dementia in cats

Anyone here got any experience with senile dementia in a cat?

Our Ishtar seems to have it. In the last few months, she's
started having spells of meowing at nothing in the middle of
the night - it's not about food and she's not in pain, stroking
her will settle her but she'll just start up again a bit later.
She's frequently been using the hallway floor instead of her
litter tray, but in the last two days it's been *anywhere* -
yesterday morning it was all over my clothes on the floor in
the bedroom, and I woke up this morning with my feet in a wet
patch at the foot of the bed and a collection of turds beside me.

She still manages to keep herself clean and is reasonably mobile
though quite thin. She's 16. Doesn't go outside any more and
spends most of the day sleeping.

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

On Nov 6, 5:47*am, Jack Campin - bogus address
wrote:
Anyone here got any experience with senile dementia in a cat?

Our Ishtar seems to have it. *In the last few months, she's
started having spells of meowing at nothing in the middle of
the night - it's not about food and she's not in pain, stroking
her will settle her but she'll just start up again a bit later.
She's frequently been using the hallway floor instead of her
litter tray, but in the last two days it's been *anywhere* -
yesterday morning it was all over my clothes on the floor in
the bedroom, and I woke up this morning with my feet in a wet
patch at the foot of the bed and a collection of turds beside me.

She still manages to keep herself clean and is reasonably mobile
though quite thin. *She's 16. *Doesn't go outside any more and
spends most of the day sleeping.

==== j a c k *at *c a m p i n . m e . u k *=== *http://www.campin.me.uk ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff: *Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

Get her to the vet ASAP. Not using the litterbox is often a sign of
something wrong, like a UTI or worse. The meowing, I don't know. My
own Princess Rita does that, but I think she does it for attention.

Jane
- owned and operated by the Princess Rita

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:

Anyone here got any experience with senile dementia in a cat?

Our Ishtar seems to have it. In the last few months, she's
started having spells of meowing at nothing in the middle of
the night - it's not about food and she's not in pain, stroking
her will settle her but she'll just start up again a bit later.

Random howling/miaowing in older cats can occasionally indicate
hyperthyroidism... not sure why, but there it is. Easy to test for.
Having said that, my Willow does it too (aged 13) but she doesn't have
hyperthyroid (recently tested) so not sure why that is.

She's frequently been using the hallway floor instead of her
litter tray, but in the last two days it's been *anywhere* -
yesterday morning it was all over my clothes on the floor in
the bedroom, and I woke up this morning with my feet in a wet
patch at the foot of the bed and a collection of turds beside me.

That's more tricky. Definitely need a vet to rule out any physical
problems such as UTI, crystals etc before deciding it's something like
dementia.
Poor Ishtar - not easy getting old. Please give her a cuddle from me and
mine -

Deb.
--
http://www.scientific-art.com

"He looked a fierce and quarrelsome cat, but claw he never would;
He only bit the ones he loved, because they tasted good." S. Greenfield

On Nov 6, 4:47*am, Jack Campin - bogus address
wrote:
Anyone here got any experience with senile dementia in a cat?

Our Ishtar seems to have it. *In the last few months, she's
started having spells of meowing at nothing in the middle of
the night - it's not about food and she's not in pain, stroking
her will settle her but she'll just start up again a bit later.
She's frequently been using the hallway floor instead of her
litter tray, but in the last two days it's been *anywhere* -
yesterday morning it was all over my clothes on the floor in
the bedroom, and I woke up this morning with my feet in a wet
patch at the foot of the bed and a collection of turds beside me.

She still manages to keep herself clean and is reasonably mobile
though quite thin. *She's 16. *Doesn't go outside any more and
spends most of the day sleeping.

I really hate to mention this to you, but Cherokee did the meowing in
the
middle of the night at nothing *and* peeing inappropriately when his
kidneys
started to fail at age 17. He also started to hide, like go into
closets or under
the bed in the daytime. The vet said all the meowing was just his way
of
"communicating" that he didn't feel well.

OTOH, I *do* believe old cats can have some feline version of
dementia, and that
every cat that pees outside the box isn't physically sick. I've seen
that with Yoda too. Yoda has actually gone off into a back bedroom and
meowed incessentantly. All I have to do is go pick him up and bring
him in the room with us. I honestly think he gets "lost" sometimes.

I think if she were mine I'd go ahead and have the senior blood panel
& urinalysis done on her just to see what's going on with her body so
you know for sure.

Good luck. Hope it's nothing serious.

Sherry

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:
Anyone here got any experience with senile dementia in a cat?

Our Ishtar seems to have it. In the last few months, she's
started having spells of meowing at nothing in the middle of
the night - it's not about food and she's not in pain, stroking
her will settle her but she'll just start up again a bit later.
She's frequently been using the hallway floor instead of her
litter tray, but in the last two days it's been *anywhere* -
yesterday morning it was all over my clothes on the floor in
the bedroom, and I woke up this morning with my feet in a wet
patch at the foot of the bed and a collection of turds beside me.

She still manages to keep herself clean and is reasonably mobile
though quite thin. She's 16. Doesn't go outside any more and
spends most of the day sleeping.

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts


She sounds like she is miserable. It's probably tie for her visit to
the bridge. Sadly it comes to all. Purrs for your little friend. MLB

Sherry wrote:
On Nov 6, 4:47 am, Jack Campin - bogus address
wrote:
Anyone here got any experience with senile dementia in a cat?

