Question about my geriatric cat

[cyber-sibes]

This is my first PT Cat post - I usually use the PT dog threads-- but i'm a bit alarmed about my cat - he's 16 yrs. old. This past winter, he's lost so much weight, his little shoulder blades and pelvic bones are sticking out. He doesn't eat much, and has always had problems with his stools (so I really get worried when he stops up!) I give him moist food and leave soft food out at all times. He does drink alot of water, but it seems like he's getting thinner and thinner. I started giving him cooked turkey, chicken, or meat from our dinners, too. Does anyone have any suggestions about diet, or insight as to his weight loss? Thanks!

[Shady]

Hi..with the weight loss and extra drinking it's wise to get him to the vet as soon as you can for an examination. It could be diabetes, kidney problems, or any number of things.

Cats are famous for masking their pain and discomfort usually and weight loss in any cat is a sure sign there's something going on and you cant be too careful ever.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Ditto. A vet visit should be a top priority. Tubby started losing weight also, and it turns out it was his kidneys starting to fail. It could also be hyperthyroidism. Best to get to the vet so you know exactly what the problem is so you can treat it properly. Diet alone may not be enough at this point.

They will more than likely take a blood test and will be able to tell a lot about his condition from that. Once Tubby was diagnosed with failing kidneys, he had to have his blood tested every 6 months to monitor the kidney levels.

Good luck and please let us know how it all turns out. :)

[Denyce]

Ditto also on the above posts with a vet visit. Once quick way you can get a possible hint as to what is going on is to smell his breath. If there is an ammonia odor then his kidneys are not flushing as well as they should. Check for dehydration because even if you THINK he is getting enough water as they get older they can always use more. Especially as the kidneys start to slow down.

Good luck. Let us know what happens.

Denyce

[cyber-sibes]

I have an appointment at a new vet's next Wed. That's almost a week away - I hope Chow Chow will be okay. I've been looking for a new vet, our old one is extremely expensive and the receptionists have a real attitude, but i'm a little worried waiting a week is goin to be too long....... will let you know.

[ladywizz]

If I were you, I would try phoning an emergency vets and say to them its because your own vet isnt taking the problem seriously enough....he is old and older cats are alot more prone to things which need immediate treatment.
Failing that, I would just phone around and take the earliest appointment given.......however....in my case this would be after I had completely lost my temper with my own vet and almost deffinately ask him why he is working with animals when he obviously doesnt give a damn....animals aren't just a file u can shove to the back of a cabinet until a space becomes available! It took me a good few years to find a vet whom I was completely satisfied with...(and the few who didnt take too kindly to me speaking my mind! lol)

[cyber-sibes]

My lack of satisfaction with my regular vet is why I'm taking him to a new vet - but I did get another recommendation today I will call tomorrow- in the meanwhile, I checked his breath - no ammonia odor, and he seems to be doin' okay...I bought a bunch of different foods and he's eating some of them a little better, still drinking lots of water.

[ladywizz]

In the mean time...you could try slightly warming his food? For some reason, sick cats that I have had in my care seem to want to try more if it is warmed. May be something to do with the more intense smell it gives off? I hope you get your cat sorted soon, bless him.

[cyber-sibes]

I'll give it a try. I gave him some beef baby-food (I remember the vet telling me to do that before when he wasn't eating) and he ate the whole jar- seemed to really like it. I'm thinking I might give that to him a couple more times - do you know if that's alright? i don't want him to stay on it, but it's the first thing he's polished off in a long time.

[furrykidsmother]

I have heard that it is OK to give cats baby food, it certainly won't hurt them and any nutritional value that can be gotten is worth it. The other thing I have tried when one of my little ones was off on food was to put a little warm water in and mix it around a bit, kind of makes a grool, but can be enticing and may have something to do with the warm food theory. Might be worth a try. Hope things are improving. Keep us posted.

[cyber-sibes]

Well, I talked to the vet, they gave him fluids & sent blood for testing yesterday. Blood tests came back today - She said it looks like his kidneys are not working as well as they should. She also said he had liver enzymes elevated, so it could be more than one thing going on. Unfortunately, other than food changes (for less protein,more fluids) they can't do much for him. She's going to teach me how to give him fluids subcutaneously (sorry if its mispelled) at home. He really perked up after they gave him fluids, so I hope I'll be able to get the hang of it. I feel so sad. Don't have any idea how long he'll be around, and I just want to make his life the best I can while he's here. Thanks for your suggestions, everyone.
Here's a picture of us-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/cyber-sibes/Chowdieme.jpg

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

He's adorable, and I'm so sorry to hear about the kidney failure. Tubby had that also, and he was around for 3 1/2 years after the initial diagnosis, so hopefully Chow Chow (is it?) will perk right up with the fluids and he'll be ok. Giving the fluids is a piece of cake - as long as the cat sits still. ;) When Tubby was really sick and not too perky, it was no problem. After he started feeling better, he wanted nothing to do with the fluids and kept moving around. The hardest part was keeping him still so the needle wouldn't come out and squirt fluid all over the place! :rolleyes: Another thing you might want to ask the vet about is Potassium supplements. Seems that when they are experiencing kidney failure, the kidneys just sap the potassium out of their bodies and they needs supplements. Tubby was so weak at one point he could barely walk, but as soon as we gave him the potassium supplements, he almost instantly became stronger.

Pamper him as much as you can and treasure every minute together.

{{{hugs}}}

[cyber-sibes]

Thanks! I wrote down potassium on my list of questions. I'm glad to hear it isn't difficult to inject fluids - I'm sooooo squeemish- but I'll do it for him!

