Old cat, need help for new solutions for mental health

Nik_has_grumpy_cat

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Hi people, first, I am not very knowledgeable in cat stuff and I am faced with a 14yro cat that is displaying new behaviour of fear and confusion with me, like I am a stranger, but he has known me since he was a baby. He doesn’t have any big movement restrictions in terms of health, seems very flexible even when I pick him up, and chews his food good, so in physical manner he is doing ok i would say for his age. I would say when the episode stuff comes, he slowly eases in a little bit over a few days, becoming less afraid and things become more “manageable”. But it’s no small deal at the start, like he would hide in the deepest darkest corner of the house and not dare to come out, also affecting his feeding schedule and lower activity when his episode is at the strongest. Has anyone experienced such challenges personally and how did you help your cat live with that? How can I train a cat like this to engage in activities for mental stuff? While most of his life he spent his time “not playing with any toys” and doing stuff outside or sprinting inside and surveying his backyard for intruders to drive away. Also, despite his episodes, he is still on the non-aggressive side with me, probably because I am not rushing anything. He also hasn’t forgotten how to do basic stuff like using the litter box, the location of hiding spots or how to access them. Thanks in advance for anyone with actual experience in this matter that would write down any advice that may help.
 

Alldara

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Hi Nik_has_grumpy_cat Nik_has_grumpy_cat

The first step when a cat begins showing major personality changes is to get a blood test that includes a test for hyperthyroid. Hyperthyroid affects many cats of your cats age and often one of the big signs is behavioural/personality changes.

As per playing with toys, I think there are two things people generally do incorrectly that leads them to believe that their cat is uninterested in all toys:
1- stop the play session too soon
2- stop the play sessions too soon

What I mean by this is that 5 or so minutes in, the owner gives up and a few days in to this, the owner gives up.

What I suggest is to have a few different toys, wand toys and maybe toys you can move about with your hand. Choose a carpeted area or similar in your home where the cat can grip to something to play (this is vital), it can even be your bed.

Pick a time every day and commit to 15 minutes. Don't stop before 15 minutes. Acknowledge that wide eyes, staring and tensing at the toy are part of the game for your cat. He's hunting the toy! Lots of waiting and watching during hunting.

During the 15 minutes you want to try different things. Watch for the subtle body language to see what interests your cat most. Hopping movement? Start and stop? Under a blanket? Around objects or under a cardboard scratcher? Small wiggle? Slow drag?

It can take a few weeks. The first goal is just to get them batting at it, maybe even rolling. For older cats, that's all play might look like anyway.
 

Hellenww

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The 1st step is always get a senior vet check when there are these kind of changes. When a cat is unwell or in pain they will often get nervous and hide. At his age arthritis and constipation are 2 common ailments and both can be intermittent. My 16yr Sqeeker gets more nervous than usual when he needs his stool softener. When everything is moving properly he's his normal nervous and demanding. A Alldara I forgot about Hyperthyroidism.

If all is well the 2nd step is trying to figure out why, but it's not always possible. Have you done any experimentation to figure out if he's losing his hearing or eye sight? If he doesn't hear or see you coming and all of a sudden there you are he could get scared. Even though Sqeek has shown no signs of eye sight loss I keep night lights on so he can see the kittens coming

Is there anything happening just before the fear? Looking out the window. Maybe sees or smells a strange animal. Have you visited any new places and brought in new scents? Have you change any personal or household scents?
 

betsygee

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I second Hellenww Hellenww 's thoughts about checking hearing and vision loss. A senior kitty we had started getting more fearful and sometimes aggressive and we discovered he'd gone deaf. We learned to approach him from the front, or gently pat the bed he was lying on or something so he'd know we were there.

We also put up small night lights in the rooms where the older kitties stayed and slept most of the time in case their vision was impaired.

Best of luck figuring how to best help your furry friend.
 
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Nik_has_grumpy_cat

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Aight guys first I want to thank everyone for their time here. For the first thing about the vet thing, either the one I went to see didn’t care or didn’t detect the things mentioned. So I still haven’t given up on my grumpy old cat and as this is my first time on this cat forum which also advised to not seek medical help for my pet here, it’s exactly what I ll comply to. So far he responds to visual stimuli very well as he recognizes my approach and is capable to run like crazy when he s amusing himself at 3am, without running into things. He still has very good agility navigating through objects without even moving a thing. His hearing still seems implacable as he responds to the call of the gingly treats as a recall method in moments when I can’t find him, but that doesn’t work when he s having his épisode obviously. Thanks though while I didn’t think that it would scare him to go through such changes, I would easily notice if he had lost that. To adress the constipation thing, I am unfamiliar with how to detect it but due to him having a history of difficulty with some foods, but due to his episodes I do not hesitate to give him can food if I feel like he is falling behind on his feeding/drinking, even though he s very capable of eating dry food.

