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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / March 2005Old Cat
Our cat is almost 21 years old and has always been in good health. She is now showing signs of age, being less agile when jumping up to my lap and she has some tremor, her head shakes sometimes. She also sleeps a lot more than usual. She eats a little and sometimes is very fussy - ignoring some kinds of food which she previously liked. She has began to drink a little milk or water. Previously she never did. Or perhaps she had access to water outside but she rarely goes out now. She does not appear to be in any discomfort. Should we worry? > Our cat is almost 21 years old and has always been in good health. She > is now showing signs of age, being less agile when jumping up to my lap [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Should we worry? Has she had a blood work up lately? With an older cat, I'd want a bi yearly check up at least, but she IS 21 which is very old and gosh she sounds like she has done well. > Our cat is almost 21 years old and has always been in good health. She > is now showing signs of age, being less agile when jumping up to my lap [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Should we worry? I'd take her to the vet for a check-up, incl. a full panel of blood work to see what underlying condition(s) is starting to slow her down. She's a really old cat, who's apparently been doing very well up till now. She may be in an early stage of renal failure, for example, & with some treatment, may continue to do & feel well for quite a while yet. Cathy > Our cat is almost 21 years old and has always been in good health. She > is now showing signs of age, being less agile when jumping up to my lap [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Should we worry? She is just very old. Make things as easy as you can for her, keep loving her as you do, and get her a geriatrics checkup at the vet. Old cats are a lot like old people, if you think about it. A little cranky, a little fussy, a little fragile but so delightful when all is said and done. Maybe try some different foods as her sense of taste and probably her digestion have changed a bit. > > Our cat is almost 21 years old and has always been in good health. She > > is now showing signs of age, being less agile when jumping up to my lap [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > She is just very old. If she is now noticeably drinking, whereas she wasn't before, that likely indicates a medical reason in the background. Cathy Make things as easy as you can for her, > keep loving her as you do, and get her a geriatrics checkup > at the vet. Old cats are a lot like old people, if you think about > it. A little cranky, a little fussy, a little fragile but so delightful > when all is said and done. Maybe try some different foods > as her sense of taste and probably her digestion have > changed a bit. > > > Our cat is almost 21 years old and has always been in good health. She > > > is now showing signs of age, being less agile when jumping up to my lap [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > If she is now noticeably drinking, whereas she wasn't before, that likely > indicates a medical reason in the background. Did you read the rest of my post where I suggested a vet checkup? Incidentally, when my cat Gnarly turned 19 through the rest of her life she stopped eating AND drinking as much. However, her weight did not change until the end when she just stopped. > Cathy > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > as her sense of taste and probably her digestion have > > changed a bit. > > > > Our cat is almost 21 years old and has always been in good health. She > > > > is now showing signs of age, being less agile when jumping up to my [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Did you read the rest of my post where I suggested a vet checkup? Yes, I did & left the rest of your post there, sans snipping. Cathy > Incidentally, when my cat Gnarly turned 19 through the rest of her > life she stopped eating AND drinking as much. However, her weight [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > > as her sense of taste and probably her digestion have > > > changed a bit. > Our cat is almost 21 years old and has always been in good health. She > is now showing signs of age, being less agile when jumping up to my lap [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Should we worry? she has lived a good life. Just continue taking care of her and see that she enjoys her remaining time. Purrs that she will stay well and when her departing times come, purrs that it is gentle. MLB > Our cat is almost 21 years old and has always been in good health. She > is now showing signs of age, being less agile when jumping up to my lap [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Should we worry? **Hi Conrad, No, I wouldn't worry. She sounds amazingly healthy considering her age. You guys sound like great parents. Any secrets that you want to pass along to us regarding her longevity? :-). With my old boy ( and he wasn't*as old as your baby),Blue, I, " senior proofed" my home for him as he began to show subtle signs of aging which began the last 5 or 6 years of his life. I put a foot stool at the end of my ( high-3ft) bed