Advice needed

[nsweezie]

Hello everyone!
I'd like some advice from pet talkers.
We live next door to a family that has 3 cats and a dog. One of the cats is quite old-- I'd say 17-18 years. His name is Bandit.
Bandit has gone downhill pretty badly in the past year. He has lost a fair bit of weight, and doesn't appear to be cleaning himself, as his fur is quite dirty. What is most distressing is that I think that he is suffering from cat alzhemers. I'm not sure if this is possible, but he seems very confused.
His owners let him out, and he wanders about, crying. He cannot remember how to get back to his house, so usually I'll go outside and find him looking all around, going in circles. He also seems to have lost any fear of cars or strangers or other cats.. The other day my sister's fiance nearly hit him with their car, as Bandit was asleep behind the rear tire. Bandit also has taken to wandering out on the street, and even sleeping there. Luckily we are on a very quiet street. He also will follow people around, and he will follow someone right off the street. There is a large male cat who lives nearby, and in the past Bandit avoided him, but now he doesn't, and the other cat will often scratch him.
I'm concerned about Bandit, as he is such a sweet cat, and I'm not sure if I should be saying something to his owners, and if I should, how do I approach them?

[pupper-lover]

Oh, poor kitty.

My boyfriend's cat is in a similar state. It is old, deaf, and blind. They keep it inside, but once in a while it gets out and is so confused. The cat was once lost for a weekend in the back yard. It couldn't find it's way home. On a second occassion, it even wandered to a different neighborhood. A family found him and posted signs immediatey.

If you are not telling your neighbor when you almost back over their cat, they may not know that it is sleeping under the tires of cars and in the street. I don't think it would hurt to express your concern for their poor senile cat. If they love it, they would want to know what's going on. Just be careful what you say. You do not to make it seem that you think they are being neglegent in any way. Something should be done, the poor cat is probably so scared and confused. It really needs to be inside or in a fenced in yard.

[moosmom]

Nsweezie,

It sounds like Bandit needs to become an indoor kitty. Sometimes, especially when cats get older, they begin to lose their sight and/or hearing.

How friendly are you with your neighbors?? If they take a "oh well" attitude, is it possible for you to take Bandit in?? He'd probably be very greatful and finally safe. And I also think a trip to the vet might be in order to see if there isn't some other underlying problem.

As far as approaching them is concerned, maybe one day when you see them working in their yard, just go over and casually mention Bandit and what the problem is. They may not even be aware there's a problem.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Donna

[Logan]

I've had only one cat in my lifetime to live to be that old, but when he started getting cataracts, couldn't hear as well, even my stubborn dad (who isn't a huge cat fan) said he needed to stay indoors. Tigger used a litter box for the last couple of years of his life, and had help jumping to the counter to eat his food, and eventually died in his sleep at age 18.

Maybe your neighbors think that this boy is only happy if he gets to go outside. They have obviously done something right over the years, so I wouldn't hesitate to tell them what you notice. Many of us who allow our cats to go in and out are guilty of not watching them once they go outside. Maybe that's what is happening. He asks to go out, and they let him, and they never realize just how confused he is. If you talk to them about the near misses with the cars and his lying in the road, they really may appreciate it, especially if you approach them from concern.

I hope you can find a way to discuss this with them. Bless his sweet heart. Makes me think of the beautiful 18 year old Cat of the Day today, Joey.

[C.C.'s Mom]

My RB cat Pishi was over 18 years old and she was also one of those that were constantly crying loud and not cleaning herself anymore.

Besides having lost her sight and hearing, she was also having arthritis because of her old age and couldn't therefor care about cleaning herelf because it was too hard work.

She also wandered around the house and looked very lost. The vet checked her and he came to the conclusion that she was senile, just like old people sometimes are.

To me, it sounds like Bandit is facing something like that. Pishi also had her set fixed ideas of where she wanted to go, but once where she wanted, she found herself lost and started to cry because it was all suddenly so strange. If I took her back to her pillow, she was happy again and slept. Until she woke up and the same happened again.

It would be best if the owners keep her inside, maybe even in one room where the cat feels comfortable, say livingroom where her owners are as well.

[rg_girlca]

I would definitly mention this to your neighbour. Maybe, like others have mentioned, they are not aware of how their cat is outside. A cat in that condition should NOT be outside.
Please let us know what happens, and good luck.

[Kat Kommando]

Sadly, pets do get Alzheimer's (http://www.healthypet.com/Library/cat_dog_health-21.htm) . He needs to be indoors.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I think you should definitely tell your neighbors about their senile cat. It should only be kept indoors. I hope everything goes well. Good luck. Please keep us posted.

[AvaJoy]

Poor Bandit . . . you need to mention this to the owners ASAP . . . as others have said, this cat should not be allowed outside.

My elderly Lily (blue tabby) is going through similar confusion and dementia . . . she has fits of yowling, and she becomes unaware when food is right there before her. She is strictly indoors which enables me to keep an eye on her at all times.

It is SO important that Bandit's owners are made aware of the problems and understand that their cat needs them to confine it to home, for Bandit's safety and well being.[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/SIZE]

[Uabassoon]

It sounds like Bandit could possibly have Conitive Dysfunction Syndrome. It's very simlar to alzheimers. One of the signs is disorientaion, he appears lost and doens't recognize things that are usually familiar. There are some drugs for this, but I think they are still experiemental. The best would be to talk to your neighbor and explain what you have seen. He should be kept indoors and as long as Bandits owner can deal with him being a bit of a space cadet he should be all right.