My cat just turned 17 and she is driving us crazy. My husband says she is senile. I have the hardest time finding food that she will eat or can eat. Certain foods make her throw up, especially if she eats too much. But the hardest part is just finding something that she likes and she eats only a little bit all day and ALL NIGHT!!!! She literally wakes me up several times a night to eat and drink her milk. She's almost as bad as having a baby. Right now she's really aggravating my son and it is soooo funny. She keeps going to his door and scratching on it for him to feed her, but she won't eat what he gives her. I bet she has scratched on his door 3 times in the last 5 minutes. I'm just sitting here laughing because he gets so aggravated with her.
Another animal question. Who has an old cat?
- Thread starter kelley111
- Start date
eminenz2
Cathlete
My cat is 12, and she is the princess of the house. She is also very picky about her food, and she watches with disdain as the two youngsters wolf down their slop. She often has a "I don't do that nonsense" look on her face when the younger ones carry on, but she does have her playful moments.
She will not eat any wet food - can you believe that? Only dry, and she loves the "Whiskas Kitty Milk". She loves people food though and treats.
Maybe your cat has forgotten that she already ate - LOL!
Otherwise is she healthy? Indoors kittles can live amazingly long lives these days.
Best,
Susan L.G.
She will not eat any wet food - can you believe that? Only dry, and she loves the "Whiskas Kitty Milk". She loves people food though and treats.
Maybe your cat has forgotten that she already ate - LOL!
Otherwise is she healthy? Indoors kittles can live amazingly long lives these days.
Best,
Susan L.G.
Mrsscififanec
Cathlete
Hi,if your cat likes wet food try warming it up a bit to bring out the smell of it more .Cats sense of smell sometimes diminishes a bit as they get older and their taste and smell senses are very closely connected ,so if it smells a bit stronger it may whet her appetite more. Also if she isn't lactose intolerant you may want to try sprinkling on some parmesan cheese from the can ,that has a strong smell and should get her eating, Good Luck!
Mrsscififanec
Mrsscififanec
kathryn
Cathlete
Have you tried Science Diet Sensitve Stomach? One of my cats used to throw up often after eating, until I got him this food.
Pet supply stores also sell digestive enzymes for animals, that can help them with those problems.
Also, you could leave some dry food out in a feeder so she can feed herself.
FYI: Milk is not good for adult cats. I don't remember the details of why, just that one isn't supposed to give them milk.
Pet supply stores also sell digestive enzymes for animals, that can help them with those problems.
Also, you could leave some dry food out in a feeder so she can feed herself.
FYI: Milk is not good for adult cats. I don't remember the details of why, just that one isn't supposed to give them milk.
carolynjane
Cathlete
Cats are famous for being picky and having eccentric behavior, but my question in reading this description is "is this new behavior"? If your cat has just recently started turning his nose up at food and throwing up when he eats, please take him to the vet!!!!! Otherwise, it's probably just a phase. We have two cats who are both 14 years old and they still keep us guessing! They will LOVE one food for a while, then one day they will look at it like we're trying to poison them. Then the hunt is on for something they will eat! They also go through phases like running around the house, or picking at the covers when we're trying to sleep, etc. The main thing is to try to figure out if a new behavior is related to a health problem - if you're in doubt, get him checked by a vet.
Jennifer V
Cathlete
>Hi,if your cat likes wet food try warming it up a bit to
>bring out the smell of it more .Cats sense of smell sometimes
>diminishes a bit as they get older and their taste and smell
>senses are very closely connected ,so if it smells a bit
>stronger it may whet her appetite more. Also if she isn't
>lactose intolerant you may want to try sprinkling on some
>parmesan cheese from the can ,that has a strong smell and
>should get her eating, Good Luck!
> Mrsscififanec
I agree with these tips. If you tend to feed her mostly dry food, it may be the problem. We also had a cat that lived close to 20 years, and it became difficult for her teeth to eat dry food.
Has she slowed down significantly in the last few days, or has this been going on for weeks? If she's still active, she should be fine.
>bring out the smell of it more .Cats sense of smell sometimes
>diminishes a bit as they get older and their taste and smell
>senses are very closely connected ,so if it smells a bit
>stronger it may whet her appetite more. Also if she isn't
>lactose intolerant you may want to try sprinkling on some
>parmesan cheese from the can ,that has a strong smell and
>should get her eating, Good Luck!
