Possible mental problems in older cat

[rmnative]

I have a 19 (soon to be 20) year old boy named Monster. This past year, he started losing weight, which is actually a good thing because he's

always been around 20lbs. I believe he has lost over 5 lbs.to date. Over the past 5-6 years he has lost all his teeth, but still loves "Crunchies"

(dry food). He has never been athletic, but now sleeps over 23 hours a day. This would be great if he wasn't acting a bit off.

monster.jpg

• rmnative
• Jan 26, 2016

This is Monster before he lost weight.

 

[tickles]

I don't have any advice for you having never gone through this.. but I'm sorry to hear it, and wow, he is such an adorable boy. 

 

[amandad]

I'm sorry to hear this.

You'll want to get him to a vet as soon as possible. Weight loss and lethargy are signs of things going wrong.  If he's been losing his teeth that could be a sign that there may be something wrong.

You can ask the vet about the dog food you are referring to and ask the vet if there is anything similar that you can do for/give to your kitty. You can also get him a blood test to just check his levels. 

 

[hexiesfriend]

My older cat was acting like this and we discovered he had gone nearly completely deaf. Also as they get older they do naturally lose some weight. In human years your baby is over 100 years old. a vet visit is really necessary to rule out anything serious dementia in cats can maifedt itself in aggression but so do teeth problems. if nothing comes up it sounds like natural old age. My 22 year old slept the majority of his last 2 years. Good luck!!

 

[DreamerRose]

Cats do get dementia, and there's not much that can be done about it. There's no test for it; diagnosis is based on behavior. But do take him to the vet as everyone has suggested to make sure there's not another problem. Deafness or blindness could explain his current behavior. Cats with dementia will often go to the corner of a room and cry at the walls.