Now to get back on the toy things, I am easily the one to think he wasn’t interested because he didn’t go for it in the first 5 mins, so I will try longer and on different times, thanks! I still haven’t gotten any luck to getting him to drink from a water fountain as he looks at it weird and stays away from it. I would go as far as to say he avoids the room it’s in, since it was installed, and he used to sleep on a chair inside that room most of the nights! So no idea what I can do better to get him to drink from it or play with the water or anything as I am no cat whisperer here but advice is welcome. He does drink good amounts of water regardless, so this would be just extra for him. I also tried one of those plushy tent like cat beds and I only saw him in there like 2-3 times, which is sad. I wanted to offer his ultra-heat-loving self some better environment for sleeping and I managed nothing successful there. He is the cat that hugs radiators in winter as if he found true love, so I think there might be a chance to teach him to like it and find refuge in there during his episodes. Any advice there would be welcome! I even tried a heating pad but there s no way for me to get him in there. I will try to look into toys that he could be interested and make some space for them in one of my rooms, although we have long since stopped using carpet, I will think of something.

i also want to mention that he has this alien that lives with him, or at least he looks at her like that. It s a little chiweenie that is of the same age as him and lived together for the greater part of their lives. She is however on the opposite side of the spectrum, if he is calm and serious, she s like the spark of life, full of energy and love to give. While they don’t really interact together much, they have a very good relationship and she even looks after him and barks when he s ready to come back inside or he gets stuck on his leash in the garden. She s like his guardian angel.

Again, thanks to everyone that took time out of their lives to type stuff here and all advice, tips, suggestions are welcome. I don’t know enough right now to tackle this seriously or even how to get a cat like mine to find interest in playing with stuff, because he probably won’t stand still long enough around me! 🥹
 

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Just to be clear, Hyperthyroid can be treated. I'm just saying that so you won't be afraid of it. If I didn't know that, the suggestion of the possibility for my cat would frighten me. You would need to request the test for it separately from your vet.
 

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Because a cat cannot tell us what is going on with them, and most of the time whatever is going on can be hard to decipher, that is why most on this site suggest a full vet exam to start with. This is especially true for older cats and ones who have not been through a full exam in recent past. Your cat is considered as going into his geriatric years, and all seniors and geriatric cats should have semi-annual exams that include not only physical checks, but blood work which is usually a CBC, Super Chemistry panel, thyroid check and urinalysis. Ruling out health issues enables you to start more investigative work to see if you can find a source behind the behavior.

Also, I presume you cannot determine the condition of his stool because he uses the outdoors as his litter box? If so, then follow him around outside to see where he does his business and perhaps you can take a look at his stool at that time. If he does poop in his litterbox, then take a look at his stool when you clean it out. It is easy to see if there is at least some level of constipation, as the poop will likely be little hard balls, rather than looking like tootsie-rolls.

Cats (and dogs) can pick up unusual scents while they are outside and other pets will sometimes react to those scents. So, tracking when his behavior starts to see if it might correlate with when one or both of your pets have been outside. Reactions to scents can actually take a couple of days to get over. Other animals that can stray through your yard can cause the same type reaction. Older cats can also become a bit more reactive to unusual sounds - whether that be inside or outside. So, keep that in mind as well.
 

Alldara

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Just to be extra clear we do not offer medical advice.

WE brainstorm together so we can help people check things with their vet. For example, with our suggestions, you could call and ask the vet if hyperthyroid was included in the last bloodwork.

We also provide resources and links so that we can each discuss those things with our own vet.

Here's what the VCA says should be included: Wellness Testing for Senior Cats | VCA Canada Animal Hospitals

The recommended time between geriatric/senior visits will depend on you vet but vary between 6 months to a year apart.

lastly, we can't help with something behavioural, if it's actually medical. So we usually suggest a clean bill of health first! Again, we aren't behaviouralists, so it's just brainstorming together and letting you know what's worked for us.
 

nurseangel

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I agree with the others above for a check-up with the vet. Ruling out any medical problem is the top priority. I would make a list of questions and pertinent information for the vet, just as I recommend human patients do before seeing a medical provider. :wink:

And, as FeebysOwner FeebysOwner suggested, there may be something outside that is causing your cat distress. For example, I have multiple cats and if one goes to the vet, the others are sometimes either fearful or aggressive of the poor patient for a bit. I guess they pick up on the scents of other animals in that were in the waiting room.

