My cat has dementia...what to do?

Fire_Fox

meritaten wrote: »

You know your cat - if, as some people suggest you ease his night time fears by leaving a light on or even taking him in the room with you, you feel he is happy and contented...........then there is no reason to PTS.
if however, you feel the cat is unhappy or fearful most of the time....then perhaps it would be kinder?
or if his health is failing..........?
taking all of this into consideration - is it the right time or does he have longer?

Why wait until it is most of the time? Even cats in constant pain will still purr when they are cuddled, sorry but I don't think that demonstrates quality of life.

Crocswearer

Taking her into the room with us will make her confusion worse. She is blind, and won't be able to recognise where she is.

She's just about to turn 18, hyperthyroid, kidney failure, high blood pressure, blind and demented.

She spends most of her days either under the sofa, occasionally on it, or pacing round the garden like a ball in a pinball machine - walks until she bumps into something, then heads off in another direction until she bumps into something, etc etc

She yowls several times every day but not so often at night, but is easily comforted by speech or touch.

She still likes her food but has times when she's not so interested.

She is drinking adequately thanks to a water fountain.

We love her dearly and don't want to lose her but don't want her to suffer either. Drifting away peacefully while she is asleep would save us this awful decision making!

Thanks all for listening to me x

jungle_jane

Awww crocswearer she isn't sounding like she's in a good place....blindness and kidney failure to me sound like a horrible quality of life.

What does your vet suggest?

In my case, the yowling has increased too - it's now happening at least 6 or 7 times a night and its keeping me and the whole neighbourhood awake. He's started during the day too - i can't see him getting better so I think its all downhill from here. Mine does not have the health issues yours does though - if he did, I would probably make that horrible, heart breaking decision. I am watching my boy very closely and it's not nice seeing him wandering around dazed and confused. It's just so hard to know when the right time is.

I keep in mind that saying 'rather a day too soon than a day too late' but it's still a difficult thing to weigh up...

Crocswearer

Thanks Jungle Jane.

The vet said about a year ago that it would probably be the inappropriate toileting that would being us to the PTS decision. Last time she was there, about 2 months ago, he agreed with us that it probably wasn't the right time yet.

I'm sorry to hear of your cat's deterioration. At least for us its fairly peaceful at night.

Today seemed a bit better. She has only vomited once (trying to bring up a hairball) and hasn't yowled much at all. But she hasn't eaten very much either. She's laid at my feet right now, wagging her tail (back to her old self!)

Although DH doesn't think its time to PTS, he also doesn't think she'll be around too much longer.

faith2009uk

Hi everyone,

Glad I found this thread! I'm currently 'cat sitting' for 2 weeks a lovely 18 year old cat. She was given to me as a kitten and therefore I've grown up with her, however she stayed at the parents house when I moved out.

They warned me she had become very needy in the past year however I never really noticed it when I was visiting. However we are now a week in and I'm finding it really hard!

Shes near enough deaf, and is showing all the signs of dementia however the vet said she seems happy etc. She seems to sleep a lot during the day, however when she is awake she seems to scream the house down. Even leaving her for 10 mins to have a shower makes her meow Plus she wanders meowing looking confused and even when I'm calling her/behind her she takes no notice.

I love her to bits but the lack of sleep and stress at work isn't helping. I feel shattered. She also seems to forget she's eaten her food, 5 mins after finishes and 'demands' more. The meowing was so bad the other day I could hear her from outside the house whilst i was sat in the car!!

I just needed to vent abit I think. She has been a great member of the family and I wouldnt wish her away, I just feel like I need a holiday now (and I've only just gone back from the 6 weeks off)

atrixblue.-MFR-.

faith2009uk wrote: »

Hi everyone,

Glad I found this thread! I'm currently 'cat sitting' for 2 weeks a lovely 18 year old cat. She was given to me as a kitten and therefore I've grown up with her, however she stayed at the parents house when I moved out.

They warned me she had become very needy in the past year however I never really noticed it when I was visiting. However we are now a week in and I'm finding it really hard!

