Elderly cat

lowis

hi gerty - i am so so sorry to hear you are facing this.

i went down the chemo route - it is not as scary as it sounds and the doses they give the cats is nothing like the doses humans receive (hence why it is not a complete cure), most cats suffer no side effects at all. if you had met my cat whilst she was going through chemo you would have never known she had lymphoma, she was just normal...the only thing that happened was her whiskers fell out. i will PM you more details x

kiraroo

snap on the hyperthyroidism, was going to suggest the same thing.

if she is scratching or pulling at her fur near the base of her tail then it could be her anal glands.

either way i would take her to the vets to get some bloods taken to see how she's doing.

and if she gets stressed going to the vets, make sure her carrier is covered with a towel or something like that to reduce her fear, and phone your vets and see when their quiet times are so that she wont get scared by dogs or other pets

eira

Had to take one of our cats to the specialist hospital in Liverpool. I splashed out on a Cabrio carrier as I'd read good reviews. I was a bit sceptical but as he had a long journey I was prepared to try anything. He was actually a whole lot calmer than he'd been in his other carrier-it has a large 'windscreen' at the front , fitted neatly on the back seat and strapped in with a seat belt.Opens front and top.

But I would try the Bach Rescue Remedy and get him to the vet. One of our cats lost weight and started to look a 'little odd', she had diabetes. But she lived another 2 years quite happily.

Hope all works out well

mary43

Our oldest cat is around 17 and I had to take her to the vet this week. She's been scratching so much she's tore her fur out - when I first saw her I thought she'd been in a fight.
Vet checked her over and said some cats when they get older do get 'itchy' and their tongues are so rough they can easily do themselves a bit of damage but nothing to really worry about. She was ok as far as fleas were concerned.She gave an injection to stop her itching and an antibiotic to prevent possible infection but other than that said to bathe the affected place with salt water - cat ran a mile, seemed to know exactly what I was going to do ! Chances of a quick dab here and there are about all I get.
Her skin gets very flaky and the vet said that too can be just old age. Other than that, and the fact that now its colder she won't go outside for her 'toilet', she eats well so I just have to accept its the age factor.

rita-rabbit

Royal Canine `beauty' is very good for dry skin.

MAGICIAN

Also bear in mind that mOst houses are FAR TOO HOT centrally heated and cats tend to dry out, make certain you have bowls of water around the house.We use two large dog bowls, one in the lounge and one on the upper landing. A third is an old watering can outside in the garden and topped up on a regular basis! BY FAR THE FAVOURITE WATERING HOLE!
On scratching and pulling hair out, its seems to be stress related.

As to seeing the vet, yes it can be expensive but consider what the animal has done for you over the years? If money is a problem remember the PDSA will also treats animals in return for a donation so there is no excuse not to get you cat attended to. As for travelling ours always without fail scream the car down for the first five miles or so. Holding a constant conversation with the cat and the radio (talk mode) usually does the trick along with a catnip bundle....

sandy2_2

Our old boy (18yrs) has scaly, dandruffy skin, vet has given us some drops to put on his skin, once a week ..seborrhea spot on. He's a bit arthritic so can't groom himself easily

mary43

Oh dear...........our elderly cat is really getting bad with the toilet habits.........she's just had her food and within minutes, lo and behond - diarrohea...........then comes back for more food !! Think she'll have to go to the vet again. There has to be something they can do for her. She wails and wails all the time............

rita-rabbit

take her to the vet!

mary43

I took her to the vet last week, explained what she was like in every detail but the vet said its just an 'age' thing and gave her anti-itch injection and antibiotic just in case she got infected where she'd scratched herself. That seems to be healing up ok now but I think maybe another trip to the vet is on the cards to have a few more checks done.