20 Year Old Cat

wevug

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Hi,
My cat is 20 years old coming up to 21 in September , she has not been to the vets in ages because of her age.


She doesn’t act like a 20 year old cat would , yes she sleeps a lot but when she is awake she’s very hyper, runs about and likes to play. She eats a lot of food and drinks a lot of water.

However the colour of her stools keep changing , the other day they were solid , dark brown with the tiniest bit of blood in and then today they were like again solid but they were like a white/clay colour.


I’m just wondering what to do with her as she seems fine but I know the colour of the stools could mean soemthing else, and taking her to the vet is last option because they cannot do anything to her as of her age.
 

furmonster mom

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I’ve had a fair share of senior animals, so I understand how special they are to our hearts. I currently have an old man who will be 19 in August. I’ve had him since his birth.
I will say that it’s important to at least get a full blood panel and urinalysis to understand the changes they go through as they get older.

You mentioned that your girl is drinking a lot. The first thing that pops to my mind is possible compromised kidney function. It’s one of the most common issues for older animals. Kidney disease can go through different stages, but if you catch it quickly you can slow it down with diet, supplements, and/or medication.

The change in stools could be indicative of any number of possible issues. I couldn’t even guess.

Some issues can sneak up suddenly, as what happened to one of my angels when we discovered that she had cancer. She gave no indications that she was feeling badly, was very playful even. By the time she started showing illness, it was well advanced and she left us within a couple weeks.

20 years is amazing, and even though our little companions will never live long enough, I hope you will have much more time with your precious girl. The best way to ensure that is with a basic senior wellness check with the vet.
 

Maria Bayote

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Wow, 20 years!! What's her name?

I agree with the above, a vet check is needed, or just to ease your mind.
 

FeebysOwner

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The blood in her stool would be a bit worrisome. To start off with, you could take a fecal sample (litter included is usually OK) to the vet for testing to see if they might be able to decipher something. There is a fecal PCR that will test for bacteria and viruses, in addition to parasites. Just call your vet and ask if they will accept a fecal sample from you without seeing your cat. They may not be willing to do so given she hasn't seen a vet in the recent past.

I don't know what the issues are related to taking her to a vet, but if nothing else you could have an in-home visit with a vet that could do a physical exam, draw blood, and take the fecal sample back for testing at the same time. I also am not sure I have heard of any vets that won't give basic treatments to a cat because of their advanced age.
 
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