Elderly cat acting confused

[ToddlerMumma]

My moggy is 17, nearly 18 and still seems pretty healthy for her age. However, she has been acting quite confused lately and seems a little distressed. I can't really take her to the vets as there is nothing physically wrong with her but I'm not sure how I can help her. Do old cats get dementia?

They can but she should still see the vet. She may have a water infection.

Yes, cats can get dementia. Of course you can (and should) take her to the vets.

Our 13yo cat is the same. Crying for us if she's not in the same room as us (like she's forgotten where we are). We're convinced she has dementia but as she's eating and drinking well, her weight is stable and she seems happy enough apart from the calling, we've not taken her to the vet as I don't think they can do anything. Happy to be corrected though.

@Daffodilsandsunshine yes, the calling for us when she doesn't know where we are is a big thing at the moment. She is eating, drinking, grooming etc all fine. She just seems sad and a bit frightened I think? Poor thing

@ToddlerMumma I wfh so she is my furry assistant and sleeps on the job near my desk. She only goes into the garden for a loo break and doesn't go far so I'm not worried about her wandering off. It's just the calling driving us bonkers if I leave the room she's in!
She is due her annual MOT soon so will see if they have any advice.

Constant yowling can be a thyroid issue. Is she eating a lot and losing weight?

I had an old cat who lost her hearing which made her appear confused (she may have also had dementia). Have you checked her hearing is still ok?

She needs to see a vet. There is medication that can help with the symptoms of dementia.

Thanks all, she's booked in to see the vet now. I think she can hear but I don't think she can see that well. She spends 95% of her time in her bed and just seems sad. I'll let you know what the vet says, thanks for the advice

Our old dear cat was like this and we paid for a raft of tests at the vets. Turns out she was going deaf due over grown ear wax. We had to clean her ears every day but they never got any better and honestly once she got used to being a bit deaf she actually seemed a lot happier. Noises didn’t scare her and she was pretty chilled out.