Cat Help

[snoopy]

Thanks everyone.

I don’t mind my cat sleeping with me if he was actually sleeping. He is just kind of hanging out (walking over me and such) while I am trying to sleep. (I have that round cat bed – he has no use for it. Oy. All the money I spent on cat stuff he has no use for!) The only place he sleeps is the couch – and he is not happy if someone in sitting in his spot either. At night, I think he just wants to be near me as he sleeps during the day.

I did feed him twice the normal amount this morning and that seemed to calm him down. It is twice the amount of food recommended for his size but maybe it is like zippy says and he is just nervous and will chill out after a couple months. I will have a fat cat but I suppose the upside is he won’t be able to jump as high and knock as many things over. (He figured out that knocking things over that make a loud noise will get me out of bed to check on him .)

[Anita18]

Thanks everyone.

I don’t mind my cat sleeping with me if he was actually sleeping. He is just kind of hanging out (walking over me and such) while I am trying to sleep. (I have that round cat bed – he has no use for it. Oy. All the money I spent on cat stuff he has no use for!) The only place he sleeps is the couch – and he is not happy if someone in sitting in his spot either. At night, I think he just wants to be near me as he sleeps during the day.

I did feed him twice the normal amount this morning and that seemed to calm him down. It is twice the amount of food recommended for his size but maybe it is like zippy says and he is just nervous and will chill out after a couple months. I will have a fat cat but I suppose the upside is he won’t be able to jump as high and knock as many things over. (He figured out that knocking things over that make a loud noise will get me out of bed to check on him .)

You could just feed him a little more than usual instead of twice as much if him getting fat bothers you. And never underestimate the ability of kitties to jump! The tubcat here is 20 lbs and she easily jumps up onto the couch and even surprised me by jumping 3 ft straight up onto my IKEA Expedit bookshelf. She loves sleeping there, hahaha, and now does that regularly. Just the other day SHE was the one who jumped into my chair (struggled a bit over the armrest) which was hilarious since that's usually smaller kitty's move. (Smaller kitty is half her size.) The only place thats too high for her is the kitchen counter.

[mysticchic]

I didn't think I should start a new thread with the same title, so here goes. My cat Fluffy is not doing so well. He is 18 years old and the sweetest cat. I can tell he is going blind bacause his eyes are going cloudy and he jumps if he doens't see me coming. He still is eating good and using the liter box. The vet said it's just old age and he can run a bunch of test, but as long as he is comfortable, he doesn't need to be put down (which would kill me). Most days he just lays next to me, but I can see it in his eyes when he walks around he is hurting. Anyone know what I can give him to make him more comfortable? I think he has artritis also. He has moments of being young again also. He will get up and get toys out. He will beat up the little cat if she is pesty. But most of the time she has been very loving to him (which is not normal behaivor)He's not hiding. Just sleeps a lot.
The other thing is he has pulled some hair out on his legs and rubbed some hair off his nose. I have checked and there is no bugs. My Mom told me to put some hydrogen peroxide on it. He used to be 28lbs but now is down to 20lbs in 3 months. But she is no help on what to give Fluffy for pain relief. Any suggestions?

[Anita18]

I didn't think I should start a new thread with the same title, so here goes. My cat Fluffy is not doing so well. He is 18 years old and the sweetest cat. I can tell he is going blind bacause his eyes are going cloudy and he jumps if he doens't see me coming. He still is eating good and using the liter box. The vet said it's just old age and he can run a bunch of test, but as long as he is comfortable, he doesn't need to be put down (which would kill me). Most days he just lays next to me, but I can see it in his eyes when he walks around he is hurting. Anyone know what I can give him to make him more comfortable? I think he has artritis also. He has moments of being young again also. He will get up and get toys out. He will beat up the little cat if she is pesty. But most of the time she has been very loving to him (which is not normal behaivor)He's not hiding. Just sleeps a lot.
The other thing is he has pulled some hair out on his legs and rubbed some hair off his nose. I have checked and there is no bugs. My Mom told me to put some hydrogen peroxide on it. He used to be 28lbs but now is down to 20lbs in 3 months. But she is no help on what to give Fluffy for pain relief. Any suggestions?

to hear about Fluffy.

My mom's dog is 14 now, very old for a golden retriever, and she gives him prescription meds for his arthritis and related pain. Still, sometimes it's obvious he has trouble walking. I don't know if he knows he's getting old though. Mom says he sighs audibly when he encounters a staircase but otherwise he wags when he's happy as usual.

If you ask your vet he might have more advice on that. I'm not sure if you could give people painkillers to kitties. Good luck!

[acraven]

Mysticchic, you definitely should check with your vet about arthritis relief. About 15 years ago I had a very elderly cat with arthritis, and the vet suggested baby aspirin. I don't remember what the dosage was; I think the frequency was only once a day, perhaps only half a pill. However, it's possible giving even low-dose aspirin to a cat is no longer recommended.

