I'm worried about my old cat and I wonder if anyone can help me.

Is it possible for a cat to suffer from senile dementia? Barney is 17 years old and has started to howl a lot. He is also getting very, very fussy about his food and has been refusing all his favourites. Some days I end up offering him 3 or 4 different foods and combinations, and he only eats a bit and then howls at me and goes around my feet, as if to say 'ugh, that's no good!' I really don't know what he wants any more - could be food, milk, attention, a lap, or none of the above. Mealtimes are becoming rather stressful, especially as the other cats want to zoom in and eat whatever I've got for Barney! He does seem very hungry - whenever I go to the kitchen he runs after me wanting something.

Is being hungry all the time a symptom of pancreatitis or kidney failure? Or could he just be a cantankerous old bugger enjoying the attention?

He's going to the vet soon - should I ask for a blood test?

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Rescue cats for many years, currently one moggie and 3 young Maine Coons.

Yes, cats can get dementia but it can be confused with other conditons as well. The howling you describe can be a symptoms of high blood pressure for instance.

I would take him to the vet and have some bloodwork run including a T4 to check for hyperthyroidism, which is very easily treatable. Also a blood pressure check-a really important one. Check teeth as well-perhaps he's got difficulty eating even though hungry? How's his weight? Any loss in last while?

With hyperthyroidism cats usually have a ravenous appetite and are constantly hungry but still lose weight. However, there are exceptions to this as well. With renal failure generally and pancreatitis, cats usually are inappetent.

Thanks Ianthi. He still has most of his teeth but they are sore on one side and the vet game me some pain-relieving stuff to put in his food to help. The vet would ideally give him a dental but she doesn't want to anaesthetise such an old cat. The thing is, he licks at wet food and doesn't manage to eat it very well, yet he'll crunch through dry biscuits.

I weighed him last night and he's gone from 4.1 kgs to 3.95 kgs, so he has lost a bit.

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Rescue cats for many years, currently one moggie and 3 young Maine Coons.

Sorry to hear about his mouth problems but not surprised to hear it's an issue. If it's Antirobe then this is very effective for oral problems.

Interestingly enough I've been reading a lot about the use of probiotics in treating mouth problems as well as digestive ones - currently more recognized in the veterinary world.

I would try him on some probiotic yoghurt and see if it helps!

Let us know bloodwork results.

Have you tried syringe feeding him? if he has teeth problems it must be an agony for him to eat.

Vet suspects thyroid problem and I'm taking him back on Monday morning for a blood test. In the meantime I've got Metacam and some stuff to apply to his sore gums for pain relief.

Blood test will be for T4 and kidney and liver function, etc.

Turns out he's not lost that much weight atm, but I still feel that something's not right, other than his teeth.

Barney really turned on the charm at the vets - he even rolled over on the table and gave her a little head-butt! The vet loves him.

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Rescue cats for many years, currently one moggie and 3 young Maine Coons.

Ideally in view of his age and symptoms I believe the vet should have bloodtested before issuing the Metacam. Keep a close eye on him and make sure you measure out the exact dose on each occasion.

Hope he's better soon. Good luck with visit on Monday.

Thanks Ianthi. He seems to be doing fine on the Metacam.

I got the blood test results today and he's hyperthyroid - just as suspected.
So he's on those pills, twice a day, for the rest of his life! Which is a little daunting, so that's something we're both going to have to get used to. First pill went down just fine today, but I suspect Barney will get wise to this and start giving me the runaround *sigh*.

The good news is that his kidneys are absolutely fine, which is very good for an 18-year-old who has been fed mostly kibble for nearly 12 years until just a few months ago. His insides must be nails hard!! The vet and nurses could not believe his age when taking the blood - he's quite a bright old thing and his fur is still quite soft and shiny, which I put down to the wet/raw food diet he's on now. The vet says there's no reason why, if he is stable on these pills, we can't then treat his bad teeth.

He's not pestered me much for food today, for a change, and I just tried him on some Animonda Carny for the first time (thanks to the great thread on here) and he ate nearly all of it - a success.

Thanks for all your advice. It's been great to air my concerns with people who aren't going to be bored silly by me going on (I hope!) Anyway, I'm feeling quite relieved.

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Rescue cats for many years, currently one moggie and 3 young Maine Coons.

Yes, not surprised to hear Barney is hyperthyroid. Do you know what the T4 reading was? Sounds like he's on Felimazole. How much 2.5mg twice daily? It's important to reduce the thyroid levels very slowly in order to give the body ( and kidneys especially ) time to adapt. I'll try and dig out an older thread on this tomorrow about this.

With an elevated T4 there's a chance the renal levels may appear better on paper than they actually are! Not trying to scare you here but it's only when the T4 is within normal range their 'true' level of function is revealed. Another important reason as well to reduce T4 very gradually.

Let me know the T4 and the dosage whenever you can.

Hi Ianthi, yes it is Felimazole, each pill is 2.5mg, and he's on 2 per day. I don't know what the reading was, she just told me it was high.
Thanks for the warning re. kidney readings. I have to take him back for another blood test in 2 weeks to see if his levels have improved. Then regular blood tests after that. So we'll have a better idea of his kidney function then, I guess.

I'm very pleased that Barney already seems much more comfortable. He's not fidgeting around nearly as much, and he only asked for second helpings this morning, not 3rds and 4ths and 5ths as he has been doing. I offered him some probiotic yoghurt and he licked it all up, he adores all dairy products and will not hesitate to lick the butter if we ever leave the lid off. Hopefully this is one dairy product that will actually do him some good! Thanks for the tip and for all your support, it's very much appreciated.

Btw, Barney is the white cat with his legs in the air in my signature.

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Rescue cats for many years, currently one moggie and 3 young Maine Coons.