Elderly cat - last few days?

[Willowkins]

Let me tell you about our cat Blanket. I call her Blanket because she'll happily drape herself on me for hours. She's a magnificent 18+ and we got her as a rescue cat when she was 10.
Recently, shes been unwell and I'm wondering if she's near the end.
Firstly, she's turning her nose up at her usual cat food. I've tried to entice her with small bits of tuna and salmon and she'll eat a bit but nothing like normal.
The vet did blood tests and we've increased her Thyronorm as a result. They didn't find anything else except she was dehydrated and had lost a lot of weight. They prescribed Mirtazapine to increase her appetite which has helped a bit but she's also been sick. Her poo is mostly okay but couple of times has been a bit like jelly.
She can still jump from the sofa to the chair but she spends a lot more time sleeping. She has a little tent next to the radiator and she stays in there a lot.
Does this sound like she's at the end of her life? And if so, should I take her back to the vet? Or should I just leave her be if she's not in distress?

Sounds normal for a very elderly cat. You will definitely know when it's time for that last vet trip, but in the meantime it's assessing her quality of life.

My 2 18 year olds sleep a good 22+ hours a day, appetite varies and I switch the food around to tempt them.

Enjoy the company while you can 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

@Defiantlynot41 thanks that's reassuring. It's good to know what to expect and to make her as comfortable as possible.

It doesn't sound like she's ready. My 21 year old (now RIP) was like that from 18.
She went right off tap water though and would only drink rain water so I had to put loads of pots out to collect it. She was also fussy with food and went through loads of brands.
You will know when your cat is ready. I remember that weekend, she couldn't walk and wouldn't eat or drink, couldn't get up on the bed and looked at me to say please help me. I knew it was time.

@Gettingbysomehow aw bless thank you for sharing that. The Mirtazapine is a wonder and she's eaten something. Her eyes are bright and she's sitting on my lap like usual. You've both given me a bit of confidence.

Blanket sounds far from ready to go yet.

They really do let you know when it’s time.
If she’s bright and happy seeming, and not vomiting ( nausea is awful) take it on a day by day basis.

Old cats and dogs sleep a lot
and like teeny tiny meals and more of them.

Friend’s old Whippet has 5 tiny meals a day rather than two. ( same amount of food though)

If she's able to still jump up on to sofa and is eating albeit a little less she sounds normal for an elderly cat. My cat Stripey slept a lot maybe 18-19 hours out of 24 and liked staying by the radiator in winter or lying outside in his last summer in the sun. He ate less and the vet told me it's normal because he's expecting less energy. I have Stripey a little bit of the cat milk once a day because he liked it and I worried he wasn't drinking enough. I found he enjoyed tuna in spring water or an occasional salmon treat. He loves st several teeth so he couldn't chew the chicken he liked so I chopped it very fine for him so he didn't have to chew it. Your cat could have another year or more yet. When he can't use his litter tray anymore and can't walk well you'll know it's time.

@oakleaffy thanks for that. She has been vomiting but the vet thinks this is due to her hyperthyroidism, which is why we've increased the Thyronorm. Hopefully, that'll begin to work and she'll keep this latest bit of food down.
Still, I'm feeling a lot less worried now. It's so helpful to be able to draw other people's experience.

I've just got back from a few days in hospital and Blanket is getting worse. She's lost more weight and her swagger. Also more wobbly and has diarrhoea. On the plus side, she's not being sick, my DS got her to eat more and she's drinking normally. I'm going to phone the out of hours vet tomorrow or her regular one on Monday.