Need advice/help with two Elderly cats

[Integra]

Hello!
This is going to be long, sorry! Just want to make sure all possible info is out there.


My oldest cat is 17, I have had her all 17 years. She was from a friend whose cat had kittens and was the only black/white one from her litter - this was May 2006. She’s just a typical short hair tuxedo-ish cat and currently weighs 8lbs. In 2018 she was diagnosed with kidney disease which was being aggravated by a UTI. She pulled through and years later she is stable. She only has one kidney. Her kidney functions have remained the same since this diagnosis and since this diagnosis she gets full blood work, X-rays and an exam every six months; I have not slacked with this at all. Later last year right before her 16th birthday in March 2022 she fell over, began vomiting and wet herself. I rushed her to the vet and found out she either had a vestibular disease episode or a stroke. An MRI and the like could not be done because of her age and kidney disease. After 3 days she made a complete recovery however since that incident she can no longer judge depth perception. Her eyes no longer fully constrict as they should. It took her a full two weeks to get her movement back but her back legs did decline a little after this. Now, in April of this year she suffered ANOTHER vestibular incident or a stroke. This one was not as severe however it seemed to really affect her back legs. The vet said this led her to believe it may have been a stroke over a vestibular incident but cannot he sure. She has a hard time using her back leg to scratch her neck/head area and she falls over every time. She has no difficulty jumping up/down and walking but using those back legs for leverage is an issue. Since the incident last year her back legs have gotten thinner but she’s still running around playing and her last X-ray in December shows no issues. She’s due for another X-ray in June. She got full blood work in April when the second incident happened and there was nothing of concern there. An X-ray at that time wasn’t possible because she freaked out so I had to reschedule the X-ray.



For my oldest cat, what can I do for her back legs? I’ve started red light therapy with the OK from my vet and I try to move her legs to build more muscle — which I know will be a long process but given all that’s happened to her I’m wondering if there’s not something more I can do for her. She’s so spunky and full of life, she eats *5* cans of wet food a day in addition to her dry food and she’s so playful, I don’t want to see her body fail.





———

Next is my younger cat. She is currently 13 but will be 14 in December. She was a super fluffy stray kitten I chased around (for two hours in the freezing cold) back in December 2009. She is currently 9lbs. She was also diagnosed with kidney disease in 2018, but she does have both her kidneys and as with my older cat her levels are stable and have stayed virtually the same in these past few years. With her, I have recently had the problem since April (before my older cat had her incident) where she has been over grooming. She has never done this before. Her back leg sides, belly and inside legs are where it’s the worst. She is prone to frequent UTI infections so she was initially treated for that. She still kept over grooming and even after blood work and X-rays showed nothing wrong, she was given another dose of antibiotics just in case since she has a history or UTIs. Didn’t help the over-grooming (vet thought she could be over grooming because of pain). Then I saw we had a mice problem….mice can carry fleas so she’s been treated with flea/tick treatment. Didn’t help. Now for the past month she’s been on steroids and while initially the steroids were helping, when I got to the last week of her dosage (every other day) she began over grooming again so the vet put her back on steroids. Again the over grooming stopped for a few days and now she’s doing it again, at the end of her last steroid dosage. The vet said this indicates she either has an allergy or it’s stress. Because I see her often jumping up to lick herself I’m thinking it’s allergy. I’ve decided to remove all her wet from from her diet and give her another brand of wet food for awhile to see if that does the trick. She is still eating as well but I have noticed she seems to be turning away from her wet food so that’s why I’m removing her current wet food from her diet. She still eats her dry food, she actually eats so much of that it’s making it where I have to refill all four bowls every day.



Anyone have any advice for my younger cat? I’m at such a loss for her, I don’t know how to help her. I’m going to buy one of those surgery suit things to try and stop her from over grooming but if she’s itchy I feel like that’s the wrong thing to do. Any help with either of my babies would be so much appreciated.

And just a quick note about the home environment—both indoors only, they have three litter boxes cleaned daily and two HUGE water fountains that they both love. They have four dry food bowls out at all times with a mixture of kidney food, sensitive stomach food, and senior diet food. I have four 6ft tall cat trees at the windows and I am currently trying to have an outdoor catio built for them (proving difficult actually). They are both actually very active and play quite a bit. My oldest always makes sure to let me know when it’s time to eat as well.


