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.

@spinningpenguin we are here with you. It’s going to be okay. DP and I said to each other we moved heaven and earth for our little cat and we’d have done anything at all for more time with her but in the end there was just one more thing she needed us for. All the love 🥰

That's a lovely post HarryPotterandtheClimateofFear, & so true.

My cat had thyroid disease. I've no idea how old she is, but the vet said she's very elderly. She was a stray that turned up at my stables and I kept her. She's on thyroid medication and sleeps in the summer house at the yard. She wees so much now, rarely uses the litter tray. I have puppy mats everywhere. She's not eating much; but seems happy. I'm just worried that I won't know when it's time and I don't want her to suffer. She also has dementia bless her.

highlandponymummy Lovely of you to take her in & care for her. I'm glad to hear that she is happy. Thyroid disease seems common in older cats, I had no idea.

My cat was doing really well, he's been emptying his food bowls overnight again & that hasn't happened for a long time.

He has hurt his back leg today though & one of the front ones so he's been to the vet, She thinks that it's probably not neurological & he's probably twisted himself but she said it's clearly painful for him so he has more pain relief for 2 weeks.
It's a little more urgent with him seeing as he only has the one back leg & he's just dragging it behind him

Oh I’m so sorry to read this @TabbyTatCat , your poor boy. Hopefully with extra pain relief he will bounce back quickly, it’s great that he is eating so well - that gives you a bit of a cushion. They do throw such curve balls though don’t they? Let us know how he is doing once the meds kick in 🩷

Thank you HarryPotterandtheClimateofFear. I kind of wish that they could give him something to make him sleepy for a couple of days, as he's getting so distressed when he tries to move around.

How is he doing @TabbyTatCat ? X

Hi HarryPotterandtheClimateofFear How you you feeling now?

He's managing to get around a little today but he's restless. Yesterday he didn't really move or eat anything.

His appetite is back big time today, he's still dragging himself around/going in circles/falling into stuff/falling over onto his side. But I'm hoping that he's feeling a little better.

He 'seems' fine, he settled down yesterday afternoon & just switched between his food & water bowls (that I've put in the living room) & 2 quiet places/curled up under the radiator (I have had the heating on near constantly as I don't want him to be cold when he's hardly moving) he managed to get 'up' onto his back leg & walk properly a little.

He's still chatting to me & is full of purrs (he lost his purrs all of Tuesday)

BUT he hasn't been to the toilet so I'm just waiting for the vets to open.
I've had no experience of a cat not using the toilet but I see from googling that it's not good.

They wanted to put him to sleep there & then but I have him with me for the weekend.

oh @TabbyTatCat I'm so sorry x

Sending you lots of love right now@TabbyTatCat

Our old girl isn’t looking too good, she’s also developed some weakness in her back legs - she’s walking ok but is slipping off things and if she turns too quickly her legs fold under her.

Thank you both.

CaveMum I hope your girl is alright.

Oh @TabbyTatCat I’m so so sorry. Hope the weekend is peaceful and full of love. Can you sleep downstairs with him maybe? Love to you also @CaveMum. It’s just so indescribably hard.

Thank you HarryPotterandtheClimateofFear

Oh I love reading about all your elderly cats. My lovely female cat is 14 and I lost my boy when he was 11 so she feels quite old now but is still very active and looks very healthy (healthier than a few years ago tbh. I don't think she misses my boy 🙈 ).
I wasn't sure how long they typically live but it's lovely to see some older cats in here who've lived lovely lives 🥹

Hi sociallydistained. I'm glad that the thread has been helpful to you.

@TabbyTatCatspend as much time as you can with your lovely cat. I lost my 19 year old cat a week ago. She was frail and arthritic and had liver problems but happy. She injured her tail and needed surgery which due to her other issues she may not have survived or recovered from so we had to make the decision. Reading this thread about all these lovely older cats has helped though. I had her in my knee and in think she knew we loved her. We still have her sister, who is actually a few months
older but in much better health, but who is a little confused just now. Sending love x

marypoppinsreturns I'm so sorry about your cat. I'm glad that the thread has helped a little. I hope you are alright

My cat isn't wanting cuddles, but that's normal for him. He came wandering through to the dining room earlier when we were all in there, & layed under a chair.

He's had all of his meds & he's now tucking into a bowl of chicken.

My 2 cats are a sprightly 15 and 16.

since the beginning of the year they’ve both aged quite rapidly.

dc1 has just been the the vets twice in a week and needs to go back again after Xmas. He has stage 1 kidney disease and we think arthritis. He had meds for this and seems quite a bit brighter. He’s let me groom him and I discovered one of his claws hadn’t fallen out, so had to go back to the vets. He now seems loads happier as he’s obs not uncomfortable anymore.

dc2 also has stage 1 kidney disease, but also has thyroid issues.

they both had teeth problems, but better after surgery.

they both sleep most of the time, with the daily reluctant walks from the front door to the back door to break up the time.

they both seem happy though. Which is great. My previous 2 lived to be 18 and 19. I knew when it was time to say goodbye. They each just suddenly looked v v miserable and wouldn’t settle to sleep.

i found the final vet trip by myself so difficult. But just kept telling myself I was doing what was best for them as a responsible owner. They had happy lives and that was what mattered. I’ve had cats for 40 years and it’s unlikely I’ll get any more.

Thank you Sewaccidentprone. Wishing your 2 well.

My boy has had a wander & found some new places to sit. He's much more steady on his feet today.

Oh this is good @TabbyTatCat. Hope he has a good day tomorrow, I’ve been thinking of you. Had yet another chat with DP about our cat’s last weeks and days tonight, it’s good that we’re able to process it together. It’s tougher for him than me I think because I still have our OG cat who’s always loved me a bit more but when cat 2 latched on to him was like FINE I know who my person is. And she is being extra cute.

Thank you HarryPotterandtheClimateofFear. I am glad to hear that you are alright, & that your cat is being extra lovely!

There's only me so I'm dealing with things alone.

He's been sleepy today but he's popped out of his hiding places a few times to eat. We let him go into the back garden for a run around.

This was for 'us' as much as him, as he loves being outside, he's always been an outside loving kind of cat. So I wanted to give him that one last time.

He ran as if there were no problems with his legs, sat on the grass for a bit, found a discarded beach bucket full of rain water & drank this for about 20 mins, had one last run across the grass then took himself inside.

I have to take him to the vet tomorrow to be put to sleep.