Cognitive Dysfunction

homoki2002

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Has anyone had experience in dealing (mentally and physically) with feline cognitive issues? Greta is about 14 and is often spacey, sleeping much of the time, has started eating less and sometimes I have to put the dish of food under her nose before she'll eat. She is seen regularly by her vet and as far as we know has no underlying other problems. The vet said we could get a CT scan but did not push it because it would involve being put completely under anesthesia which is a risk at her age. Just wanted to see if others have had this issue and what they did.
 

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Hi. I think the above article that fionasmom fionasmom provided is good from the sense that includes a checklist that you can go through to see how many signs you are seeing. Are there other issues you didn't mention? If not, I think your Greta is in pretty good shape overall.

Feeby (16+ yo) displays many signs that would suggest there may be some cognitive decline. Some can be worked around, just as you are doing with Greta's food by sticking it under her nose. I have to do something similar with Feeby, just not every day.

Feeby also sleeps a lot, and I am pretty sure has some hearing impairment. Her world is a bit 'smaller' in that she doesn't go as many places in the house as she used to. She is more 'needy' than she used to be. She 'nods off' when on the back of the couch looking out the window. I do have her on an arthritis supplement (Glyco Flex Plus) that helped somewhat in terms of her mobility. She has regular semi-annual checkups (full geriatric blood work, urinalysis - if they can get any pee from her). So, other than her recent diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, which is being treated, she is in reasonably good health.

Tbh, I deem what Feeby is going through is 'old age', and I will adjust what I can for her accordingly.

Let us know if there are other signs/symptoms that you are seeing just for the purposes of confirming with others that most of them are pretty much likely due to the aging process.
 

kittenmittens84

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My previous cat lived to 21 years old and definitely showed some signs of confusion in the last few years of his life, it was mostly noticeable at night time. Keeping a regular schedule seemed to help cut down on the night time meowing, ie I’d let him out onto the window box every morning after breakfast and evening after dinner, meals at the same time every day, not disturbing his naps, etc.

Also he seemed to be less worked up at night after he started to go deaf, I think general house/people noises like yelling and cooking and vacuuming and TV sounds bothered him more the older he got so the hearing loss was a blessing in disguise (he was always a big scaredy cat)
 

neely

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Unfortunately I think cognitive impairment goes along with our seniors as they get up in age. Of course, this is not true of all seniors and each experiences different side effects. None of our cats lived beyond 14 years old and the biggest change I noticed was in their energy level. However, our last dog who lived until 16 had cataracts, hearing loss, arthritis and disorientation at night similar to Sundowner's in humans. Greta may just be slowing down so enjoy her as long as you can and give her lots and lots of hugs. :grouphug:
 
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homoki2002

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Hi. I think the above article that fionasmom fionasmom provided is good from the sense that includes a checklist that you can go through to see how many signs you are seeing. Are there other issues you didn't mention? If not, I think your Greta is in pretty good shape overall.

Feeby (16+ yo) displays many signs that would suggest there may be some cognitive decline. Some can be worked around, just as you are doing with Greta's food by sticking it under her nose. I have to do something similar with Feeby, just not every day.

Feeby also sleeps a lot, and I am pretty sure has some hearing impairment. Her world is a bit 'smaller' in that she doesn't go as many places in the house as she used to. She is more 'needy' than she used to be. She 'nods off' when on the back of the couch looking out the window. I do have her on an arthritis supplement (Glyco Flex Plus) that helped somewhat in terms of her mobility. She has regular semi-annual checkups (full geriatric blood work, urinalysis - if they can get any pee from her). So, other than her recent diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, which is being treated, she is in reasonably good health.

Tbh, I deem what Feeby is going through is 'old age', and I will adjust what I can for her accordingly.

Let us know if there are other signs/symptoms that you are seeing just for the purposes of confirming with others that most of them are pretty much likely due to the aging process.
Thank you for sharing your experience with me. Greta's kidney values have been just a hair over normal for a while so we give her fluids twice a week. Like you, she sees her vet twice a year for a complete geriatric checkup, which has up to this time been good. I also have her checked whenever I see behavior or issues that don't seem quite right. I'm sure the vet thinks i'm a worry wart which i am but that's ok. I'll keep on top of any changes and give her lots of loves.
 
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homoki2002

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My previous cat lived to 21 years old and definitely showed some signs of confusion in the last few years of his life, it was mostly noticeable at night time. Keeping a regular schedule seemed to help cut down on the night time meowing, ie I’d let him out onto the window box every morning after breakfast and evening after dinner, meals at the same time every day, not disturbing his naps, etc.

Also he seemed to be less worked up at night after he started to go deaf, I think general house/people noises like yelling and cooking and vacuuming and TV sounds bothered him more the older he got so the hearing loss was a blessing in disguise (he was always a big scaredy cat)
21 years! How wonderful! Greta doesn't howl at night be sometimes howls in another room of the house during the day. Her eating changes from day to day. So far her hearing is good. Thanks for so much for your info.
 

FeebysOwner

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Greta doesn't howl at night be sometimes howls in another room of the house during the day. Her eating changes from day to day. So far her hearing is good.
Feeby is pretty much quiet at night, but howls (what I call squawking & screeching) at various times during the day. It is fairly loud a lot of the time. I think the difference is because at night we are less active so not moving as much about the house and therefore at night she knows 'where we are' compared to times during the day. For her, I do believe some of it is 'old age neediness', but I also think her hearing is a bit impaired as well. I can kind of sneak up on her from behind, and if I don't make some sort of motion/action that lets her see me, she will really let out a screech when she realizes I am there. Feeby's eating is also on-and-off. She can eat up to 275 calories one day (she weighs about 13 pounds), and the next day she will only eat 200 or less calories. Some of it might be due to her food, but I am not sure.
 
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homoki2002

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Feeby is pretty much quiet at night, but howls (what I call squawking & screeching) at various times during the day. It is fairly loud a lot of the time. I think the difference is because at night we are less active so not moving as much about the house and therefore at night she knows 'where we are' compared to times during the day. For her, I do believe some of it is 'old age neediness', but I also think her hearing is a bit impaired as well. I can kind of sneak up on her from behind, and if I don't make some sort of motion/action that lets her see me, she will really let out a screech when she realizes I am there. Feeby's eating is also on-and-off. She can eat up to 275 calories one day (she weighs about 13 pounds), and the next day she will only eat 200 or less calories. Some of it might be due to her food, but I am not sure.
Greta's hearing is good, at least so far. But the eating sounds much like what you described for Feeby. Some days she'll eat a lot like today, and others she eats just a bit. She gets dry and wet food, prescription diet from vet for her kidneys. But every day is different. Thanks for your info :)
 
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