cat dementia

pukkamum

The vet has confirmed what i already suspected, that our much loved 16 yr old cat has dementia.

She had a lot of the symptoms and after tests to rule out any medical problems has diagnosed this.

He said we may want to consider euthanasia at some point as i am worried that she is becoming a danger to herself and i would hate for her to get run over or get lost.

She loves going out and there is no way i could keep her in, but i have found her a few times much further up the road than she normally goes and i have had to bring her back, we have a very busy main road at the bottom and i am so worried about her wandering onto it.
She also gets herself 'stuck' i have had to rescue her from the shed roof a few times now!

I want when her time comes for her to die at home on my knee as my other cat did and i could not bear for her just to not come home one day and to also worry and wonder.

Has anyone any experience of this or any advice, i just don't know what to do.

As an aside we go away in the summer for 2 weeks, my mum always comes over everyday to feed and pet her, but i am worried it will be stressful for her not to have me here so am considering leaving her at my mums but worry this would be even more stressful for her.

pukkamum

Really hoping someone has some advice even if it isn't what i really want to hear, maybe just an idea of what you would do if it were you?:(

Dollardog

If it was my cat, if she is reasonably healthy apart from the dementia and not in any pain, I would be inclined to only let her out when she can be supervised in the garden and someone can be sure she doesn't leave the garden. I, like you would worry about her on the road.

scaredy_cat

my cat suffered a bit with dementia, mainly howling at night, forgetting where her litter tray was. She had become an indoor cat though, as she also turned blind due to her heart condition. she did end up just sleeping alot of the time, and getting active about 10pm when she would walk in circles or follow the walls.

You could make a cat run in your garden so she can go in there rather than her escaping out of the garden.

I think you will know when the time is right, but if she is happy in herself, eating ok, can you keep her indoors? you might have to just make more of an effort to play with so she doesn't get bored.

pukkamum

Keeping her indoors would be extremely hard she literally howls to be let out and i have 3 kids who are constantly in and out of the house all day opening and shutting the door.
I don't have the room in the garden to make a run big enough to feel happy enough to leave her in.
I really am going round in circles with this as whilst she is eating and not in pain the thought of putting her to sleep is horrific.

I can't talk to DH as she is 'his' cat and he just in denial about the whole thing.

pukkamum

I'm a bit ashamed to admit i have even tried putting her on a lead and taking her for a walk but it was a disaster, she just sat and howled and tried to eat the lead!

MagicCats

We had to have our old boy Felix put to sleep after he was diagnosed with cat dementia. Please feel free to ask anything you'd like, or PM me. I'd be happy to help if I can.

faerie~spangles

My old girl decided herself to stop going out. I live in a first floor flat, she had the freedom to come and go via an open window. Surprised quite a few visitors. She became a house cat for the last 6/7 years of her life. For the last year before she passed away her food, water and bed were in the living room, her litter tray was in the hall.

Could you put her in a harness and tether her in the garden?

scaredy_cat

have you tried a harness, it is more secure around her body and if she is startled, it won't yank her neck or come off if she runs.

virgo149

Our 18 year old cat started down the dementia round about 2 - 3 years ago. We only noticed something was wrong when he struggled to get down from the sofa or window ledge and regularly missed when jumping up onto things. I thought he had an eyesight problem but the vet said it was the start of dementia. They mentioned at the time a drug we could try but decided against it.

About a year ago, he developed a cough and bad chest and so went onto steroids and another drug to help with this. Co-incidentally, this was the drug the vet had previously mentioned for dementia. He's now been on the drugs for getting on for a year, only on a small dose now but it's been brilliant for him. He's really perked up, is steadier on his feet, gets less confused and is generally nicer all round now (he's a ginger tom so has always been a challenge

The drug is Corvental-D 100mg and he is down to having half a capsule every other day.

If you do go down this route, I now buy the drugs online, getting a prescripton from the vets. Even with them charging £16 each prescription, every 6 months, it works out at over £200 cheaper every year for both drugs.

Might be worth a look. Good luck with puss.

paddypaws101

An interesting thread for me as I am pretty sure my old boy of 17 has some issues with dementia. He is often confused when he wakes up and yowls for me to re-assure him ( vet checked BP, also not HT ) he also 'forgets' where to go for a pee and often uses the rugs...oh dear! Apart from that he seems in pretty good nick for a 17 year old.
Magicats....Could you explain what happened with your cat's dementia that lead to PTS? ( I am not criticising your decision, more wanting to be prepared for possibilities )
virgo149....I can only find info on use for dogs for bronchitis for that drug, do you have any links for info in use for cats or for dementia ( again, I am not questioning the correct use, just would like more info so I can ask my vet about it )
Thanks