Older cats' wellness

[Tom Horn]

I'm hoping we can share some observations & advice about keeping older cats healthy.

My Ingrid is 14; she'll be 15 in mid-October. (So I guess she's a Libra?)

Ingrid never goes outside, so she's never had any wounds or rough experiences. My vet says she can't believe Ingrid is 14, which is great. I can't see any signs that she's older except for a couple of things:
-- a small tuft of gray fur next to her bottom;
-- a slight tick of bursitis in her left shoulder.

So every time Ingrid has a bad week with hairballs or whatever, I'm concerned, because I've heard that once a cat gets to a certain age (different for every cat, the same as people), they can go downhill fast. And to face facts, of course, I know that eventually I will have to make a very diffcult decision that I'd much rather never have to deal with; I just hope that that's a long, long way off, and that when it happens I'm able to keep in mind preserving her dignity as best we can.

Does anybody have any tips about specific things I should be careful to watch for? Although cats are secretive, I think she'd try to tell me if something were wrong, and I'd hate to miss the message if she were in trouble.

I feed Ingrid Iams food (some wet, some dry--the hairball formula), and I've also got her one of those motorized filter fountains for her drinking water--although naturally she ignores that & prefers to drink from the bathtub or the sink, becausae she thinks there are springs in those places.

Thanks!

[K & L]

Try this site:

http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/geriatrics.html

[Randi]

Welcome to PT!

It sounds as if you're doing all the right things, so I'm sure you'll keep her for a long time to come! Drinking a lot is always a good thing, I think!

Have you got a picture of her?

Good luck

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Hi Tom

I have 15 year old Tubby, and 13 year old Peanut. I, too, was concerned about them getting on in years, especially since Tubby was throwing up a lot, so I decided to take them to the vet for a complete checkup. Turns out Tubby is in the beginning stages of kidney failure, which is kind of common among older cats.

Tubby has always had more hairballs than Peanut, but I started getting concerned when it was at least 3 - 4 times a week he was throwing up. I really hated seeing him hacking and choking like that, not to mention having to clean up the mess afterwards The vet did a complete blood test and found that there were two "things" (for lack of a better word) that were elevated indicating the kidneys were not functioning to their full potential. She told me to start giving him a 1/4 of a Pepcid everyday. This helps calm his stomach, and aid the blood flow to the kidneys helping them to work better. As soon as I started giving him the Pepcid, he stopped throwing up as much. And I just took him back for his 6 month check-up, and the one "thing" is still elevated, but the other one has gone back down to the normal range, so the Pepcid is really helping him get and stay healthy. He does seem to sleep a bit more, but I think part of that is his nightly activities that I'm only faintly aware of.

Tubby also seems somewhat stiff sometimes, so I think he might have a touch of arthritis. I've had a box made to help him jump into bed, and if I see him trying to jump up somewhere, I will pick him up and put him where he wants to go so he doesn't have to exert himself. I know, I know.... But I feel so bad when he can't make it where he wants to go.

My advice would be to take Ingrid to a vet and have her blood checked. From what I understand, the sooner they catch the kidney failure, the more they can do to slow it down. It's gotten to the point where the only thing Tubby gets to eat is his dry cat food (Science Diet Senior Formula) and a treat now and then - he throws everything else up, including hairball stuff. But evidently the Pepcid helps with the hairballs too, because he really hasn't had that many since I've started the Pepcid.

I was also starting to brace myself for the inevitable decision that I would have to make someday, but now it looks like I can put that off indefinitely.

Good luck with Ingrid. I'm sure with your care she will live to a ripe old age.

[lynnestankard]

Hello Tom and Welcome to the greatest people and greatest site Pet Talk.

Over the years we've had cats live to 18 - 19 years old (my sister had a beauty who lived to 23 years old!!)
So you see your Ingrid is perhaps only middle aged!!!
I wish you many happy and loving years with her - your being such a good Dad - taking care of her and worrying over her!!!!

