13 year old Cat - advice please

danielley

I have 2 female cats, one aged 11, one aged 13.

I must admit I dont take them for frequent check ups at the Vet, I only take them if I notice something wrong. This has partly been to do with finances, but on a larger part, one of them especially gets extremely distressed going in the car and to the vets, so therefore I keep visits to a minimum. Also I had a bad experience once when I had to have another cat put down, so they are not my favourite places.

(For the record, I have come here for friendly advice, not to cause a debate or be slated for not taking my cats for regular checks, so if you disagree with this decision, please be polite about it - sorry if that sounds defensive )

I was speaking to someone yesterday who said that older cats (around my cats age) can have internal problems (protein in kidneys?), but that you would not be able to tell, as their behaviour wouldn't necessarily change, but they would be suffering.

I was a bit upset about this, as I have always thought that if one of them was ill, it would be obvious (i.e off food, litter tray evidence!, whining a lot, sleeping a lot) and then I would take them to the vets. The thought that they could be suffering and me not know makes me feel very guilty.

Can anyone advise if this is true? Also, can I have some advice from other older cat owners on how they manage their cats advancing health, how much regular check ups are / what the vet will check etc

Many Thanks

fluffnutter

I guess they're just like humans. Some conditions will be obvious, some won't. It's entirely up to you whether or not you take your cats for regular check-ups or whether you simply can't justify the expense. I'm sure you love your pets very much and want the best for them regardless.

It's certainly true that some problems will be asymptomatic, particularly in the early stages. You *might* find one of your cats has a problem that, if found early by a vet, could be treated. But then again, this might never happen. After all, even if you took your cat for a regular check-up, this would only be yearly. Lots of conditions could develop in that time and be too late to treat effectively a year later.

Personally I do take my cat to the vet yearly; I have been doing so since he was a kitten and will continue to do so for his whole life. I won't go more frequently when he's older though, unless he develops a condition that needs monitoring.

It's interesting you mention kidneys - AFAIK cats are prone to kidney problems, but my vet certainly never checks my cat's urine or blood. Nor did my older cat ever get checked. I'm not sure, therefore, what you're gaining (in terms of that particular condition) by taking your cat to the vet regularly. It's true that they do a physical exam looking for lumps and bumps and will, I assume, find tumours that way, but if either of your cats had advanced problems with their kidneys, you'd probably know.

In terms of what the vet does at a check-up, my cat has his teeth, ears and eyes looked at, his body felt for lumps and other abnormalities, his booster jabs, and that's about it really.

McKneff

I wonder, please dont take offence, how many people are aware that milk in really, really not good for cats.

fluffnutter

McKneff wrote: »

I wonder, please dont take offence, how many people are aware that milk in really, really not good for cats.

I agree. But I'm a bit confused. The OP hasn't mentioned milk...?

cavework

I have had 3 cats that lived into old age . They were rescue so exact age was abit of a guess.
When these cats became ill I noticed their coat became dull, their eyes were not so bright and the one that suffered liver failure started to become incontinent. He started messing in the house , something he had never done in the past
One of the signs of a cat being ill or even stressed is that they no longer groom themselves. Check the gums also ..sometimes if your cat is ill the gums will be pale or white instead of a healthy pink . Watch out for the third eyelid. If you can see it across from the corner of the cats eye there may be a problem.

Fridaycat

Of my current 5 cats, my eldest is 14, and I've also had three others who passed away aged 17, 18(ish) and 14, so have a reasonable amount of experience with older cats.

It is true that older cats are prone to suffer from kidney problems as they get older, and it is also true that they are very adept at hiding pain (survival instinct) so you may not notice anything is wrong until it's well advanced.

Having said all of that, I don't take my cats to the vet until (a) something is obviously wrong, and (b) when they have their annual boosters which includes a check up - temperature taken, heart listened to, general visual examination etc.

Along with what others have said, signs that something might be wrong are puss drinking/urinating a lot more, and significant weight loss.

paidinchickens

last cat was 17 and the one before was 23. I now have four cats and they only go to the vets if they are ill or for their injections. I have my cats fully injected because we foster cats but years ago you never did a moggie.

My old fella started messing in the house and £100 later the vet told me it was because he was old :eek:

Elvisia

I don't take my cat that often, I try to put everything together so if he's looking a bit ill try to get his booster jabs and flea thing done at the same time to save money! I don't think I have ever taken a cat for a check up. Last time though I did get the full set of tests done as he's 16 year cat and he was dribbling badly, and it all came up clear which made me feel so relieved. But that along with the teeth cleaning he had to have done as it was making him very poorly was £350!! He has been told this every day since. He hasn't offered to pay ;-)

easilydistracted

I rehomed a rescue cat from a charity recently who was reported to be ten to twelve (though I think she was older). She didn't show any major signs of being ill, though drank a lot of water and was a bit wobby on her legs. I took her to the vet for her jabs and it appeared her sight was already quite dodgy from high blood pressure. When we checked with the vet that saw her in rescue they said she had some indications that she might have early kidney failure but nothing significant. Before we could arrange for further blood tests she ran off out the blue and we found her dead the next morning. It seems she had gone off to die. She was a bit grumpy a few days before she died and not as cuddly as usual but eating happily enough. It seems likely she had hypothyroidism and died from a blood clot to the brain. I wish we had got her checked as precaution a bit sooner.

We've had another cat who's nearly 9 for about two years. As she is looking a bit ragged round the edges recently and more tired than usual, plus her gums a maybe slightly paler I'm taking her for a vet nurse examination as a precaution. They are free at my surgery though.

McKneff

Sorry for the confusion, one poster mentioned kidneys and protein,
its one of those things that you dont spot till its too late.

I linked the kidneys, protein and milk.

~Chameleon~

Elvisia wrote: »

I don't take my cat that often, I try to put everything together so if he's looking a bit ill try to get his booster jabs and flea thing done at the same time to save money!

Not advisable to perform routine treatments if the cat is off colour, it could aggravate problems. I'd investigate/diagnose/treat your cat first then advise you to return at a later date for vaccinations etc.