Sorry to make this so long and thank you!

 

[Antonio65]

Anyone have any advice for my younger cat? I’m at such a loss for her, I don’t know how to help her. I’m going to buy one of those surgery suit things to try and stop her from over grooming but if she’s itchy I feel like that’s the wrong thing to do. Any help with either of my babies would be so much appreciated.

One of my previous cats had over grooming issues. Just like yours, she had her belly and hind legs completely bare, with her pink skin completely exposed. Despite being bare, she would over groom anyway, and she was causing sore skin and scabs all over.
It all started with a small area with thin hair on her belly, and it quickly spread on her abdomen and legs.

We started thinking about fleas, but that wasn't the case.
Then we thought about allergy. The vet gave me a new diet, but it didn't work. We ran an allergy test, where 24 allergens were tested, she tested positive to two or three of them, the cat was prescribed a desensitiving therapy, but that didn't work either.
At last, we thought it was stress related, and the cat was seen by a behavioralist who gave us a few tips, like enriching her environment, putting Feliway plug-in diffuser around the house, playing with her more.
This didn't work much either, but in the end this thing died off on its own, and about three years later everything was back to normal

Hope this helps.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. My cat, who once weighed 17 pounds, had trouble grooming the lower half of her body - and would literally fall over trying to do so. (I know that weight is not the issue with your older cat.) Anyway, my cat found her own solution, by leaning up against a wall to groom. Not clear on how you could train your cat to do that, but if she likes boxes, you could set one up - open topped, and place her in the corner of it when she is trying to groom - same thing I suppose with a room wall or corner.

You've had x-rays done, so I presume she doesn't have arthritis? If she were to have it, joint supplements might be something else to try with her. There are newer meds out in the form of injections that are intended to help with arthritic pain - Adequan and Solensia. So, you might want to look at those as well. And, what about acupuncture?

Re: your younger cat, I agree the suit is probably not the best idea to try to stop her overgrooming. Since the vet thinks this could be a form of allergy, have you and they considered an antihistamine instead of a steroid? That might even work better if this is more stress related.

Have you researched any/all changes that might have gone on in your home about the time her itchiness started? A change in laundry detergents, soap, perfumes, other cleaning products, even carpet/furniture cleaning? The use of scented candles, room deodorizers, etc. can trigger allergies too. Another thing to consider is seasonal allergies, which an antihistamine might also help as well. Any of these things can cause an allergic reaction in cats. However, cats can become allergic to things they have been around for years, so that is when experimentation comes in to play. Sensitive skin detergents, for example. Air purifiers might help decrease any air borne allergens, as another example.

Btw, it won't likely do anything for the stress, or allergies, but you might want to consider giving your younger cat pure D-Mannose - it is known to help clear various bacteria from the bladder to help reduce the chance of future UTIs. My cat had recurring UTIs and was almost put on pulse antibiotics to help prevent them, but I started pure D- Mannose instead, and - knock on wood - she has been UTI free for a while now.

 

[Dakera]

Hi there,
First of all kudos for the amazing care you're providing!
I can only suggest one little thing for the overgrooming, you might want to try to add some omega 3 oil (from krill or sardine) to his diet. It helps with any auto-immune diseases in case it is an allergy, and it is also good for the renal issues both your cats have. The omega6 : mega3 ratio is pretty wide for cats (from 2.6:1 to 26:1 n6 to n3), so it would be difficult to overdo it. But as with all things regarding cats, you might want to introduce it slowly - I would go with one gel per week and see how it goes. I wouldn't go as far as to give one per day, however, that might be too much.
The ones I use come in softgel, each containing 1250 mg fish oil and 1055 mg total omega 3s.
I really hope that it helps him!

 

[Furballsmom]

For my oldest cat, what can I do for her back legs?

Would some form of water therapy work, if she's at all amenable?

This seems like an incredible quantity of food. They aren't gaining weight?

For a cat who is prone to uti's, I'm wondering, are you certain you can't find a canned food he likes? There are so many brands and varieties on the market now, including one that is partly made with mouse. Speaking of, you got rid of the mice?