Our Ishtar seems to have it. In the last few months, she's
started having spells of meowing at nothing in the middle of
the night - it's not about food and she's not in pain, stroking
her will settle her but she'll just start up again a bit later.
She's frequently been using the hallway floor instead of her
litter tray, but in the last two days it's been *anywhere* -
yesterday morning it was all over my clothes on the floor in
the bedroom, and I woke up this morning with my feet in a wet
patch at the foot of the bed and a collection of turds beside me.

She still manages to keep herself clean and is reasonably mobile
though quite thin. She's 16. Doesn't go outside any more and
spends most of the day sleeping.

I really hate to mention this to you, but Cherokee did the meowing in
the
middle of the night at nothing *and* peeing inappropriately when his
kidneys
started to fail at age 17. He also started to hide, like go into
closets or under
the bed in the daytime. The vet said all the meowing was just his way
of
"communicating" that he didn't feel well.

OTOH, I *do* believe old cats can have some feline version of
dementia, and that
every cat that pees outside the box isn't physically sick. I've seen
that with Yoda too. Yoda has actually gone off into a back bedroom and
meowed incessentantly. All I have to do is go pick him up and bring
him in the room with us. I honestly think he gets "lost" sometimes.

I think if she were mine I'd go ahead and have the senior blood panel
& urinalysis done on her just to see what's going on with her body so
you know for sure.

Good luck. Hope it's nothing serious.

Sherry


My dog had dementia in the last couple of years of his life. I know cats
can get it, too. (And yes, my dog got "lost" at times. One time he
wandered between the open bathroom door and the wall and couldn't figure out
to get out. Poor thing was crying like a baby.) The vet put him on Anipryl
and it seemed to help. I think more research has been done in the case of
feline dementia since then. I'm sure there are more medications available
than there were in the 1990's, too.

Best of luck to Jack and Ishtar that it's nothing serious.

Jill

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:

Our Ishtar seems to have it. In the last few months, she's
started having spells of meowing at nothing in the middle of
the night - it's not about food and she's not in pain, stroking
her will settle her but she'll just start up again a bit later.

My sister had a cat who, in his old age, took to standing in the
middle of the kitchen, staring at nothing, and meowing loudly for
no apparent reason. He got a thorough checkup at the vet's to be
sure he didn't have any serious physical illness, and the vet said
he was just getting confused, probably due to dementia. So yes,
this is a possibility.

She's frequently been using the hallway floor instead of her
litter tray, but in the last two days it's been *anywhere* -
yesterday morning it was all over my clothes on the floor in
the bedroom, and I woke up this morning with my feet in a wet
patch at the foot of the bed and a collection of turds beside me.

This *could* be due to a medical problem that could be treated. I
agree with other people who have suggested that you take her to be
checked out, just in case.

--
Joyce ^..^

(To email me, remove the X's from my user name.)

Please take her to the vet immediately. Like the others have
indicated, it sounds like kidney failure and there could be some
hyperthyroidism also. I have had both of these problems in aging
cats. They need help immediately. Please let us know what your vet
says.

Sherry wrote:
On Nov 6, 4:47 am, Jack Campin - bogus address
wrote:
Anyone here got any experience with senile dementia in a cat?

Our Ishtar seems to have it. In the last few months, she's
started having spells of meowing at nothing in the middle of
the night - it's not about food and she's not in pain, stroking
her will settle her but she'll just start up again a bit later.
She's frequently been using the hallway floor instead of her
litter tray, but in the last two days it's been *anywhere* -
yesterday morning it was all over my clothes on the floor in
the bedroom, and I woke up this morning with my feet in a wet
patch at the foot of the bed and a collection of turds beside me.

She still manages to keep herself clean and is reasonably mobile
though quite thin. She's 16. Doesn't go outside any more and
spends most of the day sleeping.

I really hate to mention this to you, but Cherokee did the meowing in
the
middle of the night at nothing *and* peeing inappropriately when his
kidneys
started to fail at age 17. He also started to hide, like go into
closets or under
the bed in the daytime. The vet said all the meowing was just his way
of
"communicating" that he didn't feel well.

So did Shmogg when his kidneys were packing up. Please take Ishtar to the
vet ASAP and have her kidneys and thyroid checked, and have a diabetes test.

If nothing comes of it, then at least you'll be reassured that her health is
good.

Yowie

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:
Anyone here got any experience with senile dementia in a cat?

Our Ishtar seems to have it. In the last few months, she's
started having spells of meowing at nothing in the middle of
the night - it's not about food and she's not in pain, stroking
her will settle her but she'll just start up again a bit later.
She's frequently been using the hallway floor instead of her
litter tray, but in the last two days it's been *anywhere* -
yesterday morning it was all over my clothes on the floor in
the bedroom, and I woke up this morning with my feet in a wet
patch at the foot of the bed and a collection of turds beside me.

I knew I'd read an article about this recently! (Unfortunately it's in Cat
Fancy magazine's May issue and you have to buy a copy of the magazine to
read the entire article.) While the litter issues could still be a UTI or
something, ask her vet about feline cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS).
It affects older cats. The meowing at nothing in the middle of the night
(often loud and all night long) is definitely one of the symptoms. So is
staring at walls.

Jill