I Don't Know What To Do - 15+yo Cat

molly92

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I still think it's probably not a particularly "healthy" sign that she's spending more calories than she's eating of her own volition, but it's also probably not abnormal for a cat her age. My 17 year old slowly and steadily ate less and less the last year of her life for no obvious reason. It was the same kind of pattern, with her intake very gradually declining, and her surges of a couple days when she ate a lot became less frequent. There was never anything I could do that kept her appetite up long term, but she managed to happily go about her senior kitty life for a long time anyway even though she was already underweight to start with.

I don't mean to suggest that Feeby's going the same route at all, just that it might be a symptom of old age. (Along with being underweight, my cat had a lot of health problems and poor quality of care for a long time so every day she was alive and happy was a pleasant surprise. Feeby's in much better shape!)
 
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FeebysOwner

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I still think it's probably not a particularly "healthy" sign that she's spending more calories than she's eating of her own volition, but it's also probably not abnormal for a cat her age. My 17 year old slowly and steadily ate less and less the last year of her life for no obvious reason. It was the same kind of pattern, with her intake very gradually declining, and her surges of a couple days when she ate a lot became less frequent. There was never anything I could do that kept her appetite up long term, but she managed to happily go about her senior kitty life for a long time anyway even though she was already underweight to start with.
I don't mean to suggest that Feeby's going the same route at all, just that it might be a symptom of old age. (Along with being underweight, my cat had a lot of health problems and poor quality of care for a long time so every day she was alive and happy was a pleasant surprise. Feeby's in much better shape!)
Thanks. You are probably 'on target' about what Feeby is doing. She is 15+ yo (that is a guess only, but no younger), and I swear I was going to do all I could - since she is in pretty good health otherwise - to make her 'hang in there' as long as she can. And, I still will. It may just not be as long as I would have hoped. The good thing is - she was overweight (and, really still is) to begin with. So, that helps (maybe?) in the long run.
I know odds aren't with her/me that she will live to 20(+?), but I have sure been hoping for that...
 

molly92

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Thanks. You are probably 'on target' about what Feeby is doing. She is 15+ yo (that is a guess only, but no younger), and I swear I was going to do all I could - since she is in pretty good health otherwise - to make her 'hang in there' as long as she can.
I can relate to that feeling! I feel like I tried every trick on the internet and half of chewy's inventory to entice her to eat more. Some things helped, others not so much. But she didn't care that she was losing weight nearly as much as I did of course! She was pretty happy with her life, so that's all that matters in the end.

She could very well live a long time! Being overweight has its downsides, but fat storage wouldn't happen if it didn't have a purpose. It's supposed to give the body energy when other sources are low, and that's exactly what it's doing for Feeby.
 

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I swear I was going to do all I could - since she is in pretty good health otherwise - to make her 'hang in there' as long as she can. And, I still will. It may just not be as long as I would have hoped

I will leave this 31 year old cat Tiger here. This is an extremely rare case of course. He’s the second oldest cat in the world! I saved this post myself though because the human says every 5 years the vets said he wouldn’t make it and he kept surviving. How many years his humans spent anxious they would lose him soon but many more years have been awaiting them.
 
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Update for week 5/25 - 5/31

The roller coaster continues! Feeby went beyond her normal 1-2 'surge eating' days to a whole week of eating more.

She averaged 272 calories for the past week (up from 211 previous week), and weighed in today at 14.8 (up from 14.2). Still think it is weird she can gain/drop 6 oz in a week, but I am sure there is a typical variance factor that just has to be considered part of the difference.

No need this past week to supplement her food with tuna or chicken - as you can see she did just fine with her usual food/treats.
 
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FeebysOwner

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Update for week 6/1 - 6/7

Another roller coaster week! Feeby weighed 14.4 today (down from 14.8) after last week's average of 238 calories per day (down from 272).

I guess this is her 'thing' now. :winkcat: But, the correlation between weight and food intake seems consistent. Hope it continues to stay that way. Will continue to be diligent about monitoring so I don't get another 'surprise' like I did in April.

