Is it just me or are elderly cats really hard work ?

[peridito]

I love my cats very much but I'm worn out !

The food issues ,the numerous litter trays ,the cleaning up after missing the litter trays .

I'm mean aren't I ? Or possibly v v lazy .

Cheap white fish from the freezer section - cod or pollock etc. You can just microwave it for 3-4 mins. If your cat likes really soft food, zap it with a blender for a few seconds with a bit of extra water. Mix in a bit of pilchard if you think your cat is losing its sense of smell. It's always worth keeping an eye on how your cat is eating - their teeth can be really problematic as they get older so if they seem to be drop-catching their food or eating awkwardly on one side getting a dental check is a good idea.

Milliways 💐

My heart goes out to you. It's awful when you have to say goodbye but you made the right decision at the right time ❤️

I’m so sorry @Milliways it’s heartbreaking. It’s such a kindness that we do this for our pets though, the kindest thing. How lovely to be adored for a long life and then cuddled to sleep 💗

I’m very sorry @Milliways, it hurts so much when they go.

Very sad news @millyways so sorry to hear that. I hope you have lots of photos to remember the good times.

Milliways what lovely carers you have been to your boy .

And thank you for posting ,I might have hesitated about spending the night with one of ours and now I wont because I can see it's the natural and kind thing to do.

Cuddled to sleep indeed . for you all .

Thank you everyone

millyways

Aargh! I'm at my wits' end.

Senior Boy 1, aged 19.5 years, had surgery under GA on Friday to remove six of his teeth including both upper canines. He has dissolvable sutures in his mouth.

Yesterday, I finally managed after countless attempts to get him to take his Felimazole and painkiller tablets. I always hide the tablets in a little beef or chicken or in desperation smoked mackerel but all my tried-and-tested methods have failed today. He detects/spits out the Felimazole on a normal day. And he absolutely and resolutely won't take the painkiller - a stupid little tablet that has to be divided into four and given as quarter dosages twice a day.

Obviously, they all have a smell that he hates. I always rub off the orange colouring on the Felimazole before I even attempt it but even my nuclear option of coating it in a little smoked mackerel won't work today.

Hiding it in food doesn't work. He can smell it in the food. He has such a sore mouth at the moment that he has to be tempted into eating anyway even though he is clearly hungry. I have one of those pill-holder things but can't even contemplate using it when he has sutures in his mouth.

I am feeding him tiny frequent amounts of (non-medicated!) food by hand and he's taking that so at least he's not starving. However, he is skin-and-bone anyway.

Any ideas, anyone? He has an appointment with the vet first thing tomorrow for a post-op check so I've the comfort of that. I'd just like him to be not hungry and not in pain.

Night time howling - take to vet and get checked for thyroid. We were so ashamed to discover that Annoying Cat was actually Hyperthroid Cat

For hiding tablets we managed with Lidl cat sticks - better than the Webbox ones as they are softer - and squidging the tablets into a piece of them. Nine times out of ten the treat was wolfed before Cat had noticed the evil tablet was hidden in it.

DH's life now revolves maintaining Old Lady with renal failure. She has a strict routine and objects furiously to any deviation from it, and finding food she will eat to keep weight on her has been a nightmare. We have also had to accept that at least one of our cats doesn't know how to use a litter tray We suspect it's the 2 year old but have no proof.

How my standards dropped so low, I have no idea. They are lucky they are so cute

Can you crush tablet btwn 2 spoons and mix with favourite treat ?

Wish I could think of more constructive suggestions !

Why oh why can't they make cat pills that taste of Dreamies?!

i'm with you on the night time yowling, DH is currently getting up at least twice a night with our lovely old girl, and he says it's like having a baby in the house again.

Dcat is about 15 or so, we aren't too sure as we got her from a rescue shelter, she's blind now but is coping quite well with it. Her hearing is reasonably ok though, and she's able to follow sounds reasonably accurately.

Thank you, peridito, but I've tried that too. It just puts him off the food!

