Elderly cat walking into things

[aberdeen 10]

took her to the vets tonight.

 

She is definately loosing her sight, poor little thing already deaf now going blind.

 

She has to have a blood test on Monday to check if there is an underlying problem, and then blood pressure if necessary.

 

so it could be her kidneys or blood pressure, which the vet has said can be controlled with medication.

 

She is managing ok though, straight to her food when she got home! I think she will manage. She doesn't go out, only in the garden with us and we will keep everything where she can find it.

 

She is a tough little thing.

[cooljules 10]

thats good news, as long as its happy n not in pain then cant see a prob. :-)

[medusa 16]

in real terms how old is a 20 year old cat? i didnt know cats can live this long...anyway good luck :-)

 

According to the people at Guinness, the world's oldest recorded cat which can prove its age (i.e. pedigree) was a Siamese who lived until the grand old age of 37!

 

In context of that, a 20 year old cat doesn't seem so great.

[medusa 16]

took her to the vets tonight.

 

She is definately loosing her sight, poor little thing already deaf now going blind.

 

She has to have a blood test on Monday to check if there is an underlying problem, and then blood pressure if necessary.

 

so it could be her kidneys or blood pressure, which the vet has said can be controlled with medication.

 

She is managing ok though, straight to her food when she got home! I think she will manage. She doesn't go out, only in the garden with us and we will keep everything where she can find it.

 

She is a tough little thing.

 

Whilst losing her sight isn't good, it is a natural part of ageing for many animals and I'm sure that she'll cope really well once you make the allowances that she'll need and you've sorted her out with the treatments to treat any underlying conditions.

 

In terms of making things easier for her around the house you may well need to change your cleaning routine a little to stop cleaning quite so well (it's a good excuse to stop being fastidious!) because pet odour killers, steam cleaners and the like will reduce her ability to make a 'smell picture' of your home.

 

So help her along by not moving the furniture unless it's really necessary and make sure that her scent marks aren't destroyed and I'm sure she will cope with just the occasional slip up

[cooljules 10]

According to the people at Guinness, the world's oldest recorded cat which can prove its age (i.e. pedigree) was a Siamese who lived until the grand old age of 37!

 

In context of that, a 20 year old cat doesn't seem so great.

 

i meant er...like a dog is 7 to 1 human, what it was like for cats same thing, im not really good at words lol. like arthur is now 14, but still acts like a pup and runs about etc, even with a dicky ticker

[aberdeen 10]

Thanks Medusa

 

I take note of what you say, especially about the scent marks.

 

It will be quite suitable not to be so fastidious!

 

We are not moving anything at all. We want to be kind but also let her map out some independence, so I guess she will adapt and as long as she is happy, in no pain and can have her medication then we will be content.

[Dozy 11]

Thanks Medusa

 

I take note of what you say, especially about the scent marks.

 

It will be quite suitable not to be so fastidious!

 

We are not moving anything at all. We want to be kind but also let her map out some independence, so I guess she will adapt and as long as she is happy, in no pain and can have her medication then we will be content.

My bold

 

And so will she. Cats usually adapt quite well to disabilities, and as long as she has food and fuss and somewhere cosy to cuddle up, she'll still continue to enjoy life.

[ecol 10]

My 18 year old Tabatha went blind 2 years before she died, but boy could she move when she knew her way about.It never affected her happiness and luckily only went down hill over 24 hours.I'll never forget her.

[aberdeen 10]

Thanks Ecol

 

How long did it take for her to adjust, sorry to ask if you are still missing her.

 

Was really upset tonight to watch her so confused, trying to find her way round and just getting hopelessly mixed up.

 

Am scared to intervene too soon as I want her to find her way. I think being deaf too probably makes it more difficult.

 

I wonder if we should centralise her food and cat tray and where she sleeps.

 

At the moment she seeps in the lounge and travels through dining room into kitchen for tray, I don't want to restrict her movement just want to do the best for her.