Ageing Cat. Support.

[TabbyTatCat]

Hello.

I didn't realise there was a cat section. My lovely boy is nearly 18 & seems to be ageing rapidly the past few months. He's losing his hearing & has also stopped grooming himself.

Is that normal? He currently has a matted section on his back so I need to get that sorted (it's only small, I noticed it today)

He's very noisy, he's always meowing, this hasn't changed, although he used to hear us coming behind him, hear us opening the bedroom window if we were upstairs & he was at the back of the garden, not facing us, & he'd turn & start meowing... Now he won't notice at all or if we are calling him then he will occasionally start looking around, but he can't locate the sound.

He still follows us down the road to the shops but he just kind of sits there gazing into the distance as he can't hear us coming back now, whereas before, he'd hear us from halfway down the road & come charging, meowing.

He has 3 legs but has always been independent & loves being outside. He gets lots of attention from the neighbours/strangers, because of his meowing & then the 3 legs. He runs in like a zig-zag pattern. I joke that he lays on his side across the path, to show everybody that he only has 3 legs, so that they will give him attention!

I'm not sure what I want with this thread really, just to know that there are others out there maybe, to chat about fellow cat-related issues with! I feel really sad that he seems to be getting old so fast, & can't imagine him ever not being here. I got him when he was 2.

Thank you HarryPotterandtheClimateofFear How are you all doing now?

We are doing okay thank you. Our other cat, who’s 16 this year, is noticeably slowing down - I’m hoping she will perk up with the warmer weather.

HarryPotterandtheClimateofFear Oh I hope so, too. It's a long old winter, isn't it.

I'm glad that you are ok.

Quick update. House is v v quiet without fluffy boy as I think he was a bit deaf, so used to wail really loudly.

It’s not easy to know what to do for the best. But he had a lovely life and was so loved. I’ve not been able to talk about it till now and tbh I try not to think about it really. I also have bronchitis, so February hasn’t been a great month so far.

fluffy cat 2 is so much happier though now. She’s ‘only’ 15 (thyroid and kidney disease) and has started washing herself again and letting me groom her.

we buried him in the garden and then planted a bush and some British bluebells.

hope all your elderly cats have perked up with the warmer sunnier weather

Sewaccidentprone I'm sorry that things are so rough for you right now. It's a lot isn't it. The Bluebells sound like a lovely spot to sit & remember him. I'm glad to hear that your other cat is doing well too.

I'm going through a very hard time myself right now & as I've mentioned, apart from my young kids, I'm very very alone so I think this is why I'm constantly questioning myself & trying to work out if I'm doing the right thing as

1. I have nobody else to ask
2. I don't want to cling onto my poor cat for my own selfish reasons as everything else is awful right now.

My boy found himself a new spot in the middle of the night, in my room, on some papers, & he spent an eternity rearranging himself/rustling the papers, making himself an area, so that was fun to listen to!

May I join you? I’m afraid I may have to let my beautiful boy go if he doesn’t rally over the next week or so. I’m very scared of him being in pain or uncomfortable but I’ve had to deescalate his medication - with vet agreement - as he is not responding well to it any longer. His little body was in crisis, but now it feels he is deteriorating in a different way. He had triaditis a year ago and was not expected to make it. He still looks good, moves well and, so far, his weight loss is not critical, but I know he can’t go on forever. He’s already pulled through so many crises. All of his problems are gastrointestinal and I have struggled to accept they can’t be cured, though I am a grown up and realise that life waxes and wanes. Somehow, I just never thought it would happen to us. He’s so strong. He’s been with me through everything. I am attached, he is part of me.

I am utterly broken. My heart is broken. I’m alone and he is my closest companion. I’ve been nursing him a year and it has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve learnt so much about love, but I’m also broken by this. I’m changed.

Thank you for reading.

Hi Smooththecat You are very welcome here, feel free to post as/if you need to.

Your cat (as all on here do) sounds very loved & lucky to have you caring for him. I'm so sorry that things are difficult.

Hi TabbyTatCat thank you for welcoming me. I understand about feeling alone with this.

I love him so much. My life has been devoted to his care this past year. He’s come round before and I hope he does so this time. But, I can’t fix this for him and watching him deteriorate is heartbreaking.

smooththecat Thank you, it's so hard isn't it. I wish that we could just make them better when they are struggling. Is the vet being supportive?

They take over everything when they are unwell, don't they. We do all that we can but sometimes it's just not enough... I'm so hoping that your boy pulls through again, for both of you. xxx

Hi @smooththecat , welcome to this not very nice club. Letting go of our girl was honestly the hardest thing I’ve ever done, harder than losing my parents. It’s because you’re having to make the choices for them I guess. I’m so sorry you’re going through it too.
From what you say it doesn’t sound like the end is imminent though, if he’s still moving well and eating. Is he on plenty of pain relief? Be kind to yourself and trust that when you do make the decision it will be the most loving thing you can do for him, and in the meantime we are here with handholds.