We are still battling fleas - doesn't seem to be many, but I still am finding live, albeit 'sickly', ones on her. After getting a bit lax with the constant cleaning/vacuuming, I picked up the pace again and resumed the every 2-3 day routine. And, since all the documentation I've read says it is safe to administer Adv II once a week, I went from treating her twice a month to every 10 days. May have to resort to weekly, but just can't quite go there yet. Why I feel OK with every 10 days and not 7 - well, I don't know why... :headscratch:

Still on the fence about what to replace Adv II with, given my vet's first two choices are Bravecto and Cheristen. :disturbed: (I guess there had to be some point in time when he and I wouldn't see 'eye-to-eye' about something.) I sprayed the house with an IGR that is supposed to 'last' 7 months, but I am looking at other products to re-treat even though it has only been about 3 months. Same for outdoors. I want to ask why is this still going on, but what's the point? :frustrated:It just is.
 
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verna davies

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I bought Bravecto on the recommendation of my vet but took it back unused, read some really bad reviews. I use Stronghold, also known as Revolution and it seems to work. There are so many its difficult to know which is best.

Feeby is really testing you, naughty madam. She's still a good weight though.
 
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FeebysOwner

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I bought Bravecto on the recommendation of my vet but took it back unused, read some really bad reviews. I use Stronghold, also known as Revolution and it seems to work. There are so many its difficult to know which is best. Feeby is really testing you, naughty madam. She's still a good weight though.
I did the exact same thing; bought Bravecto from my vet, read about it, and returned it unused. Revolution will require a prescription here; not sure about Stronghold, since I think it is just the UK equivalent. But, I'd really rather discuss all this with the vet, face-to-face, though I'm pretty sure he is going to roll his eyes at me, even if it will be somewhat in jest. He is very good natured, but asking him for his third choice will surely elicit some kind of reaction from him!
 

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I liked Fleabusters (Home - Fleabusters) as a premises treatment. I thought it was effective. But wear a mask and keep your animals (feline, human, or other) out of the area while you apply it. Other than that, they say it's as harmless as table salt to you and your animals once the dust settles.
 

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Scales for pets are expensive mine is digital. Wish I could remember the brand. My old cat lost a pound every year. 11-5 pds. My vet suggested an internetest so she could get an ultrasound since blood work did not show anything. Glad your cat is doing better! It is hard when your cat is unwell
 

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Just a thought - I wonder if 14.4 to 14.8 is natural variation? I've been weighing Amber more attentively lately as she'd had a lessened appetite and I notice fluctuations when I weigh her more often during a week. Her "normal" seems to be from 8.6 to 8.9 and both vets I spoke to didn't seem concerned about that variation. I also consider how weighing pre- and post-meals and poops can affect variability. So maybe 14.4 to 14.8 is "steady" for Feeby from last week?
 
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Just a thought - I wonder if 14.4 to 14.8 is natural variation?
I think a normal weight fluctuation does play a role. But, some of the more recent weight changes from week to week also are consistent with her 'roller coaster' eating too.

I am just monitoring it like crazy because in early April she weighed 15.0 and in early January she was at 16.0. She was, and technically still is, overweight, so it is OK if she loses some weight. But, I was just worried because she put herself on a diet - it wasn't me!!
 

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I posted here before, but had some tech issues with quadruple posting, so I lost it, but in essence... I think I said that I'd be worried by weight loss like that, too. Totally understand. Whenever our older kitties have small changes, I think we tend to worry. Especially when they decide to go on self-determined diets.

Maybe its a combination of natural variation + her rollercoaster eating causing some weight fluctuation. The good news is she was able to gain previously (you said from 14.2 to 14.8) which is good!

I think you are doing a great job looking after and loving her and being very attentive! Keep us updated!
 
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Update for week 6/8 - 6/15

Feeby ate an average of 262 calories per day (up from 238 the previous week) and weighed 14.0 (down from 14.4). So, incongruous with previous weeks, when she ate more and then weighed more. Just wanted to see a 'stable' pattern, and this past week screwed that up.

She seems to have taken a disliking to the Glyco Flex - eats her hairball treats and leaves the Glyco behind. I've been smashing it up into her food, but sometimes I am not sure she is getting it all as a bit of food gets tossed out at bedtime. I even think I see a bit of her old limp back. Now I am mixing it with some baby food meat and she is eating this way - so far. If she continues to eat it like this and the limp stops, then I will know she wasn't getting her regular dose.

