QI: worrying me

It might be something fairly simple, like a bladder infection (cystitis). She would feel she needs to wee, all the time, so doesn't go far from where she knows she can. She probably doesn't actually produce any wee - evidence! - but sits there, in case. She is not yet at the upper limit of cat old age, by any means. So, don't despair. . In message , Janner writes

Janner,

19-1/2 yrs is a good age for a cat - and she does have an infection as Patti said, the Wet can give you medication to help her. If she still eats and is quite happy and not in any pain, the Vet won't send her to Rainbow Bridge - that's your choice and you will make that decision when you know the time is right. I had a cat who was born in our garden so we had her from birth until she was 20years old and I believe she would have gone on for a while yet but being deaf she didn't hear my neighbours car and he ran over her breaking her pelvis - she would not have survived the operation so we sent her to Rainbow Bridge.

Your QI will alo let you know when she is ready to go.

Gentle pats and tickles for your QI.

I had a neighbor with an old dog that seemed to have some kind of dementia. He would go out the doggy door in the middle of the night and when he didn't come back her owner found her just standing in the middle of the yard and couldn't seem to remember where he was supposed to be. The vet said it isn't that unusual in an old dog. I would think cats could do the same. Taria

Janner wrote:

AS others have said, you kitty might have some sort of bladder or kidney problem which is the reason for staying by the litter box. Is she eating and, more importantly, drinking water? A trip to the vet might be in order. As for the memory problems, YES, elderly cats have them the same as humans. We had one kitty who would wake up in the middle of the night, leave the bed for some reason and then stand in the hallway howling until one of us woke up and called to her. She was , in her mind, lost and, after calling her name several times, she would shut up and come running, hop on the bed and act as if we had been gone on holiday for two weeks. I specifically asked the vet about this and was told that cats get what we started to call Kitty Alzheimer's. Obviously there is nothing to be done about improving the kitty's memory issues but if she continues to spend an inordinate amount of time at the litter box, then she should certainly go visit the vet. As someone else said, you will know when it's her time to take the final trip to the Rainbow Bridge. {{{{Janner & cat baby}}}}} CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

If she does need antibiotics there is an oral version and an injectable version. The former can be hard on their tummies so try for the injectable antibiotics. (we had probs with our diabetic cat who had a bladder infection, but was not eating right because the oral antibiotics were bothering her. Her glucose got way too low and we almost lost her. The vet at the emerg clinic gave her an injection of antibiotics (well after the iv of glucose, that is) and everything got back to normal again). Good luck! Allison

DiMa wrote:

I don't know about kitties, but there is a drug now for dementia in older dogs. I don't know the name. And vets do not want to euthanize pets, regardless of the age, any more. My sister had a heck of a time finding a vet who would put our mom's dog to sleep. Little Miss was 15 or so, blind, incontinent, bowel incontinent and totally senile. She was miserable and destroyed my sister's carpet in the two months she lived with them.

By all this I mean that your kitty probably has a urinary tract infection and the vet will behappy to treat her and send her home with you.

Sunny

It's one of the drugs used for human Alzheimer's. With cats, you can also get results with an anti-oxidant (like vitamin E) and omega-3 oils. Our 16-year-old cat Ishtar seemed to be getting that problem (it's called Feline Cognitive Dysfunction if you want to google for it) - howling at nothing in the middle of the night for hours. We gave her one human-size capsule of each every few days. The howling stopped almost immediately and she seemed a lot happier.

But I agree with the other people here that urinary tract problems are much more likely.

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === ==== Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557 CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

Janner, I'm sorry to hear that your kitty is having problems. On Tuesday this week I had to send my 13 1/2 y/o kitty over the Rainbow Bridge. She was going to the litter box frequently, drinking a lot more and losing her hair. Vet thought she might have a food allergy, so we changed her food. But her condition continued to deteriorate. She was then tested for thyroid problems and diabetes. By the time we got the test results back and found out that she was diabetic, it was too late to treat her. She was on the verge of a diabetic coma and very dehydrated.

So my suggestion is take her to the vet and have her tested right away for diabetes and thyroid problems as well as bladder infections. I hope it isn't anything serious and she gets the treatment she needs. Good luck.

Hugs, Mika

i am a lurker but have had the same thing with my cat years ago. she kept trying to go and couldn't. she had a bladder infection and was cleared up very easy with rx . please take yours to the vet. she isn't ready to die yet. karen(kz)