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My second cat was very 'bonded' and affectionate, and I was worried about leaving him with just a sitter if I would be gone more than a few days. I was fortunate to find a neighbor whose daughter would actually live in my house while I was away. It worked out great because he bonded quickly...

I faced this problem many years ago with my first cat who at age 19 was 'failing'--although she had no specific terminal illness; it was age-related decline. My wonderful vet told me that the criterion should be her 'quality of life,' which, he said, is very important to the cat. I finally...

My first cat developed deafness when she was 17. The advice above about being careful not to startle the cat is exactly what my vet advised at the time. He also added that they've found that dogs and cats both respond to hearing or vision loss better than humans! My girl certainly didn't seem...

My first cat was diagnosed as hyperthyroid when she was about 17. My vet at the time advised NOT treating her at all, as the regular testing of hormone levels would be too stressful for her. This was about 25 years ago, and I'm sure treatments have changed since then. She remained comfortable...

Just keep in mind that as with any procedure involving anesthesia, there are risks. One of my cats actually had his trachea slit during a 'routine' dental cleaning, and I had to bring him back TWICE before the vets realized what had happened. The senior vet told me that he was surprised this...

I have a 'rescue' cat who is very, very wary--and won't be picked up. She's been with me for 6 years now (she's 9), and I've been able to get her to the vet with several different approaches. Initially, we had home visits, but, as you know, the cat still has to be confined. Early on, a vet...

My current girl is a rescue (thrown out of a car when she was about 3 yrs. old), and she's the only cat of mine who 'hid' when she arrived--for two weeks. The people on this board were enormously helpful in getting me through that time. It was 'treats' that eventually won her over, and she's...

I feed just two of the small FF cans a day--and she rarely finishes the bowl, which is why I suspect she is 'naturally' big. But I like your idea of taking out about a teaspoon. I've always added water to her wet food (she likes it that way), so I might also add just a little more water...

Thanks for your suggestions! I've always added water to her wet food because she likes it 'smooth.' And I don't want to give her anything she doesn't need yet. When she's 'motivated,' she's actually quite agile--and very fast. My first cat was on Cosequin--but not until she was 17. I...

Thanks. I'd forgotten about getting her to move more, and that's a great idea because at age 9 now, she 'prefers' to sleep most of the day.

Thanks for your suggestion! But I have a 'kitty stroller.' The top part is the carrier which goes onto a wheeled base when I need to take her to the vet. Then I take off the top carrier to put in the car, and the wheeled base folds and fits into the car, too.

My girl is 9 years old and weighs 14 lbs (she gained a half pound this year). My vet says he's prefer her to be 12 lbs, but she's healthy, and he says it's not really an issue for him. But I don't want her to develop problems because of her weight, so I'd like to slowly lower it. She eats...

Update and thanks to all who responded so helpfully! Today was our vet visit, and it couldn't have gone better. I was able to get her 'mellow' with the gabapentin because I discovered: 1. I buy a tuna that's not packed in either water or oil but in its own juices. I discovered that she LOVES...

My first cat lived to almost 20, and when she was about 15 appeared to have trouble moving. My vet did an x-ray and found arthritis in her spine that he guessed developed from an earlier injury--perhaps a fall--that didn't seem apparent at the time. Fortunately, he gave her an Rx (I forget now...

Thanks so much for all this advice! At our next visit, I will ask the vet about x-raying her--it makes sense that she may have had some injury from being thrown from that car. We'd both assumed she just feared being picked up because of that trauma, but it's worth it to check. As for 'people'...

Thanks for your help! I have an order in for the Vetdiet pill pockets, and she actually seems to be accepting the catnip ones I just got--I've crumbled them so she could get the catnip flavor. She has some catnip treats that she loves, and I was hoping these pockets would work. I am also...

Thanks. You'll note that the Mayo Clinic says the pills can be halved but not crushed. My first script was for pills, and that's what I did with them--and put them in pill pockets that she happily ate. The current ones are capsules that are to be opened and the contents are 'sprinkles' that...

Gabapentin CAN be crushed, but the latest ones I got are capsules that can be opened and sprinkled on food, etc. She used to just love those pill pockets, but has been rejecting them recently. That's why I'm hoping she'll respond to a new flavor--I need a 'vehicle' for the gabapentin, and my...

I love the way you put this! My poor girl is a rescue--she was thrown out of a car when she was about 3 years old. My vet at the time had a small rescue at her office, and the woman who saw the poor cat get thrown brought her there. She was rather 'un-adoptable' because she was so fearful and...

Thanks for the tip about the gloves/sleeves, but I bought a pair of vet gloves (to the elbow) long ago, but I find they are too thick to give me a good sense of holding her. I also don't use a towel for the same reason. I rely on holding her closely with all four legs held close to her...