to help accommodate his ease of jumping and help slightly with his potential aching joints. I raised his eating and drinking plates by putting an old covered phone book underneath them, so when he drank and ate he would have an easier time keeping his balance. It's often the little things we can do to help them. Toward the last 4 years of Blue' life, I would almost always bring him some cold water, and/or food to where Ever he happened to be sitting ( usually right beside me) or laying. I would bring his water or milk or chicken breasts, etc, to him and hold it up to his mouth and let him drink or eat, like good nurse would do. :-). Blue lived to be 19 1/2, and if not for his sudden heart disease that seemed to come suddenly ( just 3 months before he passed away from cardiomylophathy-SP), I would bet in my heart that he would have lived to be as old as your precious kitty is, or slightly older, because he was in very good health for his* age,..but God had other plans. ML > No, I wouldn't worry. She sounds amazingly healthy considering her age. >You guys sound like great parents. Any secrets that you want to pass along >to us regarding her longevity? :-). I think some of it is general good health (got the healthy genes), and also good mentality. I have found that the more dominant and/or agressive cats seem to spend more time stressed out, and they don't seem to live as long. Of all the cats in our home as I have grown up, the dominant ones all died in the 12-15 year range. The extreme neurotic cat died young, only 6, but then he chased raccoons. It is our belief that he chased one too far. He wasn't the brightest. My first cat was extremely mild. She would defend herself if necessary, but she never went after anybody, and they all respected her. She could curl up with anybody in the house, even liked the dogs. She lived to be 19. Maynard is also very mild mannered. He is known as the gentleman.Can't be any milder. He is 18 1/2 and going strong. Kira, I worry about. She isn't dominant, but she is easily stressed. She is a drama queen, and over-reacts to everything. So, while she is very healthy at 11 years old, I will be surprised if she lives as long as the others. Greatful, but surprised. My new kitty, Jay Jay, is also extremely mild. He adjusted very quickly and very well. He took a couple swings at the dogs when they got in his face, but he hasn't growled once or started anything. He's 12.3 lbs and actually backed away when Kira (8 lbs) swore at him. So, I think he will part of the long-life club. It's similar to people. Those who get stressed out a lot, or have to push for a super fast-paced life, tend to die at younger ages. Another issue would also be their family and surroundings. Maynard was losing weight a couple years ago, and I figured out that he was actually depressed and/or bored. He would eat fine when I was around, but not while I was gone. I found that the simple act of petting him good bye when leaving for work and giving him a special greeting when I got home, was enough to get him eating normally again. He just needed to feel special again. That was 2 years ago, and I still make a special effort to make sure I say goodbye and pet him. And i make sure I find him right away when I get home and love him up.  Signature-- Meghan & the Zoo Crew Equine and Pet Photography http://www.zoocrewphoto.com > > No, I wouldn't worry. She sounds amazingly healthy considering her age. > >You guys sound like great parents. Any secrets that you want to pass along > >to us regarding her longevity? :-). Meghan Noecker replied: > I think some of it is general good health (got the healthy genes), and > also good mentality. I have found that the more dominant and/or [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > -- > Meghan & the Zoo Crew *** Yes, you may be 'on to' something, Megan. Especially* if your version of "extremely mild" basically means very docile/ gentle /laid back. I'm assuming it does..? That's how my boy Blue was ( just in case you don't remember me talking about this already :-), very laid back, gentle as a lamb, observant, sweet, sensitive, smart, always obedient, always non-aggressive. Yes, my dear old Blue should have been cloned, alright. His wonderful and exceptional personally traits were superb and worth passing along into the kitty gene pool...in my dream word.. I digress.. :-) ML >*** Yes, you may be 'on to' something, Megan. Especially* if your version >of "extremely mild" basically means very docile/ gentle /laid back. I'm >assuming it does..? Yep. He spends most of his day snoozing. When I am home, he follows me around or sleeps nearby. He does play when I bring out the string toy, so he can be active. But when it comes to other cats, he hasn't hissed or growled once. And he even backed down when the smaller cat swatted at him. With the dogs, he does do the "make myself bigger" routine. It is obvious that he has fear of dogs (probably a bad experience when he was an outdoor cat). But he has has not hissed or growled. And he he has only swatted a couple times, and that was when the idiot dog got in his face. Jay Jay is even more mild than Mr. Gentleman Maynard. He seems to be a very happy comfy cat. Signature-- Meghan & the Zoo Crew Equine and Pet Photography http://www.zoocrewphoto.com |
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