Something is Strange

[merlotandasti]

My sweet cat, Asti (9 years old) he's been acting a little odd lately & I can't seem to get it off of my mind. His "brother" died less than a month ago & he seemed to be doing fine.I'm not sure if the behavior change is linked to it or not.

First of all, he goes to different rooms & meows for me to go back there but when I do, he doesn't want to play. He has done this for a year or so now (even when Merlot was alive) but lately he does it constantly. I give him a ton of attention. I even bought him several new toys (which he was interested in for a little while, but not anymore). He's never really been too active or interested in toys though.

Another thing I've noticed is that he Grooms himself a lot now. Paying most attention to arms, paws, and belly. He's never been much of a groomer. I thought maybe he might have arthritis. He's overweight & about a week ago, when he was interested in playing with his toys, he would play all day & I figures maybe he got tired or is sore. But I should also add that his brother had a compulsive grooming problem that Asti might've picked up from him.

He also changes positions a bit more frequently when he's sleeping.

His eating, drinking, & litterbox habits are all normal. He hasn't vomited in several months. He gets occasional flair ups of eye discharge (always has) & sneezing. Sometimes I wonder if he just has allergies.

The reason I'm posting this is because these behavioral changes are all too vague to really pinpoint what is wrong. I can't take him to the vet right now (still drowning in merlot's vet bills) but when I do, I want to know what tests I might bring up or have an idea of how much money I need. I can't afford to do every test in the world on him.

I really love my Asti & I don't want him to be uncomfortable. Sorry for the long post & thanks in advance for replies.

 

[DreamerRose]

He's grieving. He's anxious and depressed because Merlot is gone. Give him some extra attention and talk to him about it. There is another thread here on the site about grieving cats, and one poster mentioned that she explained to her cat that his companion was gone, and the cat seemed to understand. It can't hurt, and Asti will be comforted by your concern. As time goes by, he will adjust, but give him the time and help he needs. Cats grieve just like people.

 

[merlotandasti]

Thank you for the reassurance. Ever since Merlot died, I feel like I notice every single thing that changes with him from day to day. & because merlot died within a week of showing symptoms, I feel like the same thing is going to happen to Asti. It's stressing me out horribly. I give him all of my attention but I'm not sure what I can do for him.

 

[cat-tech]

Trust your instincts, it's not always obsessing, just trust your instincts.

If he hasn't had an exam and especially blood work done in over a year, now would be a good time to do so, you'll know how his vital organ function is doing and his overall health status.  Call your vet's office and ask for the price on an exam with chem profile and CBC.  When you do take him in, ask the vet his opinion on urinalysis, and testing for thyroid function - if his thyroid nodules are not enlarged, your vet may not want to test the thyroid at that time.

I think it is significant he is wanting you to follow him around, he could be trying to get your attention to some matter, or just attention.  Or to his health.  Over-grooming could be indicative of pain as well so your vet can look him over and determine if he might be developing arthritis.  Being overweight, he is predisposed to arthritis.

Again, trust your instincts.  Even if vet determines him perfectly healthy, you'll have peace of mind for having him examined.

 

[merlotandasti]

I would definitely take him anyways if I had spare cash, but as I said, I'm still trying to pay off Merlot's bills. I'm in my last semester of college with only a part time job so it's hard to pay for it all. I might take him & just have the blood test done. The thyroid test is very expensive at my vet. Thank you for your input.

 

[cat-tech]

If his thyroid nodules aren't pronounced or enlarged, it's probably not necessary for the test.  Your vet can help you break down costs depending on what he feels during Asti's exam and what would be more prudent based on your affordability.

 

[merlotandasti]

Thank you. I looked over my previous cat bills & found that the tests aren't as expensive as I thought so I'm going to bring him to the vet tomorrow. I'll post how the visit goes.

 

[merlotandasti]

Update on Asti: his blood work came out fine & he's even lost the right amount of weight for the diet he's been on. The only concern was that he might be FIV/FeLV positive. But they said they might have messed up the test. We're going to monitor him & have the test done in another 3 months.