on his electric blanket. Oh - and purring a lot and giving me The Paw. (He's become even closer to me if that's possible and more than a little dictatorial but I can live with those.)

He's enjoying his life still.