My furkid is my family, so I'm posting this here...

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santuzza

santuzza

Senior Member
#1
Feb 12, 2013
1,609
38
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#1
I have an old cat. A very old cat. She has dementia, and she's becoming increasingly difficult to live with due to the incessant meowing. Physically, she's in pretty good shape -- she's very, very skinny but doesn't appear to be in any pain, still uses the litter box, and runs around the house. But I feel SO bad for her because she just seems so confused and anxious. When I snuggle with her, she calms down, but I can't snuggle with her 24/7.

Any advice? I certainly don't feel it's time to put her down because, physically, she's doing pretty well. Or perhaps it IS time to say good-bye. What do you think?
 
blue_ladybug

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
#2
Feb 21, 2014
70,937
9,689
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#2
santuzza said:
I have an old cat. A very old cat. She has dementia, and she's becoming increasingly difficult to live with due to the incessant meowing. Physically, she's in pretty good shape -- she's very, very skinny but doesn't appear to be in any pain, still uses the litter box, and runs around the house. But I feel SO bad for her because she just seems so confused and anxious. When I snuggle with her, she calms down, but I can't snuggle with her 24/7.

Any advice? I certainly don't feel it's time to put her down because, physically, she's doing pretty well. Or perhaps it IS time to say good-bye. What do you think?
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Animals can't tell us when their suffering or in pain. She's old, she's very skinny, and meows incessantly. That kind of meowing isn't normal. Cats don't live forever. Animals know when it's their time, it's up to US to be smart enough to realize what their telling us. My cat Rusty had seizures, stopped eating, lost bowel control and would sit in front of me and just stare at me. It broke my heart but I knew I had to end his suffering. Do what you think is best for HER, not yourself. Her dementiaaa and anxiety will only get worse.
 
G

GodIsSalvation

Banned
#3
Dec 18, 2013
6,733
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I think if your cat is in physical shape it is probably okay and still has some vitality in it for a fair bit more time.

Never heard of a cat having dementia, but I did have one cat that died of old age, and it was pretty obvious it did not have much longer.
 
blue_ladybug

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
#4
Feb 21, 2014
70,937
9,689
113
#4
GodIsSalvation said:
I think if your cat is in physical shape it is probably okay and still has some vitality in it for a fair bit more time.

Never heard of a cat having dementia, but I did have one cat that died of old age, and it was pretty obvious it did not have much longer.
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Cats can be in good physical shape and still be suffering or ill. Santuzza, please don't let her linger on until she dies on her own. She is telling you through her anxiety and incessant meowing, that something is wrong with her.
 
MarcR

MarcR

Senior Member
#5
Feb 12, 2015
5,486
183
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#5
santuzza said:
I have an old cat. A very old cat. She has dementia, and she's becoming increasingly difficult to live with due to the incessant meowing. Physically, she's in pretty good shape -- she's very, very skinny but doesn't appear to be in any pain, still uses the litter box, and runs around the house. But I feel SO bad for her because she just seems so confused and anxious. When I snuggle with her, she calms down, but I can't snuggle with her 24/7.

Any advice? I certainly don't feel it's time to put her down because, physically, she's doing pretty well. Or perhaps it IS time to say good-bye. What do you think?
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You should probably consult a veterinarian. Possibly a simple procedure or even a change of diet may make her more comfortable.
 
M

MissKam

Junior Member
#6
Dec 26, 2014
4
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#6
Spirit Essences | Jackson Galaxy I use this to help one of my cats with bullying issues and another with fear. I was feeling pretty desperate so I decided to try it. It takes about a week or two to really start working but has been such a blessing since.
 
M

MissKam

Junior Member
#7
Dec 26, 2014
4
1
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#7
Also, yeah I would get a vet's opinion first about whether she really is physically ill or not. If not they will also give you options for addressing her fear.
 
santuzza

santuzza

Senior Member
#8
Feb 12, 2013
1,609
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#8
Yeah, I took her to the vet - she definitely has dementia -- but no other problems really (other than kidney dysfunction which she has had for years and is controlled with diet). Physically, for her age, she's in great shape.

My hubby wants to wait until there is a physical issue -- like soiling -- before we put her down. I'm more inclined to let her go now.

At this point, I think the vet is a bit on the fence, and leaving it to us. I haven't heard from her, "yes, well, we should end her suffering." So I guess it's a wait and see at this point -- I just feel so bad for my cat.
 
Willie-T

Willie-T

Banned
#9
Feb 7, 2015
22,418
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#9
I'm with your husband. Dementia really doesn't bother them. It mostly just bothers us since we transfer so many of our emotions to them, we are certain they MUST be all shook up about this.
 
P

Pilkington

Senior Member
#11
Jan 13, 2015
640
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#11
Santuzza, I think as your vet hasn't advised ending her suffering I think things are fine. Just curious as to how old she is. My inlaws cat is old and frail but still doing okish she is 19 year old.
 
P

psychomom

Guest
#12
#12
santuzza said:
Yeah, I took her to the vet - she definitely has dementia -- but no other problems really (other than kidney dysfunction which she has had for years and is controlled with diet). Physically, for her age, she's in great shape.

My hubby wants to wait until there is a physical issue -- like soiling -- before we put her down. I'm more inclined to let her go now.

