Older cat not looking great..?

Question

I have a 14 year old female cat. She has lost a ton of weight, however eats all the time. She basically chases us for our food! Hangs around the kitchen and drinks more water than normal. This has gone on for some time, we tried many different things. I feed her unlimited food, but she still wants our food and is a bit of a bug about it. She has gone from about 13lbs to 5 lbs in the last year. She seems happy, loving, talkative, fine, but also is not cleaning herself, fur is getting clumpy and messy. I am thinking she is either diabetic or her thyroid is acting up. When she was 6 she was treated (surgery for a large lump on her shoulder) for cancer. We were told they couldn't get a clean margin and she would likely die within a year. She is about 14 now so she made it through that and a house fire 8 years ago! I truly can't afford a large vet bill, I am so upset I am not sure what to do, if her time has come I need to let go, but I wonder if she can be saved. Any ideas? Thank you!!!

Thanks so much for all your input. I am going to call a vet tomorrow and see if I can have her in for a visit to figure out what is up. Its the least I can do for all the years shes given me. I am afraid of the car ride also. One other time I had to take her in to get weighed for flea medication (once in 14 years! - lucky) and she was so sick and panting.. and now that she is sickly I fear traveling with her. I gave her a bath today, very gently and managed to get a few bits of matted hair off, I think she feels better about that. I will let you know what happens, thanks so much everyone XO

Answer 1

Hi Nancy... This sounds very similar to either Hyperthyroidism and or Chronic Renal Failure (CRF), both which are very common in senior cats.

Bloodwork is the only way to diagnose and confirm which your kitty has and what the treatment options are to follow.

Because of your financial concerns, I would at least consider discussing all your options with your vet over the phone to see what they can do to help you financially if she has a chance of being stabilised a while longer.

I am enclosing a couple websites that describes about both Hyperthyroidism and CRF in detail. May I please suggest that you spend a few moments to review them to help you prepare and decide how to best approach your kitty's care with your vet.

My heart and prayers go out to you and your kitty.

Answer 2

Wow! A textbook case of hyperthyroidism!

I rescued a 15 year old cat who was dying of hyperthyroidism. She was treated with radiation and is still plugging along at age 22.

So go to the vet with her right away and get the thyroid level tested. There is medication for that which you put in food twice a day. It shouldn't be a big vet bill and you can have a vet write a prescription to fill at any pharmacy if that turns out to be cheaper.
The dose however can take a while to get it just right. That would mean repeating blood tests to see if the hormonal secretion is at the right level. I would think around $300 would take care of the tests and a start on the medication.

Please take care of your senior lady. She is a brave cat and you can help her with this condition.

Answer 3

When a older cat starts drinking alot more water then normal and lossing weight it a sure sign of kidney decline and failure. Please get her into the vets as he will do a kidney function test ( just blood work)to see how advanced it is and offer suggestions as to how best to manage it.Good luck I have lost a few older cats to this problem.

Clinical Signs

, the classic signs of kidney failure are increased urine output and a compensatory increase in water intake (thirst). Also, with more advanced kidney failure, other signs may include loss of appetite, weight loss and a poor haircoat, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, and very bad breath. Occasionally, ulcers will be found in the mouth. A heart murmur may be present when the anemia of renal failure develops.

High blood pressure is relatively common in cats with failing kidneys. The sustained high blood pressure causes some cats to detach the retinas in the back of the eye or to have strokes. These situations result in sudden blindness and loss of equilibrium.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of kidney failure is made by determining the level of two waste products in the blood, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and blood creatinine, and urine specific gravity. Urine specific gravity is obtained from a urine sample. It helps assess the ability of the kidneys to “do work.” The normal cat has very concentrated urine (high specific gravity), whereas the cat with renal failure has dilute urine (low specific gravity).

When the BUN and creatinine reach certain levels, they are very specific indicators of renal failure. However, the problem with these tests is that they do not become abnormal until late in the disease. Over 75% of kidney function must be lost before the test results are substantially elevated.

Treatment

The course of treatment depends on the severity of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Animals that are very ill must be hospitalized and treated aggressively with fluid therapy delivered intravenously.

In the first phase of treatment, large volumes of intravenous fluids are given in an attempt to flush toxins from the body. This flushing process, called diuresis, is designed to maximize the function of all remaining kidney tissue. If enough functional kidney cells remain, they may be able to adequately meet the body’s needs for waste removal with the help of this additional fluid. Also, the fluid therapy helps to replace various electrolytes, especially potassium

Answer 4

It sounds like she is having kidney failure. My cat was 15 years old and just passed away because of this 3 weeks ago. If you can not afford a huge vet bill just keep giving her plenty of water it will help push fluids through her. and just make her last days comfortable. she may not go for a while. My cat lived for a year and a half after we found out. I think my mom got a diateric for her.

She is an old cat and she sounds like she has had a good life.
Good luck.

Answer 5

You really should have her checked. She has lost almost 2/3 of her body weight. There is something going on.

I know how you feel. I have been in your position many times. My old girl (who lived to be 22) ate everything in sight and still dropped weight. I had three others (9 and 13 and 17) who went through it also. They were all ill.

It's not easy, but take comfort in the fact that you are not alone, I've been there, and I feel your heartache. Get her to the vet and at least get a diagnosis.

Good luck...I'm thinking of you!!

Answer 6

Do what max said, take kitty in and have the blood work up on it. That is too much weight in one year, something is going on and it will give you peace of mind too. My cat is 16 and she lost weight, but not that much. Doc said that since it was not a drastic amount I should not worry, 14 is not old for a cat yet. An extreme amount of water is a warning too .But don't deny it from her! Give her what she wants and when she wants it, make sure you have moist food for her too. ( for senior cats). As for her fur, try to keep her brushed or combed so you can help her along, those knots on the fur hurts and all you can do after they get them is to get a mini shaver and shave it off. I bought a tiny one that takes one battery at Petco. It was 19.00 It was in the dog section but I found it was the best one for cats, it did not make allot of noise and really gets them off safely!

Answer 7

why don't you just take her to your vet for an exam. They will examine her,give you some ideas on what could be wrong and then give you options on what to do to treat. If it is more than you are willing to spend then it may be time to let her go. There is no way to diagnose over the computer what might be wrong. There could be numerous medical issues,diabetes, kidney,liver, thyroid etc etc

Answer 8

Old Cat Lady has it exactly right, methinks. I had a couple of cats over the years that were helped by a little white pill in the food each day. Symptoms disappeared almost immediately.

Answer 9

Hmm... well when that same exact thing happened to our older cat, we took her to the vet and got a battery of tests done. Turns out she had kidney failure and we had to put her down. I hope what is happening to your kitty is not as serious. Best of luck to you.

Answer 10

my cat has the same symptoms and we didnt have money to do tests but the vet said more than likely it was kidney failure
there is this stuff online called tripsy that is suppose to help
check this link out its another ladies story about her cats kidney failure and how tripsy helped
hope this helps