Any chance of pic., as Randi asked?

Lynne

[Tom Horn]

I appreciate all the nice & helpful feedback.

As far as a picture: I don't have a scanner, but the people in our advertising department do--so I'll either take a new picture or dig around & find an old one.

To give you an idea, Ingrid is a petite part-Siamese domestic shorthair. She looks jet-black until you see her in bright sunlight, and then you can tell that she's actually a very very dark brown. She has green eyes.

And a little brother, too: a Rex bunny named Louie. Somebody apparently abandoned Louie in July of '99, and I found him hopping into the street (almost ran him over!), because he'd gotten hungry & thirsty & decided that he'd better go looking for a drink of water & some dinner. I wasn't sure they'd get along; Ingrid had always been my only roommate. But it's never occurred to either one of them that Ingrid is a potential predator & Louie is potential prey. Mostly they ignore each other, but they do check in & smell each other's noses from time to time. Ingrid talks to him like "You'd better not" or "I'm telling!" She watches him tossing his favorite toy (a set of measuring spoons on a ring) like "That guy is nuts!"

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Hi, Tom
Just want to give you a welcome from Kansas to Pet Talk. I think you'll like it a lot. I have a senior citizen on my hands too. Leroy is 15 or 16 I don't remember for sure. I have it written down somewhere. I've noticed he's a little stiff sometimes. Do I know that feeling? He also seems a little forgetful at times. All four of my cats have their own place to eat and I tell them to, "go to your spot," and they do. Lately Leroy looks at me kind of puzzled and just stands there. I put him in his spot and he does fine. I wonder if cats get Alzheimer's disease? I'll have to try to remember to ask his vet. I just give him extra cuddles and am grateful everyday we have together.

Ingrid and Louie sound wonderful. They are sure lots of company, aren't they?

[AvaJoy]

[SIZE=3][FONT=century gothic][COLOR=deeppink]Welcome, Tom!

My Lily is about Ingrid's age, and she had a lameness problem quite awhile back that was initially diagnosed as bone cancer - but a second opinion (from a specialist) brought welcome news that she just had a touch of arthritis due to a past injury - what a relief! The needless tears I shed after the first incorrect diagnosis prompted me to change vets pronto!!

Aside from vomiting occasionally which is fairly typical I believe, she is still quite healthy otherwise . . . I make sure to have her yearly physical as it is especially important with the senior furkids so that anything brewing can be discovered early on.

Hope you can post a picture of Ingrid; we are all anxious to see her!

[AvaJoy]

Welcome, Tom!

My Lily is about Ingrid's age, and she had a lameness problem quite awhile back that was initially diagnosed as bone cancer - but a second opinion (from a specialist) brought welcome news that she just had a touch of arthritis due to a past injury - what a relief! The needless tears I shed after the first incorrect diagnosis prompted me to change vets pronto!!

Aside from vomiting occasionally (which is fairly typical, I believe) she is still quite healthy otherwise . . . I make sure to have her yearly physical as it is especially important with the senior furkids so that anything brewing can be discovered early on.

Hope you can post a picture of Ingrid; we are all anxious to see her!

[Gio]

Hi Tom and welcome to Pet Talk.

My cats since mine tend to live up tp 18-19 years. I live in an apartment in a city so mine are indoor cats only, perhaps yuor situation is different. These are a few things that I observed:

In later years, espcially my male Gigio, developed some kidney failure. So watch out for signs of kidney disease. My cats were no longer able to eat big meals, they tended to want little quantities more often (with younger cats in the house as well this did not prove to be an easy task). Bigger quantities of food would make them vomit quite often. Obviously this might not apply to all cats.

Their nails seem to be less retractable as they get older so I had to trim them more often. I did not want them to get caught in something and get hurt. Gigio's bones also got quite lighter and sometimes he was a bit stiff. He was quite a playful and lively cat up to a month before he left me.