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NatalieJastrow
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Default Nov 25, 2021 at 05:50 PM
  #1
My cat is 15 going on 16. I have never had a cat last this long.

He also has a terrible problem.. he is terrible at the vet. I mean he hurts himself lashing out. He has pulled out several claws now. So I cannot take him unneccesarily. And before you ask, yes, I have tried everything including medications and at home vets.

All this year he has had issues. He had his eyes water all summer and it seemed to go away. He has had issues walking like he has arthrtis but things have gotten better since he decided he doesn't need to jump up on the couch anymore. But nothing that really said to me.. ah ha.. you need to go. I actually have a standing appointment that I put off every time I get close. I was lucky to be able to test his urine (for some reason he has no problem with that) and the vet ruled out diabeates and kidney issues from the urine. In fact, his urine was perfection.

Lately however he has been throwing up hair balls more than usual. Like very 14 days or so. People have told me that is to be expected with older cats. So I am getting him a hair ball medicine. Others have mentioned that he could be excessively grooming himself due to stress from my being home all the time, which I think he could be.

Then I weighted him recently and he has lost weight. Not a ton but, he was about 16 lbs the last time he went to the vet (early 2020) and now he is 14. That being said, I did try to give him less food this summer due to the arthrtis because I wanted him to lose some weight. But a lot of people said you should expect some weight loss as an elderly cat... but only be concerned if it is excessive and I don't think it is excessive. I have started giving him slightly more food and I will reweigh again in a month.

Does anyone know if these are relatively normal signs in a cat who is elderly? Slight weight loss, hairballs, watery eyes, excessive grooming, anxiety... etc.
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Default Nov 25, 2021 at 07:10 PM
  #2
My guy is 16-17 and lost weight. Fortunately he doesn’t mind the vet or travel and I took him in. He was fine just being elderly. But he’s not underweight so vet not worried about it, and ruled out a ton of stuff.

We give him Vaseline once a day for hairballs. Have an ice cream stick and just put a dab on the stick and he licks it off.

Cats like people can suddenly become sensitive to pollinate he might have had allergies and that’s why the watering eyes cleared up.

You seem to be doing everything you can for him.

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Default Nov 25, 2021 at 07:14 PM
  #3
Thank you. His eyes seemed to clear up when I gave him an immunity supplement... honestly he seems fine to me. But I have never had this elderly a cat before so I feel lost. My first cat died at 10 years old of kidney failure and my second at 10 of cancer.
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Default Nov 25, 2021 at 07:29 PM
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It’s new for me too. I spent year as a volunteer at a shelter and took care of every age there but it’s different owning an aging cat. He’s in great shape though and I expect he’ll live to 20 or longer since he’s been healthy all these years. He still plays with his toys!

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Default Nov 25, 2021 at 11:19 PM
  #5
Natalie, have you checked him for fleas. Going after them could cause the hairballs.

If you reduced his food that would explain weight loss... Is his appetite okay? Does what goes in come out normally? Some times what seems like weight loss in older critters can be loss of muscle tone.

Like Nammu said, watery eyes could be allergies. My guys who have allergies struggled this summer.

I agree with Nammu. It sounds like you are taking good care of him. Seems like he is an old man with old man stuff.
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Default Nov 26, 2021 at 06:00 AM
  #6
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Natalie, have you checked him for fleas. Going after them could cause the hairballs.

If you reduced his food that would explain weight loss... Is his appetite okay? Does what goes in come out normally? Some times what seems like weight loss in older critters can be loss of muscle tone.

Like Nammu said, watery eyes could be allergies. My guys who have allergies struggled this summer.

I agree with Nammu. It sounds like you are taking good care of him. Seems like he is an old man with old man stuff.
I don't think he has fleas.. he is an indoor only cat. His appetite is fine. He is a big eater.

