Cat problem

50Twuncle

We have two cats - aged 16 and 17
The older one has changed considerably over the last few years
He is "MY" cat but has fixated on my wife - following her around like a lost soul
He disappears for 6 hours every day and constantly wants to be let out through the cat flap
He eats constantly
He has been checked out by the vet and nothing has been found wrong - is it just age ?
He annoys the hell out of my wife
Any advice welcome

donnac2558

He is just old and might a touch of dementia?


A friend's elderly cat always comes in with me when I arrive at her house. She says, the cat just went out 30 seconds ago. Then the cat decides to go out again about 5 minutes later. I just say she is being polite when I ask do want to come in? So follows me in.

NeilCr

Agree with Donna. It's likely age and, maybe, insecurity.

My cat is younger but follows me round the house all the time. My cleaners say that he is more like a dog than a cat! There is only me and him and he was a stray so I think he relies on me. He doesn't react well if he has to stay at the vet or someone comes round to feed him while I am away

Not sure why it annoys your wife so much

Did you mention it to the vet when he was checked?

Dymphna60

Checked out by the vet ? When and in what way .
Listened to heart , felt belly , saw it walk kind of way ? Or investigated for possible medical conditions ? Eg blood tests for hyperthyroidism.
Is your main concern that it may be ill or that it is annoying your wife ?

borkid

I've had cats for 50 years and yours sounds normal, each have their own personality. Every comment made I can relate to the four cats I have now. Re changing with age that happens the same as in people. Did it happen relatively quickly , had something happened in the cats life? I asked because we had a very aloof / hide when a non family member enters the house. We put the house on the market and suddenly this aloof cat was greeting all the viewers and following them around. Even after the move he didn't change and is very friendly more like a dog.

Vet

What exactly did your vet do?

Is he eating constantly and gaining weight? losing weight?
Has anything triggered these changes? A house move? new cat in the area?

More information would be good, but I would suggest that bloods would likely be the next course of action if the history is non suggestive of any other conditions.

Fire_Fox

Please go back to the vet for more thorough/ in depth assessment. Or change to a better practice if you only went very recently. A marked change in behaviour should be taken seriously by them.

50Twuncle

Vet wrote: »

What exactly did your vet do?

Is he eating constantly and gaining weight? losing weight?
Has anything triggered these changes? A house move? new cat in the area?

More information would be good, but I would suggest that bloods would likely be the next course of action if the history is non suggestive of any other conditions.

Approx 5 years ago - he had "most of" his thyroid removed
He is constantly after food - but when given food - he just licks a bit of it and disappears for a few hours (is he getting food at his "second home" ?) he is maintaining his weight (12 lbs) - not losing/gaining more than a few ounces
No obvious changes in the area (no new cats or anything else obvious)
Bloods have been taken many times with no sign of anything wrong
We have changed vets twice now - with no different diagnosis
in the end - we put it down to ageing and being a bit loopy !