Something is wrong with my cat!?

Question

I have a female cat, who is about 15 years old. Initially, she started urinating right outside of the litterbox, and then around it. We eventually moved her down to the basement, which gave her access to the outdoors. Recently, she has gotten even worse, and can't even walk straight, since her back legs keep drifting to the side. She has also gotten very thin, and her breathing sounds like loud purring. She's also preferring milk over almost anything. Does anyone have any idea what is going on?

Answer 1

My mom's cat is 16 years old, and he's showing the very same signs that you've described. I believe it's just part of old age - if you think about it, that's very similar to what happens to some people as they age.

As other have suggested, taking her to the vet is the obvious answer, but if you can't afford it, I'd say to think about her quality of life - does she seem like she is still happy sometimes? If you were the cat, how would you feel? What would you want people to do? You may need to, unfortunately, have her put down. But if she seems fairly happy still, I'd just say to make her as comfortable as possible and try to be understanding.

Also, please do NOT give her milk unless it's the special kittens formula they sell. Cow's milk is very bad for a cat's digestive system and will ultimately result in causing more problems for poor kitty.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Answer 2

If you know something is wrong with your cat, why have you not taken her to the vet?!!!!

It is her RIGHT BY LAW to receive proper medical care and to deny it is abuse.

You didn't solve any problem by moving her litterbox, you merely denied it. She wasn't doing it to be bad -- she was trying to tell you in the only way she had that there is a PROBLEM! And if you had bothered to do your homework and knew anything about cats, you would know that can be a classic symptom of a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). UTIs HURT!!! And your vet could have prescribed an antibiotic.

However this sounds much more serious. With the loss of control of her hind legs, her thinness, etc. she could have kidney failure or heart failure. Both could have been treated and deterioration slowed or greatly eliminated had you done the right thing, the responsible thing, and gotten her to a vet!

Stop asking unqualified strangers on the internet who haven't even seen your cat - let alone examined her - and GET HER TO THE VET NOW! And don't start making excuses and whining that you "can't afford it." That is the responsibility of pet ownership. If you can't afford to properly care for a pet, then you have no right to have one. Animal Control agrees and when authorized will remove a pet from a home that is unable to provide for it- for the health and welfare of the animal.

Now get off your lazy butt, stop wasting time on the computer, call your vet and describe to them what your cat's symptoms are. Get her that appointment right away! Your vet, if you even have one, will want to do a complete checkup and blood test. Get the FULL blood test done.

Your cat could have many more years and at the LEAST be made comfortable if you actually make a effort to provide proper medical care for her! If you don't bother, it sounds as though she will be going downhill.

Answer 3

A vet exam would let you know if this is age, or pinched nerves in the hip area (a distinct possibility), poison ingested, injury from a fall, or something else.

15 isn't that old for a cat, they often get to 20 or 22 years old now. If her backbone wasn't feeling like rosary beads and the area above her hips still had padding till recently, she wasn't showing her age (they loose muscle mass when they get old, if she didn't till this happened, it's likely NOT age).

An exam would be the best way to find out what's going on. She should be eating soft foods if she won't eat the hard stuff, milk isn't nourishing enough to do her a lot of good. You can try some cans of meat baby food, those tempt an ill cat into eating quite often.

Answer 4

Is she peeing alot? Drinking alot? If this is the case, it sounds like your cat has diabetes. The problem with the back legs is called neuropathy. This is a very treatable disease but you have to act before things get worse and ketones develop which will be expensive and need immediate vet attention. To confirm if what i say is true, you can go to the pharmacy and buy some ketodiastic reagent strips to check the urine and see if sugar is spilling in and whether or not there are ketones present. Please, if your cat does have diabetes, please contact me as many vets just aren't up to date on treatment. I can teach you what you need to know to be able to care for your cat. Diabetes is not a death sentence, no life span lost and your cat can live many happy years

Answer 5

I also have a 15 year old female cat who went through inappropriate urinating outside of her litter box. You need to have blood and urine tests done on her to see if she is beginning to have kidney problems. Blood tests can determine if her BUN and Creatine levels are elevated, which would indicate the possibility of kidney disease. My cat eventually had an ultrasound done on her and it turned out she has numerous kidney stones in one of her kidneys. At her age, my vet did not recommend surgery to remove the stones. She now receives a daily dose of prednisone to eliminate her discomfort and inflammation the stones can cause when she has a flare.

You REALLY need to get her to a vet!! I cannot stress this enough. You need to take action when one of your pets is acting ill. They can't tell you what is wrong.

You really should not let her go outside right now. If something should happen to her outside you may never know.

Get her some medical attention right away!

Answer 6

I got my first cat when I was 8. He was a runt and they all said he would die soon. He lived 18 years, longer than all the others in the litter. My answer to you: LOVE HER. Let her know you are there. If the vet says she is suffering, it's best you put her out of her misery. That was my intention when I found out my cat was very sick. He died the day before our appointement to put him down. We stayed with him and cared for him until he passed on. He couldn't walk well anymore and loved the outdoors, but he knew where home was and who loved him.

Answer 7

Honey, you need to take this animal to the Vet!
It sounds like the kidneys are failing. A cat will display "behavior" problems when they are ill. The fact that she is peeing outside of the box,and then around it is indicative of this. Cats much prefer their box, so something is wrong. The milk, especially cows milk, is not helping. Do something about this right away, or you may end up losing her.

Answer 8

I know what's going on - your cat needs to go to the vet!

The urinating everywhere could've been a behavioural thing, but now she has problems walking and isn't eating properly - a cat shouldn't be drinking milk in the first place by the way. Yes they love it, but it isn't good for them.

Please take your cat to the vet, She's old, and clearly ill.

Chalice

Answer 9

I don't see anything in your answer about her being seen by a vet.

How long were you planning on waiting? The cat is obviously sick.

Fifteen is not terribly old. Many cats live into their late teens and early twenties -- but only with proper care.

Please take your cat to a vet.

Answer 10

The cat is old. However, if you can see the weight loss, you should take her to a vet. Urination and eating issues could be a bladder infection or something correctable.