Please keep us posted on what you find out. :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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Nik_has_grumpy_cat

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Damn those quick responses are awesome, thanks guys. Yes at least I have something to go on with, although the last health checkup in December was not at his regular vet due to lack of room at that time of year. They did take blood samples for the tests because I remember telling them to take whatever blood they need to run the tests? Maybe now I can be more specific and ask for certain things as more people read my stuff and give suggestions like those so that the next time I am more prepared. For the stool stuff also I can conclude he is not constipated because they both use/share the same litter boxes and no irregularities as mentioned above. While he is active most of the time and seems strong, I know he is underweight and I tried several different things, no change there. So this might be an indicator although last time I even mentioned that to my vet they only suggested a diet change which was disappointing for me considering that in 14yro we have tried so many random and different foods, felt lame as a response. So now I have that gland thing to look forward to, maybe a urine test and whatever else. I am honestly glad for anyone that has has great/fruitful results from going to the vet for their pets, but please see my side of the coin as well, because I have gone and got nothing. I am sure i am not alone in this situation so that is why I primarily seek help for the behaviour even if I know that it would be of tremendous help to know the underlying cause/causes.

Again guys thanks for all the input and if at all possible keep it coming! 😊
 

maggie101

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Hi people, first, I am not very knowledgeable in cat stuff and I am faced with a 14yro cat that is displaying new behaviour of fear and confusion with me, like I am a stranger, but he has known me since he was a baby. He doesn’t have any big movement restrictions in terms of health, seems very flexible even when I pick him up, and chews his food good, so in physical manner he is doing ok i would say for his age. I would say when the episode stuff comes, he slowly eases in a little bit over a few days, becoming less afraid and things become more “manageable”. But it’s no small deal at the start, like he would hide in the deepest darkest corner of the house and not dare to come out, also affecting his feeding schedule and lower activity when his episode is at the strongest. Has anyone experienced such challenges personally and how did you help your cat live with that? How can I train a cat like this to engage in activities for mental stuff? While most of his life he spent his time “not playing with any toys” and doing stuff outside or sprinting inside and surveying his backyard for intruders to drive away. Also, despite his episodes, he is still on the non-aggressive side with me, probably because I am not rushing anything. He also hasn’t forgotten how to do basic stuff like using the litter box, the location of hiding spots or how to access them. Thanks in advance for anyone with actual experience in this matter that would write down any advice that may help.
If my senior cat has one of her episodes where she is hiding and not eating its from inflammation from her ibd. I agree with FeebysOwner FeebysOwner having a full blood panel would help catch things before they get worse.
 
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Furballsmom

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You've gotten some excellent suggestions and thoughts :) I wanted to mention cat music since you were wondering about keeping your cat mentally involved - There are several sources such as RelaxMyCat .com, MusicForCats .com and spotify has harp music that'd been written for cats.

Would your cat have any interest in kibble or treats that's placed inside a "toy" - I've read where someone took a clean plastic bottle and cut out kibble-sized holes and placed that on the floor. A little interaction with you to get him started with it ...
 
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Nik_has_grumpy_cat

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Good stuff thanks! I definitely got everything to make that happen which seems like a good activity with some creativity to make it. Today is crazy hot and I even tried playing with him with some grass outside that has the grains at the edge for a while although it is not the best time because he prefered hiding in the shade of a grapevine. I will try again tomorrow for a longer time if I can keep his interest in one place. But the bottle thing seems much better because he can do it himself; I will craft that and see if I can get him started on it later tonight when he s more active 😀
 

tyleete

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I've for a hyperthyroidism kitty. It's not so bad. It took them 5 months (testing once a month) to get the dosage right. Now he goes in once a year to test. And thankfully the medicine he's given is actually tasteless! I crush it and powder it over his dry kibble twice a day.😊
Older kitties have their issues and if he's having odd behavior is definitely have him tested. But you might want to get the records for when he was tested back in December to bring to your next appointment to be prepared.
Also, IF it turns out the blood tests turn out to be nothing wrong at all? Cbd can help with older or anxious cats. I didn't want to look into it at first cause I didn't want to get my cat high. But as it turns out, pet cbd is without that part, the THC.
I've given it to both the seniors that needed to feel better as well as sick (Cancer) kitties. Cbd can help the following:
Anxiety & depression, aches & pains-such as with arthritis, and works as an anti-inflammatory and natural appetite stimulant. It's pretty impressive and I've use it on Cancer patients these last 3yrs. It's used in place of prednisolone. Though they still get weekly chemo. Not making them take steroids daily helps their health immensely.
Best of luck!
 
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