15 year old not eating

I have a 15 year old cat in my care that is not thriving. She belongs to a guy who is serving in the National Guard.

I've had her for about a year. I took her to her vet a year ago to get her UTD on shots, etc. The vet told me she has been losing about a pound every year and I was sure I could change that. My cats all are pretty plump;)

Well, I put her on wet food and she gained 3/4 of a pound. But at her annual checkup,she has lost that and another half pound. This week she has stopped eating almost totally. I can't get her to eat more than a half of a can of cat food in a day. She doesn't drink much either. Occasionally she will throw up part of her meal or just liquid. She's literally skin & bones. She's down to 6 pounds. The vet says her blood work is fine and nothing seems to be wrong.

Could she be ready to leave this world? I don't know if I should see another vet or just leave her alone. I can't reach her owner to ask him. I certainly don't want her to suffer. She's a sweet old gal.

I'm in a quandary. Any suggestions?

Mary

Please consider taking her to another vet ASAP. Second opinions are always a good idea in my opinion.

However, it may certainly be that her time is coming. 15 years is a plenty long life for a cat. It is just a pity if her time comes while her owner is still gone.

I would get a second opinon from another vet. I would get the blood work up results and take them with you so that kitty doesn't have to go through that again plus the expense.

Hi Mary, it's a difficult situation you are in since you are not the owner of the kitty. I do alot of cat-sitting and if I were in your shoes I would at least make sure she has a clean bill of health; that is, no kidney failure or heart troubles, etc. That way you can narrow it down to just age. The fact that she's not drinking much concerns me. Would she let you give her some water by mouth?

I looked after a really sweet orangie named Sandy and when he reached the age of 14 he really started to slow down and before he made the trip to the RB at 15 he was not eating much at all. He especially had a bad time during the heat of the summer. Good luck and please keep us posted.

Thanks guys.

I just called the Dale's (the cat) vet and asked them to fax Dale's records to my vet. My vet said she would like to see the blood work report and then decide if she should see Dale. If she wants to see her, it'll probably be tomorrow. I'll let you all know what happens.

I sure appreciate having understanding people to talk to.

Mary

PS. I'll try a squirt or two of water tonight and see how she does.

I'm so sorry to hear that the cat isn't eating and is losing weight. I'd also get a second opinion. Good luck and please keep us updated.

Did the vet do a thyroid test? I don't believe a thyroid problem would show up on regular CBC etc. It's a separate test where blood is drawn from her neck and sent out for lab testing. Good luck and keep us posted.

Well, the little stinker has decided to eat better. I kept her in a cage yesterday so her food would be available and not swiped by the other cats. She ate about 1/4 can during the day but no water to speak of. At 5:30 I gave her about 1/3 can of fresh cat food and she ate about half of that. I mixed some tuna water with plain water (sorry, no clam juice available!) and she dived into that. Even though I tried to limit how much she drank all at once, she still vomited a couple of hours later. Mostly liquid again.

She spent the night with me on the couch and in bed. Ate some more (about 2 Tablespoons) at 10 PM and another 3 at 4 AM. Even drank some plain water. And left a BIG pee bisciut this morning!

Wish she would eat this well every day!

I'm anxious to hear what my vet says. I trust her more than Dale's vet. No real reason except that I have a history with one and not the other.

I'll let you know.

Mary

Any updates Mary?

Sorry I haven't updated before this.

Dale is now confined to a cage all day with plenty of food. She has run of the house when I'm there, but has to stay in the cat room when I'm not. She isn't afraid of the dogs, but I don't totally trust them with her.

She's still eating at 3 AM on the nightstand. And her food and water is disappearing during the day at a reasonable rate.

I called the vet today and they hadn't received the records from her original vet because their fax was down for a couple days. I asked for them again and will call my vet tomorrow if I don't hear from her today.

I'm wondering if she could have IBS. Some days she doesn't vomit at all and eats well, other days nothing stays down and she really doesn't want to eat. She loves tuna cat food, but it usually comes back up later. Maybe too rich?

I'll let you know what I find out.

Mary

2:15 PM

My vet just called. We discussed what could be causing her to vomit. Her blood work seems OK, although one of the tests was a little high and could indicate pancreas problems. She said she would be glad to see Dale and possibly give her a cortisone shot to help stop the vomiting and give her more appetite. She doesn't want to subject her to a lot of tests at her age. Either do I. I think Dale and I will be visiting my vet Thursday. There may not be anything we can do.

Mary

Edited

If vomiting is the most serious problem, you could ask your vet about giving her 1/4 of a Pepcid everyday. That's what Tubby gets because he was throwing up all the time. I guess when they get a lot of acid in their stomachs they throw up instead of getting heart burn like we do, so you eliminate the acid and you eliminate the throwing up. The difference in Tubby's throwing up was extremely dramatic. From about once a day to only once or twice a month now. Ask your vet first though. Good luck!

Dale has an appointment for 8:45 AM tomorrow (Friday).

Of course, now she's eating better. But at least the vet can see how thin she is. Maybe she will have some recommendations for getting her to eat more. Actually, I think PT members will know more ways. Vets aren't as involved if they don't have cats themselves.

I'll let you know what I learn.

Mary

Good luck Dale! :)

Mary, I hope the precious one will improve and have a long life ahead of her. Of course she is perking up because you are taking her to your vet!!!! :rolleyes: Isn't that the way it is always??? I stilll think it is a good thing for you to have your vet establish some baseline for her, so he/she can properly analyze going forward.

When we lived in Lexington, we used Dr. Alan (sp?) Harris in West Columbia. I have no idea who you use, but I was always very happy with his treatment of Mimi and Chuck (our RB Lab).

Logan