I am worried about my sister and her 13-year old cat

She has had her kitty for 11 years, 'got her from the humane society with her husband back then. She is a part of the petsmart insurance plan, banfield, and feeds her baby special cat food at $43.00 a bag, she has eaten this for years so this isn't the problem. Right now she is vomitting a lot, and vets don't seem to know what it is. She is being pilled right now, but since we were talking over the phone at work, my sis didn't have all the info right then. Unfortunately the vet made the mistake of saying how 'old' the cat was, and since reading all these threads of older cats I was really unimpressed by his comment. Not to mention in the last 5 years, we have lost our mom, she lost an older caretaker, and less than a year ago lost her hubby from cancer. the last thing she needs is to lose her beloved fur baby. Please let me know if something like vomiting is indicative of something I should be worried about explaining to her, like a sign of the end, etc. Your input and candor is appreciated.

Ok their not exactly young cats at that age, and they can have more health problems, but i still wouldn't class 11 as being old?

Personally i would be taking the cat to see another vet for a second opinion.

I agree to take the cat to another vet. They should be able to find out why the cat has suddenly started vomiting.

13 is senior, but isn't ancient for a cat.

Thanks. That should work. The current or recent health issues haven't been covered by the insurance plan anyway, as they are not part of the wellness plan/category she has coverage for. Even if the cat was 25 that was just a stupid comment. SOrry, I hate the word 'stupid' but that was really dumb...['hate this word too, but I am really sad and p'o'ed at that same time.]

I would be annoyed as well if my vet made out that 11 was old

If your sister sees this vet again you can tell her to tell him that weve had a member here with a 21 year old cat!

Lots of luck, but keep us updated.

I have a Cat that is almost 16 and the Vet has never said anything like that. She was just Sick with a bad Bladder Infection. Get a differant Vet that was a Rude thing to say. it can be Kidney or other problenms at her age. you can tell her taht I have a older Cat.

What kind of tests did the vet run on her? There are a lot of things that cause vomiting - a bad bag of food, kidney problems, blockage, and on and on.

13 is a senior citizen, and vets should always treat any problem with them very seriously. While a lot of cats live into their late teens, the average age for a cat these days is still in the 12-13 range. My vets always start calling my cats "old" when they hit about 11 or 12. It's their way of warning me that its time to take their health needs very seriously. Don't be offended by it.

I wouldn't be too hard on the vet, a 13-year-old cat *is* a senior cat. That doesn't mean it doesn't have plenty of years ahead of it though.

The vomiting can be for so many reasons. Here is a great thread about it:
http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154451

It would be a good idea to probably take the kitty to a 2nd vet.

I think it depends on what the context of the comment might be. If he was saying that the cat now needs perhaps a screening to check liver function, kidney function etc, as a senior cat, then I don't think the comment was problematic.

IF the vet made the comment in a way that suggests that he/she sees no point in working to find out what is wrong with the cat because it's old...then she needs to find another vet.

I think that it might not be unreasonable to assume that there are vets who feel that because the population of young cats is so high that a person could simply replace their old cat with a young one.

If there is a cat specific vet in your sister's community that specializes in felines, you might want to suggest that to her.

Yes, that is the least of her worries right now. After I voiced my concerns my sis said matter of factly, "Well, she is older" and she has known the vet for years, so yes, me worrying about my sis and her baby, I was spazztic and a little over sensitive. right now my sis has spent over 200 bucks on tests, and is now at a point of dipping into funds she didn't expect to. last night simone stopped eating, so when I called today they were off to the vet's again. I don't know what to say, I feel pretty bad and am so worried for her, it's just her and the cat, and she was like, "I don't want to say, ____ is listening, maybe I will spell it out for you". I really hope it all works out, just like people with all the tests, I HOPE they found out what is wrong, she has some sort of plan, but not vpi or anything, I really am hoping for the best as I don't know what to say to her at this time. and she is really a private person, so I need to get this out, yet, I don't what to be so open about her private pain. sorry but thanks for letting me share, I must stop now, I am getting way too emotional. again, thanks for letting me write this out.