He does seem to have girggling in his stomach these days which I don't remember before... but I have also heard this case be due to the hairballs.
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Default Nov 27, 2021 at 07:07 AM
  #7
Well last night wasn't great. He went poop outside his box. Lots of diahhrea. This is unusual but I gave him some new food yesterday which was more liquid based than usual.

I just don't think he was able to get to the box before he had an accident.

Ugh.. poor guy.
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Default Nov 27, 2021 at 10:45 AM
  #8
Awww poor guy. I bet it was the new food.

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Default Nov 30, 2021 at 06:24 PM
  #9
So I received a medication in the mail for hairballs.

I gave it to him Sunday and Monday.

And this morning... he didn't wake me up. He wakes me up all the time at around 4:30. Usually crying for food like he needs it to settle his stomach.

Ok that was unusual.

Then all day today... he has been very much a light sleeper. Now, of course, he slept though last night so he got some extra zzzzs. But it is like he has more energy.

I am hoping this medication is making his stomach feel better.. I hope!
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Default Nov 30, 2021 at 07:18 PM
  #10
Sounds positive!
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Default Nov 30, 2021 at 08:39 PM
  #11
Yeah, sounds like it’s working.

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Default Dec 01, 2021 at 07:27 AM
  #12
He didn't wake me up again this morning. It must be working. His 4:30 am crying fits must have been due to a tummy ache.
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Default Dec 03, 2021 at 08:14 AM
  #13
So Wednesday he DID wake me up and I thought I heard him puking... but when I got up.. I couldn't find any evidence of a throw up.

Then, last night, another night of blissful sleep.

So I think that perhaps... this medication is helping.... so that if he does feel like he needs to throw up.. it is much less... and perhaps.. by the time I have been giving this to him regularly it will go away.

I made a proper appointment for a vet visit at the start of January. If he gets better over the next month I will put it off.
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Default Dec 06, 2021 at 06:05 AM
  #14
Have you tried sedating him before his vet appointment?
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Default Dec 06, 2021 at 07:10 AM
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Have you tried sedating him before his vet appointment?
Yes. It doesn't work. He is able to rouse himself out of the sedation out of fear.
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Default Dec 07, 2021 at 09:22 PM
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Yes. It doesn't work. He is able to rouse himself out of the sedation out of fear.

Finally I thought maybe you could wrap him up like a mummy. so that he is immobilised.
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Default Dec 08, 2021 at 08:29 AM
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Finally I thought maybe you could wrap him up like a mummy. so that he is immobilised.
They have tried and failed. He gets out of it.

Also he is so old now they worry that he is over stressing himself.

Now that there was a study that animals have personality types ( one was sociopath) I think my cat is autistic and he has a tantrum when ever anyone tries to examine him.

ETA I did find the evidence of a throw up eventually but it was mild... and given that he is now sleeping though the night, I think even if he is still throwing up... that seems to be helping -- his throw up is milder and that original thow up was early on.
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Default Dec 16, 2021 at 02:54 AM
  #18
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Awww poor guy. I bet it was the new food.
It can be that! My cat is always lazy and sleeps all day. Luckily he haven't shown any such symptoms.
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Default Dec 26, 2021 at 04:48 PM
  #19
Now he is having watering eyes. It happened during the summer but either seemed to go away or I stopped noticing.

On the one hand... I feel like whatever it is coudn't be that serious if it has been six months. On the other I feel like the fact that it came back isn't good. It is hard though to decide to take him into the vet on a symptom like eyes watering. It seems like too low of a symptom to deal with the potential damage of a vet appointment.

In addition I think they will have to put him out -- with Kettimine -- to examine his eyes. So he is immobile. I hate that because that is such heavy sedation it really scares him and he is horrible to deal with, he attacks me in panic.

So I have an appointment on the books for a perfect day... a Friday so I can have the weekend to recover... but it is looking like we might get a storm on that day.

I am giving him an immunity support supplement and seeing if it works.
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Default Dec 30, 2021 at 06:15 PM
  #20
Does he have allergies? That can cause watery eyes....

Sounds like you're a wonderful cat mom!
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