[slick]

Just look at that precious boy. You are such a good Meowmie...I just know that he's going to be OK and that there are some good years left.

My Specks is 18 and in the beginning stages of renal failure, so any thread of geriatric kitties has my full attention.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

[Logan]

I hope that your precious Chow-Chow and you will have many more days of happiness together. I absolutely love that picture of the two of you. It's bittersweet to have them start getting older, I know.

Keep us posted on how he is doing.

Logan

[furrykidsmother]

Poor baby! I am sorry to hear of his troubles. Good luck with the fluids. If someone can help you keep him still that would probably make it easier for you. I wish you many more happy years together. Enjoy every minute that you have. He is a beautiful boy. Keep us posted.

[rebeccarichardson]

Your thread caught my attention as well, as a guardian of a senior siamese [15 yrs old] who suddenly began losing weight over a year ago and became very thin, she was diagnosed as having cancer. Fortunately with chemo she is now in remission and has regained her weight.

I wish the best for your kitty.

Pearl's mom:) :)

[dragonchilde]

Something similar happened with my 16 year old last year, but in his case, it was just worms and not eating well. ;) His teeth are mostly gone, so he can't eat as much hard food as he wants, so we started spoiling him with gooshy food every night. He's healthy as a horse, so far, even if he can't hear so well anymore.

Yay for geriatric kitties!

[cyber-sibes]

Thanks everyone! He has been doing great this past few days,and I spent time reading cat food labels at the pet store. Science Diet Senior seems to have the lowest protein content, and he likes it.
Pearl's Mom - Chow Chow is 1/2 Siamese - we also owned his brother for a number of years, but he was black & white, and had the long thin body of the Siamese. People usually ask if he's part Himalayan.

[rebeccarichardson]

Yes, Siamese tend to be long and slender to begin with, and so when they lose weight, it is alarming.
Our Siamese "Pearl" was always a finicky eater and on the slim side. When she became anorexic from Cancer, we tried all kinds of cat food to find one she would eat. We literally went thru 50 different kinds of can cat food to get her to eat. The high liquid content in can cat food is good for her kidneys--and we have to watch out for high protein content too as our cat has problems w/urinary tract infections due to the chemo and old age..

I hope your cat makes a full recovery........

Pearl's Mom:)

[cyber-sibes]

Just a brief upsate on Chow Chow-- I gave him fluids subcutaneously for the first time today- :eek: I thought I was going to pass out - I really hated putting a needle in him. He was a little calmer than he was at the vets, but much more talkative - making all those unhappy cat sounds, poor guy. He ate well for a few days, now he's eating lightly again. She suggested giving him some pumpkin to soften his stools, I'll try that tomorrow. He'll be getting a liquid potassium soon, too. thanks for the head's up on that one, Tubby & Peanuts Mom!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I just wanted to send some prayers and positive thoughts your way. Chow Chow sure is very handsome and I hope he'll continue to do well and live many more years with you.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Glad to hear you made it through the first sub-q fluid. It only gets easier from here on in. And glad to hear they agreed with the potassium. I really think this will make him feel so much better. It was like night and day with Tubby once he started on the potassium.

Sorry to hear he has slacked off on eating again. Hopefully that will pick up when the potassium starts kicking in. As for the stool softener, my vet suggested using Colace (sp?). It's for people and can be found in any drug store. One pill every two or three days and it worked wonders for Tubby.

Good luck on continuing with the sub-q fluids, and hopefully he will start eating and show a little improvement soon. :)

Oh, and did I mention to start cherishing every moment with him? :(

[cyber-sibes]

:( :( :( :( :( I'm getting really frustrated. ChowChow is not tolerating the sub-q fluid sessions well. Either I don't get the needle in well enough, (ended up sticking him 5 times yesterday) or the fluid isn't dripping, and all the while he's struggling with all he has to get away. My hubby's been helping me, but he's of the mind now that ChowChow doesn't want this, and maybe its time to just let him go. (We were trying again just a few minutes ago, but Chowdie got my hubs good with his hind claws...end of session.)
:( I just don't want to agree with him. I don't get the feeling from Chow Chow that he wants to die. But he's not tolerating these treatments, either.
I know there isn't a pat answer to all this, but thanks for listening.

[rebeccarichardson]

Dear Cyber sibes......'poor Chow Chow.
I'm no help to you having never had to given injections to our cats...but I just wanted to tell you that I feel your pain and frustration. When we have to pill Pearl or giving her liquid antibiotics we dread it, even tho' all usually goes well and she tolerates it pretty well--we use a blanket and cradle her in our arms so that she can't scratch;) ...
hang in there and please don't give up....
My thoughts and prayers are with you all....



Pearl's Mom.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Have you tried wrapping him up in a towel or blanket? I had to do this with my Pepper because he would run off if I didn't. I'd also squeeze the sub-q bag so that the fluids would go in faster and the session would be over with quicker. Please don't give up. Good luck and please keep us updated.

[cyber-sibes]

I haven't posted for a while, so here's an update and another question--
Update - A friend who is a nurse has been stopping over every few days to help me "water the cat". we've been wrapping his hindquarters & back feet really well and that seems to help hold him still. He's been objecting, but not so much as before - when we gave him fluids yesterday, he just laid his head against me and waited it out with a minimum of fuss, lots of growly-yowls. So that's going better.
He's also eating better, new food -Science Diet Senior- plus heating it a bit, adding more liquids & his plumbing's working better, too.
-BUT- the new thing is that he's pulling his fur out :( I'm finding little tufts all over the place and I'm starting to see skin over his hip-- what's the deal with that? :eek: I'm baffled. He seems to be feeling better, but.......? Any ideas?