 

[Kwik]

I just want to give you a really big hug,those 2 cats have a wonderful,very very special caregiver,Steward,companion,parent,friendtheir person....you are incredible,they deserve nothing less than the best and you go above & beyond....God Bless you and your 2 babies
The senior yrs are difficult as it is with our beloved cats,& when they have health issues it's even harder because it takes a lot of guesswork but most of all LOVE and you've certainly got plenty of that
Your older cat,God Bless sounds like is coming along fairly well- manual manipulation & therapy is great for those hind legs and the red light therapy-your keeping the circulation going with is essential and I believe those little muscles will do better,no doubt you've seen human stroke victims that rehabilitate with consistent therapy,it's certainly hopeful!
The younger kitty really does seem to have a physical reason for the over grooming,be it discomfort,itch but stress seems highly unlikely as you described the environment....allergies are tough to figure out,it's a process of elimination,one thing only at a time .....I like the Omega 3 suggestions and possibilyy of something in the house,air fresheners,detergents,sprays etc...I'm hoping it's a stage that will pass,it's possible
In any event you 3 are in my prayers

 

[LeiLatte]

My young indoor kitty has an overgrooming problem on his legs and stomach for about 2-3 years now. Sometimes he will groom too much that he has little sores on his legs, and of course hairloss. We have tried everything from allergy testing, allergy shots & oral drops specific to his results, diet change, multiple litter changes, inhalers that didn’t help, etc. He also developed some bad asthma attacks.

The only thing that has really worked is prednisolone. We have not tried Atopica yet but it is an option. I just get worried because of the cancer risk. But there is also the diabetes risk with prednisolone. He has to have paper litter and an air purifier now. The paper litter seems better and less dusty, just more inconvenient for me when it comes to scooping.

 

[Integra]

One of my previous cats had over grooming issues. Just like yours, she had her belly and hind legs completely bare, with her pink skin completely exposed. Despite being bare, she would over groom anyway, and she was causing sore skin and scabs all over.
It all started with a small area with thin hair on her belly, and it quickly spread on her abdomen and legs.

We started thinking about fleas, but that wasn't the case.
Then we thought about allergy. The vet gave me a new diet, but it didn't work. We ran an allergy test, where 24 allergens were tested, she tested positive to two or three of them, the cat was prescribed a desensitiving therapy, but that didn't work either.
At last, we thought it was stress related, and the cat was seen by a behavioralist who gave us a few tips, like enriching her environment, putting Feliway plug-in diffuser around the house, playing with her more.
This didn't work much either, but in the end this thing died off on its own, and about three years later everything was back to normal

Hope this helps.

Thank you! My vet actually advised against allergy testing for her, literally telling me it was just a waste of time because it’s not very accurate. However I have a feeling her issue is allergies but that opens up so many more questions and problems.

 

[Integra]

Hi. My cat, who once weighed 17 pounds, had trouble grooming the lower half of her body - and would literally fall over trying to do so. (I know that weight is not the issue with your older cat.) Anyway, my cat found her own solution, by leaning up against a wall to groom. Not clear on how you could train your cat to do that, but if she likes boxes, you could set one up - open topped, and place her in the corner of it when she is trying to groom - same thing I suppose with a room wall or corner.

You've had x-rays done, so I presume she doesn't have arthritis? If she were to have it, joint supplements might be something else to try with her. There are newer meds out in the form of injections that are intended to help with arthritic pain - Adequan and Solensia. So, you might want to look at those as well. And, what about acupuncture?

Re: your younger cat, I agree the suit is probably not the best idea to try to stop her overgrooming. Since the vet thinks this could be a form of allergy, have you and they considered an antihistamine instead of a steroid? That might even work better if this is more stress related.

Have you researched any/all changes that might have gone on in your home about the time her itchiness started? A change in laundry detergents, soap, perfumes, other cleaning products, even carpet/furniture cleaning? The use of scented candles, room deodorizers, etc. can trigger allergies too. Another thing to consider is seasonal allergies, which an antihistamine might also help as well. Any of these things can cause an allergic reaction in cats. However, cats can become allergic to things they have been around for years, so that is when experimentation comes in to play. Sensitive skin detergents, for example. Air purifiers might help decrease any air borne allergens, as another example.

