posted on April 25, 2001 06:16:02 PM
My oldest cat is going to be 16 years old in June. If he lives that long.
In recent months, he has developed a voracious appetite, but is losing weight at an alarming rate. All pretense of manners is gone - he will get right on the table if you aren't watching him, trying to get into the kid's cereal bowls or whatever else may be there. At the same time, he is more demanding of attention than ever, getting right up in my face in bed and refusing to move. If I move him, he is back in minutes.
I had to put his mother to sleep almost three years ago, after she went through this same thing. The vet couldn't find any reason for it - she tested everything she could think of. When I finally had Felicia put down, this beautiful cat who had weighed 12-14 pounds weighed 3 pounds, 2 ounces. If I hadn't had her put to sleep, I would have found her dead within days. And now I'm seeing the same thing with Foxy.
He's nowhere near as thin as his mother was (yet) - but he was averaging 14 pounds, and now...his hip bones show. When you pet him, you can feel every rib. I would estimate he's down to about 8 pounds now.
Surely someone else has had some experience with something like this - maybe your vet knew what was going on? I spent over $300 dollars trying to pinpoint what was wrong with Felicia, and I can't do it again. If anyone out there has a direction I can point the vet in, I'd sure appreciate it.
I hate having to do this again.
I'm heading off to do nightly kid duty, but I'll check back here tomorrow. Thanks in advance for any help.
posted on April 25, 2001 06:38:33 PM
Tape worm is all I can think of. My daughter is in Veterinary School now, and just took exams on it.
Also her cat, was doing the exact thing, when they went and took him to be fixed, they had all tests done, and they found tape worm. That cat would eat anything and everything all the time, and was the skinniest little thing.
She said, the way you could find out, is if it sleeps in one particular place, like hers did, the tape worm will break up and come out the other end of the cat, and it shrivels up to the size of a sesame seed, so you could look and see for that. My daugher had to clean everywhere that cat slept. These 'things' that come out, are just parts of the tape worm, so they are not alive. Tape worms are flat, and huge, and pieces of them break apart and pass thru the cat.
The cure is a pill. But having an appetite like that, and losing weight, sounds a lot like a tape worm.
posted on April 25, 2001 07:01:15 PM
My cat is 20. He follows me around too, but if he cant find me, he starts yowling at the top of his lungs until I holler at him "Im right here". Even then, he wont see me, and I have to go pick him up so he knows Im there. He used to be big, but is thinner now, probably due to age. He eats normally and still plays, but the only thing that makes him show is age is when he cant find me. Its like he forgets, or gets lost in the house.
Tape worm could be the problem. Did they check for it?
posted on April 25, 2001 07:03:45 PM
Tape worm is a possible reason, but also check the cats blood sugar for diabetes. We had our 17 year old cat put down a year ago after dealing with diabetes for over 4 years..daily insulin shots. When his blood sugar got out of wack, his eating and drinking changed...couldn't get enough water to drink and flooded the litter box. Plus he'd drop weight so fast. Good luck and hope you find the answer very soon. Times like this, you wish they could talk.
posted on April 25, 2001 07:10:24 PM
I'm really happy to know that your cats have lived as long as they have . I've had a few, but never to that age - they seem to either disappear or get run over.
I did have one cat though, that lost a lot of weight and the vet told me that if your cat has a habit of eating grasshoppers, that will do it!! It can eventually kill them, some sort of poison in the grasshopper.
posted on April 25, 2001 07:55:09 PM
Has your vet checked for hyperthyroidism? I had two cats that developed that condition - one was 11 and the other 16 when it was diagnosed. It's not uncommon in older cats. They eat voraciously, follow you around constantly and are very vocal.
posted on April 25, 2001 08:01:21 PM
MaddieNicks, at 16 it sounds like hyperthyroid or diabetes...both can be controlled with meds. If he is an indoor/outdoor cat could also be tapeworm.
If he is strictly indoor probably not tapeworm.
Older cats seem to become quite vocal, I had 3 who lived to 20 and 19 years of age...all were very noisy in their old age...part of that I think is caused when they lose their hearing and feel isolated.
