Advice on Senior Cat

Our cat is 21 years old. She has been chugging along well for years (albeit more frail). However, recently she has not eaten for 4 or 5 days. Her appetite had been getting worse, but she had still been excited about her meals. Now she won't eat anything. I have tried 10 to 15 different types of foods and treats. She still goes through her routine of getting up and going to the kitchen, but she doesn't eat and returns to her bed. She has been drinking a lot, but evidently not enough as she needed to be given fluids by the vet.

Last month she had a kidney infection, but she appeared to get over that. Blood work this time shows that her kidney values are decent (for her age), but her liver values are elevated. X-rays show no obvious signs of trouble (ie, cancer) that would be causing this.

Our decision now is whether to force feed her (using a feeding tube) in the hopes of having her bounce back from this, or letting her go and accepting that she is old and has lived a good life. The tube would probably need to stay in for 4 to 8 weeks to see if she would resume eating on her own. Of course, if her body is just old and wearing out, the tube won't save her and may even make her sick.

Our vets seem a little uncertain themselves. One seems to lean toward putting in a tube, while the other leans toward letting go. It's hard to think about putting her to sleep when she keeps going through her routine and is somewhat interested in things. She even walks over occasionally and expects to be held (her all-time favorite activity). However, I don't want to see her starve to death either. She is already pretty weak.

I am struggling with the decision. Does anyone have any thoughts? Considerations? What would anybody else do?

Get a second opnion ...


21 is a very loved age to get to ..

I would have a frank chat with the vet, and ask them honestly what they would do if it were their cat - I have found my vet doesn't like to answer that, but it helps me. I personally wouldnt want to start force feeding a 21 year old just in case it would help, but I dont know her. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

Did the blood tests include a thyroid screen as well? While this wouldn't be a typical presentation, it's still a possibility.

As for the feeding tube, if you think she's still enjoying life I'd go for it. The choices are to have one inserted, which has the anesthetic risk but the benefit of being able to get food into her to keep her content; or, you skip the tube and risk having her deteriorate further if she continues not to eat. The only thing I might suggest trying first if your vet hasn't already would be possibly a B12 injection. Sometimes that will help stimulate the appetite.

If the feeding tube itself makes her ill, the e-tube (esophogeal tube) can be removed the same day. When Willow was ill and wasn't eating, I made the difficult decision to have one inserted. At the time, her probably diagnosis was FIP, which is nearly incurable. She passed within a few weeks of the insertion from FIP, but having it really helped me because I knew she wasn't starving to death and I wasn't having to stress her out by trying to syringe feed her (she hated the syringe and fought me like crazy). It also bought me time to ensure that we really were dealing with FIP and not some other disorder. The feeding tube meant that she got food in her belly every day except her last, and I think that helped keep her strong for at least a few more days than she would have had otherwise.

Originally Posted by cloud_shade

Did the blood tests include a thyroid screen as well? While this wouldn't be a typical presentation, it's still a possibility.

As for the feeding tube, if you think she's still enjoying life I'd go for it. The choices are to have one inserted, which has the anesthetic risk but the benefit of being able to get food into her to keep her content; or, you skip the tube and risk having her deteriorate further if she continues not to eat. The only thing I might suggest trying first if your vet hasn't already would be possibly a B12 injection. Sometimes that will help stimulate the appetite.

If the feeding tube itself makes her ill, the e-tube (esophogeal tube) can be removed the same day. When Willow was ill and wasn't eating, I made the difficult decision to have one inserted. At the time, her probably diagnosis was FIP, which is nearly incurable. She passed within a few weeks of the insertion from FIP, but having it really helped me because I knew she wasn't starving to death and I wasn't having to stress her out by trying to syringe feed her (she hated the syringe and fought me like crazy). It also bought me time to ensure that we really were dealing with FIP and not some other disorder. The feeding tube meant that she got food in her belly every day except her last, and I think that helped keep her strong for at least a few more days than she would have had otherwise.

Click to expand...

The vet did not mention a thyroid screening. I will have to ask. Thank you for sharing your experiences with the tube.

Originally Posted by booktigger

I would have a frank chat with the vet, and ask them honestly what they would do if it were their cat - I have found my vet doesn't like to answer that, but it helps me. I personally wouldnt want to start force feeding a 21 year old just in case it would help, but I dont know her. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much. The vets seem unsure also. One leans toward the tube, while the other leans toward letting go.

Originally Posted by sharky

Get a second opnion ...


21 is a very loved age to get to ..

Click to expand...

I thought about getting a second opinion. I may look into that tomorrow. Thank you - she has lived a good life. She's my longest living.

Is there a third vet you could ask? I have been in your situation with younger cats, and know how hard a place you are in at the moment, we are all here for you to talk to though.