Btw, it won't likely do anything for the stress, or allergies, but you might want to consider giving your younger cat pure D-Mannose - it is known to help clear various bacteria from the bladder to help reduce the chance of future UTIs. My cat had recurring UTIs and was almost put on pulse antibiotics to help prevent them, but I started pure D- Mannose instead, and - knock on wood - she has been UTI free for a while now.

My oldest cat is very very intelligent (I was able to easily train her to sit/stay/etc and she knows how to open zippers and door handles—I had to child proof everything from her very early on) so I have no doubt she will learn to lean on things while she’s grooming/cleaning herself. It’s just so difficult watching this happen to her. And correct, the X-rays show no arthritis or any other concerns (*knock on wood*) so the issue with her back legs definitely arose from the two strokes she had and her kidney disease isn’t helping. I hadn’t thought of acupuncture but it’s definitely something I’ll check out.

For my younger cat I’ll be leaving a message for the vet in the morning since she’s just finished her second round of steroids and once again she is still overgrooming so I’m going to ask about allergy meds for her next. I actually did wash absolutely everything I could in the house, even cleaning the couches to see if maybe something got on them that was irritating her but to no avail. There’s been no new scents or lotions or anything new in the house so that’s why I’m thinking it’s her food…she seems to be turning away from her wet food when she used to always be at the ready for it. And thanks for the suggestion about the D-Mannose! When I call the vet in the morning I’ll ask if that’s ok to introduce into their diets
Thank you!

 

[Integra]

Hi there,
First of all kudos for the amazing care you're providing!
I can only suggest one little thing for the overgrooming, you might want to try to add some omega 3 oil (from krill or sardine) to his diet. It helps with any auto-immune diseases in case it is an allergy, and it is also good for the renal issues both your cats have. The omega6 : mega3 ratio is pretty wide for cats (from 2.6:1 to 26:1 n6 to n3), so it would be difficult to overdo it. But as with all things regarding cats, you might want to introduce it slowly - I would go with one gel per week and see how it goes. I wouldn't go as far as to give one per day, however, that might be too much.
The ones I use come in softgel, each containing 1250 mg fish oil and 1055 mg total omega 3s.
I really hope that it helps him!

Thank you! I’ll ask the vet about this too. I’m actually only able to give omega oils (from fish) to my younger cat as my older cat is allergic to fish.

 

[Integra]

Would some form of water therapy work, if she's at all amenable?

This seems like an incredible quantity of food. They aren't gaining weight?

For a cat who is prone to uti's, I'm wondering, are you certain you can't find a canned food he likes? There are so many brands and varieties on the market now, including one that is partly made with mouse. Speaking of, you got rid of the mice?

My vet actually suggested water therapy too but it’s a no go so far. She loves jumping in the shower with me but a tub of water seems to not be to her liking. As for their weight, I’ve asked the vet about this too since they both eat so much but aren’t fat cats. She stated that for my 17yo the kidney disease is a big culprit in her lighter weight despite her food intake, plus her age is a factor. My younger cat will sometimes tip the scales to 10lbs but she will only eat dry food while I’m gone, she won’t eat her wet food for my mom who feeds them while I’m at work. So her weight fluctuates more and she eats more dry food since she’ll only eat her wet food when I give it to her and she’ll only eat wet food when I’m standing next to her but she’ll eat the dry food throughout the day. She’s the one eating the majority of it too, my older cat doesn’t eat much dry food. This is also complicated by the fact that when eating their wet food, they must eat in separate rooms because my older cat is allergic to fish but my younger cat will only eat food with fish in it (she doesn’t like plain chicken/beef wet food).

And yup, all mice are gone now. My older cat didn’t care about them really but my younger cat was actively hunting for them.

 

[Antonio65]

My vet actually suggested water therapy too but it’s a no go so far. She loves jumping in the shower with me but a tub of water seems to not be to her liking.

The same cat who had over grooming issues that I told you about, happened to need a physiotherapist intervention too.
One night, out of the blue, she couldn't walk on her left hind leg, she would drag it.
Several visits later, we ended up with a course of physiotherapy, where she had this doctor give her muscle excercises and electrostimulation, and what should have been the water therapy, but without the water.
It was a tub where the water had been removed just for her, and a treadmill where she was forced to walk for a few minutes, about ten minutes per session.
I can assure you, that after 5 or 6 sessions of full excercises (about 2 hours per day), she was already gaining function in her hind leg, and she was perfectly fine at the end of the therapy.