> Mrsscififanec
I agree with these tips. If you tend to feed her mostly dry food, it may be the problem. We also had a cat that lived close to 20 years, and it became difficult for her teeth to eat dry food.
Has she slowed down significantly in the last few days, or has this been going on for weeks? If she's still active, she should be fine.
musclemaiden
Cathlete
I had two senile cats 17 and 19 years old. I had to put the 17 year old one (GEM) to sleep in April. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make but it was the right one. She died in my lap on my couch. So sad. My 19 year old (Cashmere) is going strong but her mind is gone. She always forgets that she has been fed and is always looking for more food. The more senile she gets the louder she gets. She is so vocal it sounds like a baby crying. She stopped eating the hard food about 6 months ago. She will only eat soft food. She eats two cans a day of Fancy Feast. The a.m. can is ocean fish and the p.m. is either sliced chicken, turkey or beef.
I love her dearly but having a senile cat can be difficult. Her constant meowing drives us crazy. Especially at 4:00 a.m.
Tracy
I love her dearly but having a senile cat can be difficult. Her constant meowing drives us crazy. Especially at 4:00 a.m.
Tracy
Thanks for the concern everyone, but my cat is very healthy. She is just a pain. The milk is Whiskas Cat Milk, not regular milk. Her behavior is not new. She's been doing this for a while, and she eats canned food as well as dry food. The only dry food she can eat is Whiskas without throwing up. She can eat any can food, but that is where she is so finicky. She is like the above poster's cats who love food one week and hate it the next.
I'm not concerned about my cat. I was just wondering if other people have cats with behavior that drives them crazy. And believe me when I say this cat has not slowed down. She is very very active.
I'm not concerned about my cat. I was just wondering if other people have cats with behavior that drives them crazy. And believe me when I say this cat has not slowed down. She is very very active.
dss62467
Cathlete
Heck, my cats are 4 and just over 18 months and they ALL drive me nuts! I have one super pretty one who is very laid back, but will turn on you without any warning. Then the other 4 year old is fat and mean to the pretty cat. She's constantly picking a fight and also is dumb as a rail. The "baby" is extremely sweet, but will also gang up on the pretty cat. I always tell Purrple (that's the pretty one) that T.C. is jealous of her beauty and that's why she's so mean. The baby doesn't know how to turn off his purring machine and keeps me up all night because he has to lay right on my shoulder while I'm trying to sleep. But I love them and as much as I threaten to send them back to the SPCA, I would never do it.
CathydsRNA
Cathlete
My cat Pugsley lived until he was 18. He was playful, intelligent and manipulative and never lost his spark until 3 weeks before he died. For his whole life he drove me crazy. He figured out how to get into everything, could unlatch our screen door lock and let himself out. Would persistently hit doorknobs until the doors opened, knocked the phone off the hook when it rang to stop it from ringing and if he wanted to eat or play at night he would always improvise ways to wake me up when jumping on my stomach, meowing and pawing me on my face stopped working. I can't beleive half the stuff he got into. I walked into the kitchen after school one day and he had knocked all of the nuts out of the Lazy Susan and was playing hockey with them by batting them across the kitchen floor. He had once found a hanging thread on an ulpholstered (spelling?) chair and had spent the evening unraveling the thread and in doing so unulpholstered the chair. He was never at a loss to find entertainment. He would also chase small golf size whiffle balls and return them like a dog and would greet you when you came home. He also would hide and playfully attack you when you were walking around the house like Kado in the Pink Panther movies because some of the attacks came from above.I'll never have another kitty like him.
I have three kitties under the age of 4, and the middle one Poppy who is shall we say STOUT wakes me up every morning now that I've restricted their food due to constant barfing from overeating. 6:45 am on the dot she stands up next to the bed, squeaks at me and taps me on the face. Just a light tap tap...tap tap...hellooo?
My friend has a cat that is 22. He's the sweetest thing, but probably a bit senile. My friend describes him as a lost old man in a nursing home. I'm not very familiar with cat food, but if it's in your budget, maybe you could go out and buy a few different brands and flavors of things. Try to help your husband be patient with her. A checkup at the vet might be a good idea too.
Good luck!
Good luck!