Hello, I just found this thread, I have a little old lady who will be 17 next month. I had her at the vets last week as she’s lost a lot of weight (almost half her body weight). Apart from that the vet said she seems in good condition and is very bright eyed and bushy tailed. They did a blood test to see if there was anything to indicate why she might have lost so much weight and it came back showing raised liver enzymes, which they said could be due to a multitude of reasons and would need (expensive) more investigations to see what was going on. After much thought and research I decided to not go ahead with an investigations as I didn’t feel it would benefit her at her age. I’m supplementing her with some probiotics and milk thistle, which I read is good for liver health and trying to up her food intake a little even though she’s not eating any less than usual. She’s still herself and doing all her normal things but it’s sort of hitting home that she won’t be here forever and I’m going to be constantly watching her for changes now.
I’ve had her from 8 weeks old and got her when I moved into my first home of my own so she’s been my little constant companion throughout my adult life. She was my first baby.

Hi Catlady1982 I was going to say I'm sorry that your cat is poorly, but she actually seems to be doing really well! So that's good. I know what you mean about constantly watching them. It's a horrible anxiety isn't it.

Hi @HarryPotterandtheClimateofFear Thank you for welcoming me. I look at people in the park with dogs and people with their cats and I think why is this happening to me? He has always been such a constant, I struggle to see him fragile. He’s, touch wood, holding his own at the moment. Thank you for reaching out and sharing a little of how you felt.

It’s so hard when they get old.

my elderly cat used to sleep so heavily sometimes I always thought he’d died. Which in some ways would have been a blessing so the decision would have been made for me.

but fluffy cat 2 (or should she be promoted to cat 1?) is still doing great at 15 (nearly 16). She has thyroid and kidney issues, but the meds and phosphate binder (think that’s right - no idea) seem to be helping.

Although she now weighs less than 3kg she is very sprightly and feisty, with excellent reactions lol

It is, Sewaccidentprone. My eldest cat died just like that, she looked like she was sleeping, the vet said she wouldn't have felt any pain... I long for this end, for my boy now, even though it's sad not to say goodbye (although we said goodbye 1000 times in December!) it doesn't make it any easier...

It's nice to hear that your fluffy is still doing so well, & that you are still having happy times together.

My boy had found a sunny spot today & was laying on his back, smiling, asleep when I got back & I thought 'I can't believe it's March & you are still here'.

Oh gosh we lost our ginger boy aged 14 in July last year and his "frenemy" a tortishell and white girl has not taken it well she is seventeen this month and has been diagnosed with kidney disease, which according to blood tests hasn't got any worse over the last month or so.
However she appeared to be off her food and I realised it was a mouth issue and she has a very swollen gum. The vet says it could be a tooth issue or a tumour in her gum. I am torn between putting her through the trauma of an an op to find out one way or the other.
My DIL (who lives with us) says she should have the op and even if it is a tumour she should be brought round from the anesthetic to live out her life, I dont know what to do my feeling is if it is a tumour not to wake her up? I'm very torn, as to what quatity of life she would have?
Anyone have any experience of tumours in cats mouths what is the quality of life like with this?

I'm sorry that you are going through this, HazelBite I don't have experience of this, but hopefully somebody else does.

My cat had an infection in his mouth recently & they said that they'd need to investigate it & the best way to do this would be to put him to sleep, to treat it properly/find out what it is, however, he's unlikely to survive the anaesthetic (luckily, the AB's killed it off for now, whatever it was)

I honestly don't know what I'd do in your situation, I completely understand your thoughts process though.

Thanks for your response OP, unfortunately our old girl will not take any tablets/ medication and has the ability to chuck up any she has been given! So it's always a trip to the vets for a jab for any medication! It makes any treatment, especially painkillers quite difficult.

HazelBite Aww, she sounds very lovely! That adds an extra layer to things though, doesn't it.

@HazelBite My fragile boy of 17/18 had a lump on his gum in December. I thought I would lose him. His primary care vet did not want to do a dental surgery as she did not have anaesthesia facilities beyond the basic. The anaesthetic itself is the main risk if they are senior. I asked if she could refer him to a specialist and she put me in touch with another local vet who was incredible. It wasn’t a hospital job, there is another tier of vet referrals between GP/primary care and hospital. He went in as a day patient and pulled through. Biopsy was done at the same time as some extractions and cleaning so there was only one check up after. For us, I wanted to do it. I felt he still wants to be here and I wanted to give him that chance.

Edit to add: I’d be guided by your vets on those questions. I also thought it was going to be an oral cancer but both vets thought not based on appearance but that may not be your situation.

Here’s my old boy. 17 and still going strong.

Aww look at him! ThePussy Looks very proud & gorgeous!

@smooththecat thank you for your input. Unfortunately events overtook us and yesterday, after not eating for 48 hours I took her to the vets. In three weeks what had originally looked as an inflamed gum was quite obviously a tumour and I was quite gently told that there was very little that could be done, so very sadly I came home with an empty cat carrier.
I was okay until I saw her little water bowl this morning.......

Oh HazelBite I'm so, so sorry

@HazelBite I am sorry. You did the most loving thing you could have for her. x