At this point, I think the vet is a bit on the fence, and leaving it to us. I haven't heard from her, "yes, well, we should end her suffering." So I guess it's a wait and see at this point -- I just feel so bad for my cat.
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we, too, have a soon to be 20 yo cat with the same behavior.

honestly, i think it bothers us more than it does her. :)

disgustingly healthy.....dementia aside.

praying for you, though. ♥
 
santuzza

santuzza

Senior Member
#13
Feb 12, 2013
1,609
38
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#13
Our cat is 18 1/2. Thanks for all the input -- yes, I'm sure it bothers us more than her!
 
santuzza

santuzza

Senior Member
#14
Feb 12, 2013
1,609
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#14
Okay, since a lot of you have geriatric cats, I MUST share something that I learned yesterday. My hubby and I were on our way to pick up my car at the shop, and we saw this new business called Cats Kingdom. On a whim, we decided to stop. We spoke with the owner who has had (and still has) a lot of old cats. She gave us some suggestions on feeding our feline because she has been losing so much weight. The owner suggested that we warm the cat's food to 102*F (their body temp) and she sold us a warmer for such a purpose (yes, I felt a bit like I was taking sucker bait). HOWEVER, it has made a HUGE difference in just this short time. My cat ate an entire half can of food at one sitting! She hasn't done that in ages and ages.

The owner of the store said that the reason this works is that the food gives off more of an odor when it's warm, and older cats tend to lose their sense of smell (did you know that? I didn't!). I'm telling you, my cat just snarfed down the food. So, if you have an older cat that is not eating as much, I can't recommend this product enough.

Just thought I'd share.
 
PopClick

PopClick

Senior Member
#15
Aug 12, 2011
4,056
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#15
Santuzza, you might consider trying a pheromone collar. They aren't terribly expensive, and they work well for some cats but not all. Some people rave about them and some say they didn't make any difference, but I do think it's worth a try.

Older cats often want to be extra-warm, so I would also try putting a heat pack under her bed/blanket and see if she seems more content. There are heated beds you can buy but I'd try the heat pack first and see if she takes to it. The heat pack doesn't have to be anything fancy, either, it can be just a cotton pillowcase with dry rice inside that you warm up in the microwave.
 
santuzza

santuzza

Senior Member
#16
Feb 12, 2013
1,609
38
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#16
Thanks, PopChick, we had looked at the pheomone collar at that Cats Kingdom place, so we may try that.

She already has a heated bed (she's had it for a couple of years), but lately she's abandoned it. I don't really know why. She just seems to prefer our bed now -- she's there ALL the time.
 
A

atwhatcost

Guest
#17
#17
santuzza said:
I have an old cat. A very old cat. She has dementia, and she's becoming increasingly difficult to live with due to the incessant meowing. Physically, she's in pretty good shape -- she's very, very skinny but doesn't appear to be in any pain, still uses the litter box, and runs around the house. But I feel SO bad for her because she just seems so confused and anxious. When I snuggle with her, she calms down, but I can't snuggle with her 24/7.

Any advice? I certainly don't feel it's time to put her down because, physically, she's doing pretty well. Or perhaps it IS time to say good-bye. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Sounds like you already have, but just in case, have you taken her to a vet? My cat got skinny (didn't get to meowing all the time until the end), but his problem was his kidneys had shut sown, so he was in pain he couldn't tell us about. Maybe you can't cuddle a cat 24/7, but with my cat, he slept with me.

My Dad has dementia. I don't know if the symptoms are the same in cats, but there's something in it for humans called sundown syndrome. Once the sun go down, the person gets disoriented. As long as Dad knows he's safe and in his house, he's okay. (Don't want him cooking on the stove by himself, but hard to stop him.) Can you sleep with the cat in your bed? If the cat feels safe, no need to meow. Then again, in my case, my old cat trained me to let him have first dibs in the bed. His spot was between my legs whether I wanted to change position or not. He'd scold me for dislodging him to turn. lol

As for putting her down, I just couldn't. I couldn't do it to a family member whether human, canine, or feline, unless there is no other choice. (Dad knows this about me, so I'm the person in charge of pulling his plug, if it ever comes to that.)
 
Angela53510

Angela53510

Senior Member
#18
Jan 24, 2011
11,786
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#18
Just as an aside. Most people don't know they have dementia after a certain point. They don't remember enough to remember what they have lost. Your cat may be like that. It may not know where it is or why. Everything may seem unfamiliar.

But I am glad you solved the eating problem. I have a 10 year old cat that will only eat vegetarian dried food, and oat grass. She won't eat any kind of canned food. I understand that raw food is the latest thing. My daughter swears by it for her dog. It helped her intestines and her coat and smell.

I guess I would try it if it gave my cat a few more happy years! I hope your cat continues to thrive, Santuzza!
 
santuzza

santuzza

Senior Member
#19
Feb 12, 2013
1,609
38
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#19
Due to advances in veterinarian medicine, I think our pets are living longer -- my cat is a good example. She was diagnosed with kidney dysfunction several years ago, but with a special diet, she lives on! 10, 15, 20 years ago, that diagnosis would have been a death sentence. Now that our pets are living longer, more geriatric issues are popping up -- like dementia.

Truly, it parallels medicine for humans as well -- just a few years later!
 
santuzza

santuzza

Senior Member
#20
Feb 12, 2013
1,609
38
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#20
Just an update: My dear cat is dying. She probably won't last the night, but if she survives the weekend, we will put her down on Monday. Poor thing. She really declined quickly over the past week. Hard to believe we're going to lose her after 18 years.
 
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