[Japanfan]

There are some good natural products for arthritis, Mystic. Glucosomine is one, I think it's called, and there is another product called Recovery for various joint issues - it comes in both human and animal variety.

I've got an elderly cat as well, she'll be 18 in June. She's had a remarkably healthy life but we had some tests done last week because she has been sneezing and there has been blood on her nose a few times. Still waiting for the results.

Her main problems are loss of hearing and senility. She's become very noisy and clingy, wants to sit on top of one of us all the time and starts to bit if disturbed or petted too much. When she's moved, she'll start to yowl, hiss and bite.

[mysticchic]

Thanks, I can call the vet. I just hoping that I could find something. I don't want the vet to suggest I put him down.

[Patsy]

After many many years of cat ownership (all "Humane Society specials") I've never known a cat who can abide a closed door. I've had good luck with explaining to the many felines *where* on the bed they can sleep. Just keep putting them down at the foot of the bed or wherever it is you would like him/her to stay.

[timing]

mysticchic - Glucosamine may help. No prescription is needed and it is carried in pet stores. There are different brands available. Do an internet search on glucosamine + cats to learn more.

[Allskate]

mysticchic, you say that he has lost weight. 20 lbs is still large for a cat, but it would be good to figure out why he is losing weight. Is he eating less or is he losing weight depite eating the same amount? If he is eating the same amount, but losing weight, it seems like he has absorption problems. My cat has problems with digesting food and absorbing nutrients, and that can have side effects. My cat just went through a bad episode and the vet said that b-12 deficiency as a result of the malabsorption is probably part of the problem. Some side effects of the b-12 deficiency is that it can worsen their digestion problems and also can affect how they walk. My vet has prescribed b-12 injections. (I can do them myself. And trust me, if I can do it, virtually anyone can do it.)

You might ask your vet about this and also ask if he or she can recommend any dietary changes. If the vet does some basic bloodwork, he might be able to identify some problems. It really helped me this time around. I was very afraid that the vet was going to tell me I needed to put my cat down, but the bloodwork and knowing my cat's medical history instead helped the vet identify the problems and prescribe some meds that already are starting to help.

I also feel like I need to know what is causing the problems because I don't want to regret not puttting him down when the right time comes, and I want to have thought it all through ahead of time. It's a difficult decision to make, but the last time I waited too long and my cat suffered as a result. I am determined not to make that mistake again.

Good luck. I feel for you. I've been so sad seeing my cat sick these past couple of weeks and being afraid of the cause. Definitely consult your vet.

[barbk]

We ended up putting our cat in the laundry room overnight because she kept jumping up on the bed and kneading us during the night-- with claws -- just closing the door to our room elicited the same behavior you're seeing. We did get some cat treats that she really liked and she was quite willing to come along to get them. She was happy to sleep in a plastic sweater-type box with a towel in it -- not much bigger than she was.

[mysticchic]

Allskate, My cat lost most of his weight over a few months. When he started to go blind he didn't walk around much. When I took him to the vet, he offered to do the blood work and said that he was pretty sure it was just old age. He is 18 years old (he might be older. I got him at a rescue and they thought he was 2 years old when we took him home in 94) so he could even be older. He poked around on him and looked at his teeth, checked the fur ect. There were no tumors, they did check the stool and nothing was wrong with that. He's an older vet who has taken care of all my Mom's dogs for almost 25 years. My Mom trust him to death.
He is not throwing up or anything like that. I keep checking the liter box and everything is fine. The vet said if he has kidney failure I would be able to tell from him peeing anywhere or lack of pee in the liter box. He gave me a whole list to look for.
I have a little basket for his toys and every couple nights all the toys are taken out. I know it's not the little cat. She's not smart enough to do that.
Oh I forgot to mention, I was taking a shower on Monday and all of a sudden the cutain comes crashing in with something in it. It was the little cat. She jumped into the shower with me. Scared the heck out of me. For a couple seconds she just sat there with the water and then jumped out. This is the same one who sits in the water dish. she just turned 10.

[Aussie Willy]

Sorry to hear about your puss. It can get quite distressing when they get older generally as they do change.

[mysticchic]

Timing, I'm going to go out and find that one. Why have I heard about that before?

[skatemommy]

Timing, I'm going to go out and find that one. Why have I heard about that before?

Because Glucosamine and Chondroitin are also recommended for us, but are natural supplements. I work for a Chiropractor and can attest to our patients getting relief from pain. Wishing you the best.

[timing]

Because Glucosamine and Chondroitin are also recommended for us, but are natural supplements. I work for a Chiropractor and can attest to our patients getting relief from pain. Wishing you the best.

We had an elderly cat that glucosamine helped for a while and I find glucosamine and chondroitin helps me.