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Thread: 15 yr old female cat with several issues

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    15 yr old female cat with several issues

    My 15 year old cat has lost a lot of weight over the past couple of months. She acts like she is starving all the time and eats anything I put in front of her. She can no longer jump without falling, but recently she her left hip and leg totally give out on her and she sometimes falls over when she tries to walk. I do not know if she is in pain. She is still very loving and wants to sit close to us all the time. Is this simply old age or is there a deeper health problem that is fixable. Fixable being the optimum word I suppose.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cali View Post
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    My 15 year old cat has lost a lot of weight over the past couple of months. She acts like she is starving all the time and eats anything I put in front of her. She can no longer jump without falling, but recently she her left hip and leg totally give out on her and she sometimes falls over when she tries to walk. I do not know if she is in pain. She is still very loving and wants to sit close to us all the time. Is this simply old age or is there a deeper health problem that is fixable. Fixable being the optimum word I suppose.
    The answer to your question has a lot to do with how much ($$ and pain) you are willing to invest in having her around for another year or two. She has already outlived most cats.
    "A boy cannot become a girl and a man cannot become a woman, not even if he shuts his eyes and wishes really hard."



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    Quote Originally Posted by Cali View Post
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    My 15 year old cat has lost a lot of weight over the past couple of months. She acts like she is starving all the time and eats anything I put in front of her. She can no longer jump without falling, but recently she her left hip and leg totally give out on her and she sometimes falls over when she tries to walk. I do not know if she is in pain. She is still very loving and wants to sit close to us all the time. Is this simply old age or is there a deeper health problem that is fixable. Fixable being the optimum word I suppose.
    I haven't seen the vet here on a while, but I'll share my opinion. I have two cats left from before my kids grew up and moved out. One is 20 and the other is 15. The older one has some arthritis and can no longer jump onto the couch or bed, so he has a cushion on the floor that helps with his aches. He had a urinary tract infection a month ago, and I had bloodwork done as well as the urinalysis. There is nothing wrong with him--no diabetes, kidney or thyroid trouble. Good grief, he could live another five years.

    The 15-yr old started losing weight and looking scruffy, so I took him in. He has a thyroid deficiency and must have drops twice per day. He's had two UTIs in the last four months, and I think the older cat will outlive him.

    I'll tell you up front, the lab work is a killer as far as expenses. I think the initial work up was over $400, and he had to have more labs after 60 days for another $200 or so. His medicine is about $20/mo, and he will need labs twice a year from now on.
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    Just looked it up. Given proper care, nutrition, and regular veterinary visits, a cat kept indoors can live as long as 21 years or more. (The average age of cats is 12-15 years) This is, of course, barring any serious medical conditions or untimely accidents.
    "A boy cannot become a girl and a man cannot become a woman, not even if he shuts his eyes and wishes really hard."



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    Quote Originally Posted by Cali View Post
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    My 15 year old cat has lost a lot of weight over the past couple of months. She acts like she is starving all the time and eats anything I put in front of her. She can no longer jump without falling, but recently she her left hip and leg totally give out on her and she sometimes falls over when she tries to walk. I do not know if she is in pain. She is still very loving and wants to sit close to us all the time. Is this simply old age or is there a deeper health problem that is fixable. Fixable being the optimum word I suppose.
    She could have developed diabetes happened to my male cat. Treatment is expensive and we let him live out his final days at home until he stopped eating then had him put to sleep.

    A vet visit can confirm. Then if that is the problem she will be admitted into the vet clinic where they will stabilize the levels. Then you have to give shots and bring her to the clinic every few weeks for a glucose test.

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    I thought my older cat was dying five years ago. He quit eating and was dragging around, limping. So I was good with letting him decline slowly; shoot, he was 15 then. In a couple of days, he wasn't any worse or better, so I took him in. He had an abscess on his thigh from a puncture wound. The younger cat and he still get into a play-fight when they're bored, and one fight went too far. The vet lanced it and put him on antibiotics, and he recovered quickly.

    Older cats usually die of kidney failure or diabetes.
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    Thank you everyone for your answers! I think I will take her in to be checked. It's difficult because I have been down this road 3 times within the past 5 years - spending unspeakable amounts of money only to have the beloved pet have incurable cancer, and FIP which is fatal. My personal opinion is thyroid, but she is also shaking her head on the side that she can't hardly walk on. Yet another symptom Maybe an inner ear infection. I truly appreciate your responses.

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    It's always hard to loose a beloved pet. Best wishes for you.

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    My cat is going fast I'm afraid. About 1 year ago I noticed he was losing weight. Had him checked and the vet said nothing he could find. The cat is still affectionate, jumps around and on top of things, etc. But the last 3 months it's gotten a lot worse. He's not in pain, spirits are still good, but he's almost like a walking skeleton now. I found him where I used to work in Leander way back in 2001. Took him to the vet who estimated he was 3 years old based on his teeth, so he's a ripe 16 or so now. Won't be long before I have to say goodbye to him.
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

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    I'm so sorry to hear that for you. My cat has actually gotten more affectionate since these symptoms began. That is exactly what happened with my 16 yr old cat that died of pancreatic cancer a few years ago. It's almost as if they are aware of the fact that they don't have much longer.

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