Either I've got a cat with an exceptionally sensitive nose or the manufacturers of pet medication need to forget the pretty colours on the outside of their tablets and concentrate on palatability.

I'll just have to spend the rest of my Sunday feeding him little bits of food by hand (picture the equivalent of a cat reclining on a silk cushion being fed hand-peeled grapes ) until his vet's appointment tomorrow.

I'm just a cat slave, aren't I?

I thought you must have done ! Hopefully the vet will come up with more palatable suggestions .

Small sigh of relief - I've managed to get SB1 to swallow his painkiller. It was concealed in a mash of M&S roast beef (DH is aghast - he was looking forward to it himself ) and chicken terrine but he rejected the Felimazole also hidden in it.

We pass a Lidl on the way back from the vets tomorrow so will dash in for their cat sticks - thanks, Anna.

At least he'll be pain-free for the rest of the day. The cat, I mean, not DH. He really loves roast beef sandwiches.

My little old lady is 15 and refuses to eat any kind of food with lumps/meat in it so I'm having to buy her the trays of pate cat food from Lidl which she loves and also the gourmet mousse from Sainsbury's.

She's also very loud at night but I've found if I hide treats around the house before I go yo bed it keeps her busy for a bit then she comes to bed and sleeps all night, it must wear her out.

I've got no issues with the litter tray yet.

at summersun carrying out a feline equivalent of an Easter egg hunt every night .

SingingLily oh well done! I'm sure your DH was just pretending to have forgotten the priorities here .Odd though, I thought all servants in cat residences were aware of the heirachy .

Hi @SingingLily one of my old cats used to eat pills rolled into a piece of soft cheese, odd I know but worth a try.

The other thing is, actually ‘pilling’ them the way they do at vets or shelters is probably the quickest and kindest way. It will sound crazy (I thought so before I was shown) but is simple and quick.

Wait until they’re sat quietly somewhere and hold the pill between your thumb and index finger. Very gently scruff them With your other hand and then use the top of your index finger to gently open their mouth from the side, gently push your fingers with the pull to the back of their mouth and give the pill a soft push with your middle finger to their throat, it basically makes them swallow it. I’ve done it on cats with sore mouths, your hands are soft and it’s over before they realise.

I know it sounds crazy, but it does work, I promise!

*use the top of your middle finger to open their mouth

I'm really nervous about hurting him, ThePawtriarchy, but desperate enough to give it a try - thank you.

Great user name, by the way

Ah I know, I’m not a massive expert on it but do remember that getting their meds in ultimately makes them feel better sooner and overall then reduces pain. I think one gentle finger to the back of the throat is probably more gentle than any other method, it’s hard though I know 💗

Another day battling the use of everything but the litter tray .

Picked up one ( of 4 ) litter tray to empty it .Male cat rushed over and did massive wee not entirely contained by the puppy training mat I have underneath it .

SingingLily hope your old boy is on the mend and the tablets are somehow getting in to him .

I'm pleased to report, Peridito, that so far and all fingers crossed, SB1 is taking his tablets and eating his food. The food has to be finely mashed in different combinations of flavour to his exact specification every time or he won't entertain it but when I do get it right, he eats voraciously.

Phew!

If we thought he was a demanding cat master before, he's taken it to a whole new level now. However, my reward is that he's on the mend. I did have to ask the vet to give me different painkillers though as he just flat-out refuses the Tralieve (cat tramadol apparently). He accepts the new ones, thankfully. Back for a routine post-op check on Friday.

I'm sorry you are having ongoing litter tray problems. My two make every effort to find the litter trays but their aim is somewhat erratic. Arthritis in their back legs. My neighbour, a Crufts judge and respected breeder, advised me to just give in and put the litter trays on top on an extensive acreage of newspaper. I also have to do lots of bum-wiping. At first, they used to look startled and try to scurry past me when I approached them bearing a piece of moistened kitchen roll but now they do the equivalent of a cat's eye roll and let me get on with it. This is what my life is reduced to

This thread is so helpful - thank you!

All well in this house! Puppy pad holder a Godsend!

Now to ween her off the 'crackpipe' tap