Everything else seems relatively normal - but I swear she is sleeping more (if that's even possible) and spending less time out on her patio. She still goes out there, but comes right back in most of the time. For now, I am just going to write this off to her age and getting less and less comfortable without A/C.
 

verna davies

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It's so upsetting when you cant find a reason for the weight fluctuations but take comfort that she is eating well. Lets hope that the limp goes and next week she tips the scales at 15lb. You cant do any more for her than you are doing, she is in good hands.
 
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It's so upsetting when you cant find a reason for the weight fluctuations but take comfort that she is eating well. Lets hope that the limp goes and next week she tips the scales at 15lb. You cant do any more for her than you are doing, she is in good hands.
I guess I should recognize I am in 'overdrive', as it would freak me out if she weighed in next week at 15lb!! I am sure that won't happen though. Ms. Feeby is 'writing' her own destiny, I am just taking notes along the way!!!
 
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Update for week 6/15 - 6/21

Today, Feeby weighed either 14.0 lbs or 14.8 lbs (last week at 14.0) - based on two separate weigh ins. When I got 14.8, I decided to do a second weigh in, just to be sure. So much for being sure. :hmmm: Kind of disappointed to get that big of a difference. But, I'll just make note of it and move on... Her average daily caloric intake stayed about the same (261 this past week, 262 previous week).

She has eaten her Glyco Flex Plus crushed up in baby food meat without issue for this past week. But, there is still a bit of a limp going on. Nothing earth shattering, and it doesn't appear to be bothering her in terms of the typical jumping up/down from her perches/steps (however little that might be nowadays).

Just gave her another Adv II flea treatment, every 10 days now like I have been doing the past month. Flea combed her a couple of days before that, got a fair amount of flea dirt but not too many fleas and all of them were nearly microscopic - but moving. Ordered Precor 2000 Plus to spray the house to see if it will be more effective than the Martin's IGR I sprayed a few months back. That's Plan B, Part 2 - will start to decide what Plan C will be, on the very likely chance I will need it. :cringe:

She still seems to be sleeping a lot, but maybe a bit less on the days my husband works from home. So, I am guessing with just me here, she is bored!!! Still avoiding the patio now that we are pretty much in the low-mid 90s for our daytime highs. We were already up to 85 at 9AM today, which is just about when she decided a nice spot in the A/C would be much better! The dog old cat days of summer!
 
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Update for week 6/22 - 6/28

Feeby weighed in at 14.4 lbs today (up from 14.0 - or down from 14.8, depending on which weight I use from last week :crazy:), her caloric intake this past week was about 254 per day (vs. 261 previous week). I was going to do a second weigh in, but she ran off - well, 'trotted' off, not sure she really 'runs' anymore :wink:.

I can't quite figure out why she seems to want to eat the majority of her calories between 8AM and 6PM. After 6PM, she generally doesn't want to eat much of anything - with the exception of a bite or two of human food during our dinner. This has been going on for months.

Haven't seen any real change with the last Adv II treatment, or the Precor that I got and sprayed last Friday - although I don't know what I would be looking for since we pretty much don't see fleas, as a general rule. I have yet to treat the living room, though, since that is where she spends nearly all of her time anymore. I can work around her to vacuum that area, but obviously not so much with the spray.

However, as has been the case each time I treat her with Adv II, the following day there are always one or two fleas that I find on some surface where she was laying (me included :eek2:). They are alive but pretty inactive. After that, I never seen any more fleas anywhere, unless I comb her. And, I haven't done that for over a week now...I keep putting it off, because she has been pretty resistant to it lately.

Still crushing up the Glyco Flex in baby food meat. Some days she will eat a few of the pieces without the baby food, other days not at all. Still seeing a very slight limp, but I think it might be getting a tad better. It could just be that she is recovering from aggravating her arthritis with one too many jumps in the recent past. :headscratch:
 

verna davies

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Feeby seems pretty stable with the number of calories she is consuming. If you take the average of her weight last week she has maintained it this week so they are good results. You cant do anymore than you are for her, she is in excellent hands.
 
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