I currently have a Maine Coon Cat who was diagnosed with diabetes in August of last year. It took two months to come up with the
proper insulin dosage...very easy to give the shot..cats cannot feel the needle.
If you want more info I will be happy to give you my experience. He is 10 and everything is going very well.
posted on April 26, 2001 04:22:56 AM
Sounds like diabetes to me too. Sons cat has same symptoms. They've decided to forgo the insulin shots and let him go. I give my dog daily insulin shots but it's easier to give a dog shots than a cat Good luck.
posted on April 26, 2001 07:47:02 AM
I love cats, having had many. I haven't owned one for over a decade now, since I hate it when they get sick and you love them so much, I hate it when they die of things, just like a child of mine would. I iwsh I could stand to have a cat again, but I won't go through the heartbreak anymore. That's just me.
posted on April 26, 2001 07:56:54 AMBorillar you have my sympathies, I do understand how you feel, the pain is almost unbearable. We had four cats at one time three of them lived to 20 & 19 years but the youngest (so sweet) who was only 7 yrs old had to be put down within 10 days of the 20 year old...that was sooo traumatic. The other 2 each lived to 19 years...still breaks your heart when you know there is nothing more you can do. Much against my better judgement my husband went to the shelter after we lost the first two and adopted the Maine Coon, Tigger. I love him and we are taking care of his diabetes sucsessfully, but I swear NO MORE after this.
Too hard to take.
Butterfly5 When you say your son is going to forgo the insulin and let the cat go, I am hoping they are going to put him down, as renal failure and many other
miserable things will befall this cat if not treated. I am a diabetic myself, and all of the things that can go wrong in an untreated human can happen to an animal only more quickly due to their small size.
MaddieNicks Please let us know what happens, I do want to reinforce my experience with giving shots (if needed) Tigger is a difficult cat, however, he has to eat...so when he is nearly through with his food, I reach down, gather up loose skin near his neck and give him his shot...he doesn't know he is getting it just thinks I can't keep my hands off of him. If I were to try and pick him up to put him on the counter to give the shot...forget it...I'd need emergency care.
[ edited by zilvy on Apr 26, 2001 08:01 AM ]
posted on April 26, 2001 09:47:37 AM
Wow! Thanks guys!
He's been inside all his life. When he was born, I lived in Albuquerque, and on a busy street. By the time we moved up here to rural land, he was already ten years old, and I thought he could just stay in the house. His momma, his brother and him are the only house only cats we had after we moved up here. Everybody else, tho, goes in and out. I would think they could bring the tapeworm thing in with them, couldn't they? And the indoor cats could catch it? Hmmm. BUT - if it was tapeworm, wouldn't the other cats show symptoms too? Nobody else is doing this stuff but him. He had to catch it from someone who brought it in from outside, and none of the other cats are acting like this. I don't know!
Pretty sure she checked Felicia for tapeworm, but I'll have to call and find out.
I know she did check the thyroid and for diabetes. Both of those were negative.
Foxy's brother is a year younger, and he is the howler. I wonder if it is because he's loosing his hearing...I never thought of that. He seems to still be quite healthy overall, save for a bit of loss of sanity. 'Course, he never was really sane, but that is getting worse as he ages. I still love him, and he still hates everyone but me. Been married for almost 11 years now, and he still hisses and scratches at hubby's ankles every chance he gets.
It is awfully hard to love these critters and then let them go when it's time. When I had Felicia put down I took a friend with me, because I knew I wouldn't cry in front of anyone. I cried before, while Felicia and I were in the exam room waiting for the vet, and I cried when she died. But I can't cry in front of people. Not sure if that's a gift or a flaw.
Sigh. Dunno what to do! Really can't afford a vet bill right now - in two weeks I'm gonna be off work for a while because of carpal tunnel surgery.
Thanks for the ideas - I'll let ya'll know what happens.
My daughters cat is indoor cat too, that had the tapeworm, how it got it, I wouldn't know.