Your case is different, but talking about water therapy, I think this could help.

 

[Integra]

I just want to give you a really big hug,those 2 cats have a wonderful,very very special caregiver,Steward,companion,parent,friendtheir person....you are incredible,they deserve nothing less than the best and you go above & beyond....God Bless you and your 2 babies
The senior yrs are difficult as it is with our beloved cats,& when they have health issues it's even harder because it takes a lot of guesswork but most of all LOVE and you've certainly got plenty of that
Your older cat,God Bless sounds like is coming along fairly well- manual manipulation & therapy is great for those hind legs and the red light therapy-your keeping the circulation going with is essential and I believe those little muscles will do better,no doubt you've seen human stroke victims that rehabilitate with consistent therapy,it's certainly hopeful!
The younger kitty really does seem to have a physical reason for the over grooming,be it discomfort,itch but stress seems highly unlikely as you described the environment....allergies are tough to figure out,it's a process of elimination,one thing only at a time .....I like the Omega 3 suggestions and possibilyy of something in the house,air fresheners,detergents,sprays etc...I'm hoping it's a stage that will pass,it's possible
In any event you 3 are in my prayers

Thanks so much! I do what I can for them, they’re my life and I want to make them as happy as possible And yes, I’m definitely hoping that her back legs recover. When she had her first stroke I was so afraid she wouldn’t pull through, I took two weeks off work and had to feed/water her with a syringe and clean her because she was wetting herself and I slept on the floor with her and a lot of blankets/pillows so she would hurt herself falling over. She recovered so well in just three days but her movement was still off for about two weeks — and she did lose some eyesight after that but she bounced back and that’s all that matters. This second stroke though definitely affected her legs even more so I hope with continual therapy she can get that leg strength back again.

My younger cat definitely has an allergy issue, I just don’t think it’s stress. I’m also hoping this passes, maybe it is seasonal but it’s hard watching her go through this. And thank you again! Once I figure out how to post pics without them looking ginormous I’ll post some pics of them ^.^

 

[Integra]

My young indoor kitty has an overgrooming problem on his legs and stomach for about 2-3 years now. Sometimes he will groom too much that he has little sores on his legs, and of course hairloss. We have tried everything from allergy testing, allergy shots & oral drops specific to his results, diet change, multiple litter changes, inhalers that didn’t help, etc. He also developed some bad asthma attacks.

The only thing that has really worked is prednisolone. We have not tried Atopica yet but it is an option. I just get worried because of the cancer risk. But there is also the diabetes risk with prednisolone. He has to have paper litter and an air purifier now. The paper litter seems better and less dusty, just more inconvenient for me when it comes to scooping.

I’m sorry to hear about your kitty, this is such a scary problem. My younger cat doesn’t have sores or anything (*knocks on wood*), she’s just over grooming within enough time to where the hair won’t grow back and she has small bald spots amongst the hair that’s trying to grow back. Her hair started growing back on the steroids (prednisone), twice, but then at the end of the dosage she started over grooming again. If I’m remembering correctly my vet advised against that medicine because of the potential health risks, plus the kidney disease can complicate things further. I’m glad you were able to find a somewhat solution. I hope your kitty gets better.

 

[Integra]

The same cat who had over grooming issues that I told you about, happened to need a physiotherapist intervention too.
One night, out of the blue, she couldn't walk on her left hind leg, she would drag it.
Several visits later, we ended up with a course of physiotherapy, where she had this doctor give her muscle excercises and electrostimulation, and what should have been the water therapy, but without the water.
It was a tub where the water had been removed just for her, and a treadmill where she was forced to walk for a few minutes, about ten minutes per session.
I can assure you, that after 5 or 6 sessions of full excercises (about 2 hours per day), she was already gaining function in her hind leg, and she was perfectly fine at the end of the therapy.

Your case is different, but talking about water therapy, I think this could help.

Wow that’s great to hear. I actually thought about treadmill walking for my cat, but I was looking for smaller ones and trying to encourage her to do it on her own. I’ll have to look that up though and speak with the vet. Thank you!