Shes near enough deaf, and is showing all the signs of dementia however the vet said she seems happy etc. She seems to sleep a lot during the day, however when she is awake she seems to scream the house down. Even leaving her for 10 mins to have a shower makes her meow Plus she wanders meowing looking confused and even when I'm calling her/behind her she takes no notice.

I love her to bits but the lack of sleep and stress at work isn't helping. I feel shattered. She also seems to forget she's eaten her food, 5 mins after finishes and 'demands' more. The meowing was so bad the other day I could hear her from outside the house whilst i was sat in the car!!

I just needed to vent abit I think. She has been a great member of the family and I wouldnt wish her away, I just feel like I need a holiday now (and I've only just gone back from the 6 weeks off)

she probably feels like she's been abandoned, she's been place in unfamilliar teritory with different smells and different feel to it than she is used to. she knows your voice and knows you so when you arent there that little bit of comfort she has has gone!.

~Chameleon~

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

she probably feels like she's been abandoned, she's been place in unfamilliar teritory with different smells and different feel to it than she is used to. she knows your voice and knows you so when you arent there that little bit of comfort she has has gone!.

Maybe I read it wrong but I'm assuming the OP is cat sitting in the family home otherwise yes, I agree she could be feeling extremely disoriented in a strange environment. I know from my own cat that even moving her bed to a different room is sufficient to create confusion and anxiety.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

faith2009uk wrote: »

Hi everyone,

Glad I found this thread! I'm currently 'cat sitting' for 2 weeks a lovely 18 year old cat. She was given to me as a kitten and therefore I've grown up with her, however she stayed at the parents house when I moved out.

They warned me she had become very needy in the past year however I never really noticed it when I was visiting. However we are now a week in and I'm finding it really hard!

Shes near enough deaf, and is showing all the signs of dementia however the vet said she seems happy etc. She seems to sleep a lot during the day, however when she is awake she seems to scream the house down. Even leaving her for 10 mins to have a shower makes her meow Plus she wanders meowing looking confused and even when I'm calling her/behind her she takes no notice.

I love her to bits but the lack of sleep and stress at work isn't helping. I feel shattered. She also seems to forget she's eaten her food, 5 mins after finishes and 'demands' more. The meowing was so bad the other day I could hear her from outside the house whilst i was sat in the car!!

I just needed to vent abit I think. She has been a great member of the family and I wouldnt wish her away, I just feel like I need a holiday now (and I've only just gone back from the 6 weeks off)

She's deaf?


Try banging on the floor twice as you call her.

One of mine was deaf when she got older - she was still happy though, even when that was added to cataracts. She knew her home, knew the smells and the layout and was fine.

If she is deaf - and maybe losing her sight too - then the absence of your parents' smells is probably disorientating her - after all, if a cat needs to find the sofa, perhaps the easiest way to find it is to follow the scent path Mum makes as she walks from the kitchen every morning as she has done for the past 18 years.


And forgetting she's eaten? Either she's hungry (thyroid meds may need adjusting - see the vet for a new blood test) or she's asking for the little treats Dad gives her on the quiet.

blossomhill_2

You know the idea of settling a new pup or kitten into its own home by putting a ticking clock near it ... I wonder if this would help older cats with night terrors?

Our old gel used to howl in the night and I'd shout down, "It's ok, we're only up here" and she'd stop

faith2009uk

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Maybe I read it wrong but I'm assuming the OP is cat sitting in the family home otherwise yes, I agree she could be feeling extremely disoriented in a strange environment. I know from my own cat that even moving her bed to a different room is sufficient to create confusion and anxiety.

Sorry didn't realise people had replied, thought I had subscribed to the thread

Yes I was cat sitting at the rents house where the cat has always lived. By the end of the 2nd week we seemed to get into some kind of routine where she knew when I would be 'home' and when I went to bed etc. We found that this helped her calm down abit however then the rents came back!:)

She seemed happy enough when I left her to go back to my house and seems to actually prefer me now more then my mum, so seems some good came out of it despite hardly no sleep and a lot of stress throughout the week.