We also have an older cat that is 15 yrs old in the main house, but they had interacted, older cat is fine. (My daughter rents the mother in law apt from me that is behind my house)
She's at school now, but I can ask her how tapeworm is contracted. When her cat had it, it was an easy rememdy, however her cat is much younger than yours, still it could be an easy remedy IF it is tapeworm...
Sorry!
edited to add: She just told me that indoor cats can get tapeworm. They can get it by swallowing a flea while grooming (most fleas, not all, carry tapeworm eggs) If you do have outdoor cats come in, a flea could come from them that carrys the eggs.
posted on April 26, 2001 01:37:23 PM
Yes, tapeworms are carried by fleas. A cat (or dog) will get them by swallowing and infected flea. It's pretty much up to the owner to detect tapeworms. Next time he uses the litter box for a BM, watch. If he has tape worms bad enough to cause this problem you should see them. They will look like grains of rice crawling around, but they dry up quickly so you have to look right away. Yech!
Another possibility is his kidneys. I have an 11 year old english pointer right now that weighs about half of what she used to due to her kidneys failing. This is not uncommon with older animals.
posted on April 26, 2001 02:22:38 PM
I have been giving my diabetic cat, Misha insulin shots for about 4 months now. People think I'm crazy when I tell them I have diabetic cat that I'm treating. I'm glad to hear others are taking the same route. Her littermate Keisha was also diabetic but she had liver problems too. She had to be put to sleep. That is so hard, but I think the best tribute to your cat is to go to the pound and get another one. It's hard to deal with the grief when they are sick or dying but think what you are missing without having them. I'll put up with the problems to have those little furry faces around.
"If man were to be crossed with a cat, it would greatly improve the man, but deteriorate the cat." Mark Twain
posted on April 26, 2001 03:20:13 PM
We're not really helping, are we? I know all these terrible possibilities are not easy to contemplate, but with our dog we have decided to make her as comfortable as possible, as long as possible. She still loves to get out with the other dogs and explore everything outside, and her tail still waggs (and points), so we will keep her on her special diet as long as she is active and comfortable.
posted on April 26, 2001 04:00:16 PMKris, I used to work for a vet, but that was a long, long time ago. The most practical suggestion I can give you is to watch him very carefully. You mentioned his increased appetite. Is he drinking more? Less? Is he urinating more? Less? Are his BMs normal? Does he seem to be in pain or uncomfortable using the catbox? Any other changes in his behavior or activities? The vet may very well ask you these questions and if you know the answers, you can help the vet help your cat.
[ edited by BlondeSense on Apr 26, 2001 04:03 PM ]
posted on April 26, 2001 07:52:48 PM
Is there a raspberry smilie? I'd like to send one to krs. The thought has crossed my mind, ya know.
BlondeSense - yeah, ya'll are helping. It's good to have some idea of what I need to be watching. I don't notice him drinking more - just crazy when there is any food around, people or cat food. And the weight loss. Our cat box is in the basement, so I don't tend to see when they "go". I'll ask the vet to check out these various possibilities. Even cancer.
I just hate going through this again with another cat. I think it's strange that his mother had the same thing, but none of the other cats have anything like this. He doesn't seem to be in any pain. I'll watch him, and call the vet early next week. (I can't pay the vet before then!)
Thanks a bunch, all. I knew there were a bunch of cat lovers here, and that there would be some ideas for me to pursue. I appreciate it.
posted on April 27, 2001 08:47:34 AM
Yawn.
What is your point?
I suspect that there isn't one of any validity.
But keep the jokes coming. They keep me from dozing off!
posted on April 27, 2001 09:19:21 AM
The point is were NOT talking about children, kids, cockroaches or any flowers that I know of, but were talking about cats.
posted on April 27, 2001 09:31:35 AMJl the reality is you are insulting this thread, the originator and cat lovers in general your "humor" is only peculiar not funny ha ha.
posted on April 27, 2001 09:43:04 AM
Didn't you blame the Egyptians for something in another thread not too long ago? Ramses, King Tut...is there in fact a secret agenda?
Yech!
