sick cat needs help?

Question

my cat, violet is nearly 17 years old and previously in good health. Now she may just be suffering from old age but she is in a right state, been to the vets spent over £200 but all they can find is an ear infection. Basically she will ly in her bed for 3 or 4 days, like she is in a semi coma or drunk or something, hardly moving at all, not even eating or drinking, unable to walk etc. Then she will perk up for the day and be 100% better,(but still not right) then its back to being all drugged up, thats the only way i can describe it. She has had a course of antbiotics, plus blood tests which show nothing is wrong with her organs. Has anyone got any ideas from my description.

Answer 1

My mum had a cat names Keifer that had very similar symptoms. He was pushing 20 and would become disorientated, spend hours in an almost comatose sleep and sometimes become distressed when waking up - my mum used to sometimes wake him as she was worried he was actually dead as he looked so out of it. When he went through these phases he would not eat but would kind of snap out of it every now and again.
When she took him to the vets they diagnosed a type of senility (similar to Alzheimer's) and said there was not really any treatment to improve it. Mum decided that he really didn't have much quality of life left as he was more out of it than not and made the difficult decision to have him put to sleep eventually.
It sounds like Violet may be in a similar situation and if you have had blood tests done which do not point to any internal problem (kidneys/liver etc) it sounds like it probably is a neurological problem.
Gauge the quality of life she has at the moment - does she get distressed, is her body suffering because of a lack of nutrients when she's not eating, does she still enjoy attention from you? You will know when the time is right as you know her best.
Good luck xx

Answer 2

You cat is very old, Bless her, Cats when they get to this age can go down really quickly, It is the old age but cats of this age are prone to kidney problems, their organs unfortunately start to fail, She does need regular check ups but maybe it is the medication that she is taking, Antibiotics can have side effects as they do with us sometimes, She does sound like there is something going on. I suggest a second opinion, If the vet says her organs are ok then she should ideally be more perky, The ear infection may be hurting her and affecting her balance but should not stop her eating, Have a look at her eyes, if her membranes in her eyes have come across to the centre this is a sure sign she is really not well, I wish you all the best, It is terrible to see our loved animals suffering without knowing what is is.

Answer 3

Well
A very good, eye-opening site about this problem is: http://memoryloss.toptips.org
Memory loss may be due to many conditions such as small strokes in the brain, diabetes, high blood pressure, nutritional deficiencies, reactions to medications and alcoholism. The symtoms of more severe forms of Dementia / Alzheimer are mainly: poor judgement, poor decision making, masplacing things, difficulty having a conversation, losing track of dates, etc. If you notice any of these signs visit your doctor.
Have a nice day

Answer 4

Get a second opinion. It seems your cat could have had a small stroke (or maybe even two), as I read from your description.

Make sure that she is drinking as that is the most important, otherwise she will dihydrate and her kidneys will possibly fail. Old cats tend to have weak kidneys. Buy a siringe (without needle) at the drug store, and feed her water like that. One seringe at a time and several times per day ( make it three times; morning, afternoon and evening).

Answer 5

As above, I would seek advice from another vet, has her thyroid been checked? Having said that, Violet is very very old and she is probably just slowing right down as you would expect at her age and I personally would'nt want too many invasive checks made on her which could tip the balance and shorten her time left with you.

Answer 6

Well if your vet said that she has an ear infection that can disturb her balance kind of like vertigo. If you inner balance is mixed up, it can cause you to have nausea. If she isn't eating to point that you are concerned, put some peanut butter on the roof of her mouth, it will act kind of like an IV drip of nutrients and is very high in protein which animals desperately need. I hope this helps!Jen

Answer 7

I'm so sorry to hear this about your cat. I you could take her to another vet and see what they say to you. It could just be old age as some humans are like that when they are old. Just try and give her water daily some how,even use a baby syringe.
Good luck i hope its not serious

Answer 8

It particularly sounds like he desires to be regarded at. Take him to the vet, very almost any ailment is greater reasonably-priced if that is taken care of early. The preliminary flow to shouldn't cost too lots, and any good vet will artwork with you if that is interior the final interests of the animal -- charge plans etc. in case you discover that besides the fact that's incorrect particularly is basically too high priced to handle, try asking your community no-kill look after for help. they actually, particularly, care approximately animals and are possibly that should assist you with vet fees. a number of them might even handle each and all the vet fees with the aid of a "parent angel" application funded via community donations. good success. Take the little guy to the vet appropriate away -- waiting fees greater funds interior the long-term, and ought to even cost his existence.

Answer 9

That's a pretty good age for a cat - does she ever sit in a corner, looking at nothing or walk round miaowing for no reason? It may be that she's going a bit senile, i.e. her body's outliving her brain. At least this would mean she's not in any pain, but if she's not enjoying life any more... you know :(

Answer 10

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