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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2008Confusion in an older cat
My beloved companion of 16 years (she is 17) has the symptoms of what would be Altzheimers in a person. She is geneally confused and often is either agitated or lethargic. Does anyone know if there are any treatments for this? I very much miss the personality of her as she was previously.  SignatureJerry Bank Trenton, New Jersey Music is the language of the gods. > My beloved companion of 16 years (she is 17) has the symptoms of what > would be Altzheimers in a person. She is geneally confused and often is > either agitated or lethargic. Does anyone know if there are any > treatments for this? I very much miss the personality of her as she was > previously. Hi Jerry, This condition is called Feline Cognitive Disorder, and unfortunately, there's not a lot of information about it (I've looked!). My childhood cat developed this several years ago at around age 18. Talk to your vet. He/she can prescribe an antidepressant which could help--it did with my cat, especially with litter box issues. I read one article that said that deafness can be a side effect of FCD; something to keep in mind. Also talk to your vet about getting her thyroid checked. It's possible she is hyperthryoid, which is not uncommon at her age. Above all, give her lots of love. She deserves it! Rene > My beloved companion of 16 years (she is 17) has the symptoms of what > would be Altzheimers in a person. She is geneally confused and often is > either agitated or lethargic. Does anyone know if there are any > treatments for this? I very much miss the personality of her as she was > previously. Awww, poor baby. My elderly cat exhibited a little of this. I like Rhonda's response. For sure get her checked over. Things happen, like getting hard of hearing, that upset them. Many people have good luck with medication that calms. She's a fragile old lady now, hard as that is to hear. Hope she feels better. "cybercat" <cyberpurrs@yahoo.com> wrote> > I like Rhonda's response. I meant Rene's. > My beloved companion of 16 years (she is 17) has the symptoms of what > would be Altzheimers in a person. She is geneally confused and often is > either agitated or lethargic. Does anyone know if there are any > treatments for this? I very much miss the personality of her as she was > previously. The first order of business is getting her in to the vet for a thorough geriatric exam including bloodwork (CBC + chemscreen inc. T4) and urinalysis to rule out any medical causes for the change in her behavior. Problems creep up quickly and silently in older cats. If your vet gives her a clean bill of health, ask him about L-deprenyl (Anipryl). L-deprenyl has been used in geriatric dogs with canine cognitive dysfunction with a lot of success. There aren't any published studies (at least I haven't found any) on the efficacy of L-deprenyl in older cats with cognitive dysfunction , but there have been a lot of anecdotal success reports from vets around the world. Its also safe to use in cats and has no adverse side effects-except vomiting and salivation at very high doses. Just don't use it with an antidepressant. The things she needs the most right now are your patience, understanding, and most of all, love. Best of luck, Phil > > My beloved companion of 16 years (she is 17) has the symptoms of what > > would be Altzheimers in a person. She is geneally confused and often is [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Phil She surely has my love. Reading about cognitive dysfuncton syndrome is like reading a description of her behaviour. It truly breaks my heart to see her as she is. One of the symptoms that seems to have arisen is her urinating not in her box. Any idea of how I can deal with that? SignatureJerry Bank Trenton, New Jersey Music is the language of the gods. > > > My beloved companion of 16 years (she is 17) has the symptoms of what > > > would be Altzheimers in a person. She is geneally confused and often is [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > One of the symptoms that seems to have arisen is her urinating not in her > box. Any idea of how I can deal with that? Try moving her litterbox to within sight of where she sleeps (but not too close to where she sleeps). You could also get a few more litterboxes and place them near her favorite places. Any type of behavior modification will probably confuse her and only stress her out. The only thing I would do is adapt to her condition and try to make her life as easy as I can for her. Best of luck, Phil > She surely has my love. Reading about cognitive dysfuncton syndrome is > like reading a description of her behaviour. It truly breaks my heart to > see her as she is. > > One of the symptoms that seems to have arisen is her urinating not in her > box. Any idea of how I can deal with that? My parent's cat had problems with that too, and the antidepressant helped a bit. You might try adding additional boxes and/or offering her a box with lower sides (like a cookie sheet). Rene >You might try adding additional boxes and/or offering >her a box with lower sides (like a cookie sheet). That's a good idea. Purina makes litter boxes with a low side for dogs. The boxes come in 3 sizes. The miniature dog size is probably the best. http://maxshouse.com/Environmental_Enrichment/second_nature_litterboxes_dogs.jpg > L-deprenyl has been used in geriatric dogs with canine cognitive > dysfunction with a lot of success. There aren't any published studies (at [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > adverse side effects-except vomiting and salivation at very high doses. Just > don't use it with an antidepressant. The drug L-deprenyl (Aniprylâ , Deprenyl Animal Health, Inc, Overland Park, KS) is licensed in Canada and the United States for the treatment of canine pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism as well as, in Canada, for canine cognitive dysfuntion. To date, there have been no published studies on the efficacy of L-deprenyl in geriatric cats, although there have been numerous anecdotal success stories. A small study found no toxicity in cats at up to 10 mg/kg (20 times the typical clincal dose), with the only side effects being occasional vomition and salivation (at the highest dose).(Ruehl, Griffin et al) http://www.vspn.org/VSPNSearch/VINLibrary/lv980613.htm -------- I decided to look up L-deprenyl and cats for myself, since we have a cat starting with altzheimer-like symptoms. Interestingly this paragraph from the first website that popped up with google was almost word for word as your answer. Honestly Phil, you do give advice that can be helpful but I wish to gawd you'd quote your sources and not print it like it came off the top of your head. It's okay if you don't know everything, none of us do. -Rhonda > > L-deprenyl has been used in geriatric dogs with canine cognitive > > dysfunction with a lot of success. There aren't any published studies (at [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > from the first website that popped up with google was almost word for > word as your answer. Gee, how about that. Honestly Phil, you do give advice that can be > helpful but I wish to gawd you'd quote your sources and not print it > like it came off the top of your head. Actually, malicious bimbo, it did come off the top my head. I did a lot of research for my own cat and happen to remember what I read. As hard it may be for you to understand, I can't remember where I read everything I read. >It's okay if you don't know everything, none of us do. I don't know everything- I just know more than you- and that bothers the hell out you! Your silly post proves it! *lol*
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