Please help! My 17 year old cat is...

suddenly not cleaning up after going in the litter box. Over the last three months he has been dragging litter and urine through the house and so the floors and bed sheets and sofas are now a mess.
I took him to the vet recently because he lost a lot of weight -five pounds in three months. The vet thought he had diabetes or hyperthyroidism. But the tests were negative. Now he thinks he may have cancer...
Anybody have any idea why there is this sudden change in behavior? IS there anything that caan be done?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Oh my, I am so sorry for your and his dilemma! To be honest, it does sound like an age effecting disability. My first thought is to take him to a different vet, get another opinion. At this age, you don't want to mess around with trial medications and unnecessary stress on him.
Is this a daily behavior? If it is something that is becoming negative for you, just remember this effects him even more. Anything you can do to decrease the stress of the behavior is best for both.

I agree that I'd take him to another vet for an opinion. If it IS cancer, you'll want to know how sick the cat is and how much pain he may be having. You can't allow the animal to suffer.

I had to have my girl (almost 20) euthanized several months ago, and it was the most difficult decision of my life. But she was so very miserable that I knew I could not let her continue to suffer. With elderly cats, it's often quality of life that causes them to suffer as much as actual physical pain, according to my vet.

It's possible that some vets are like human doctors who are only concerned with illnesses they can cure. Find a vet who will help diagnose your cat and advise on his care. I know that my vet gave me several suggestions in my girl's final years that helped her cope with her physical deterioration.

Hi everyone...I'm truthsaint's wife...

Our elderly cat has indeed recently been a handful, especially when i wash up the floors, and here he comes from a freshly clean litter box, i might add, and he's tracking up the floor, BAD! Then he jumps on the furniture, making those same footprints on the upholstery (plus, then, the odor of urine left behind!) His back legs (i call them his "heels") are all wet, and his pads remain wet, even after climbing up steps to the second floor. The unsanitariness (is that even a word?)...i can barely tolerate it, as i'm a clean-freak!

There is a little pea-sized lump the doctor found around his thyroid, but blood tests proved that he doesn't have hyperthyroidism (which was treatable with medicine). This doctor has offered that it may be cancer, but we haven't taken measures to have this proven, due to the costs involved.

He seems to be doing well, otherwise... He's developed disinterest in his dry food, but goes ballistic over anything soft, so he's getting food again since his recent weight loss. He weighed around 17#, and i'd say he's down to about 11/12# now (so, no, he's not skin and bones). He's never been one to "cover" after he's done in the cat box...he gets done, and steps right out. Maybe this problem is simply age-related... Man, though, it's difficult to endure after it happens!

Truthsaint, i WOULD like to get a second opinion sometime...

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Has he had Kidney tests.
I just found out my 16.5 year old cat has kidney problems and the vet said alot of older cats get it.

no, he hasn't had any kidney tests! I PRAY that it's not kidney failure, as yes, i'm aware about these types of problems in elderly cats. If it IS kidney failure, well, then it will be a matter of time... I've known several people who had cats with this...some hung on a little longer than others, but ultimately, they decline with lesser and lesser quality of life...

My (our) little Edgar...he is so precious - such a good boy! He doesn't deserve to get sick!

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The thing to watch for with kidney failure is increased drinking and increased urination. The tracking of wet litter around the house is one of the symptoms our cat showed. Massive quantities of urine. By the end, the cat was just a drinking/peeing machine. The weight loss is also a symptom we saw as our hefty cat became scrawny.

We watched the deterioration over several years and finally agreed to put the cat down at 18 years. He had started showing symptoms of being in some pain and his quality of life was going downhill.

Originally Posted by catwhisperer

He's developed disinterest in his dry food, but goes ballistic over anything soft, so he's getting food again since his recent weight loss.

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The shift from dry to wet food is also a part of descreasing kidney function. The cats find it harder and harder to stay hydrated. Wet food has a lot of water, so prefering it over dry is just part of the effort to take in sufficient fluids.

I would have Edgar's kidney function tested, as well as a simple urinalysis. I've been thru CRF with a couple of my kitties and I know how miserable they each were as the disease progressed.
Gentle head skritches to your senior boy.

I hope its not Crf but it sounds like it might be.
The weight loss makes me think that.
The vet should have checked his kidneys.
Coco drinks so much water and my Stripe had Crf and lasted a year with it.
Stormy I never knew even had Kidney problems until the day before she was pts.
Some cats can live 10 years with the disease and I know some people in this group have cats that have had it for 6.
I would have him tested.

Originally Posted by libby74

I would have Edgar's kidney function tested, as well as a simple urinalysis. I've been thru CRF with a couple of my kitties and I know how miserable they each were as the disease progressed.
Gentle head skritches to your senior boy.

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If I had it to do over, I probably would have euthanized our cat a year earlier. It's just that the decline is so gradual that it's really hard to know when the time is right.

I'd say ours declined for about four years. I'm not sure that he didn't get some of the melamine cat food. It was gone before we could check. He had a couple of bouts of where he was clearly sick for a day or two and then bounced back just fine. But, the underlying drink/pee equation just got steadily worse month by month.

Stripe lasted a year with Crf which is what the vet expected.
With Stormy they asked about the food because some of teh food I use was rcaled but we could never prove if it was that.
My other cats ate it and tested normal.

My heart is sick this morning to hear everyone's comments! Don't get me wrong...THANK YOU for your input with your varied experiences! Just the very thought of further decline, and not knowing if our precious little friend is in any pain and can't tell mommy or daddy...well, it just tears (pronounced "tares") me up! (I'm tearing up now...)

I told my husband this morning (he was away last nite) that Edgar was sooo loving this morning and seeming a little needy. He's been lap-sitting for about the last 6-8 months, which i'm loving, as i know cats usually aren't this affectionate, nor do they sit still for a minute...

I'll now bet he's not feeling good when he does that!

Thank you ALL for your concern and well wishes! I think our next step will be getting him checked for renal failure. (...the very tho't!...my heart just aches...)

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Your cat should have had a senior panel at his age.
It could be kidney but there are other things it can be also.
My Coco has a urine infection again and is getting a blood presure test today.
How long have you used that vet?
Do not cry.
See what the vet says first.
I almost cried in the Er last week when they said her kidneys were going.

my heart just aches

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I know how you're feeling---as long as you don't know what the problem is, somehow it isn't 'real'. I also know that you will do what you need to for Edgar. The sooner you have him checked by a good vet the better. You need to know what you're dealing with; it might not be a serious matter, but you have to find out---for Edgar's sake.
Sending vibes to your boy

I wanted to thank everyone for their concern and advice regarding our dear little Edgar-cat!

We have an appointment for next Tuesday evening, October 14th, with another veterinarian to get a second opinion. This doctor has "senior wellness" in their advertisement, AND she's in our end of town, too.

We had a good weekend together...good appetites, no dirty-litterbox-footprints all over the floor, verve for life, lots of doting/pets/love and kisses... He was our old Edgar that we're used to.

...to be continued, I promise!...

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Many many Prayers and for Edgar

Thanks for the update. Sending vibes that Edgar's next appointment goes well.

Thank you everyone for your kind words, prayers, and good vibes sent to our dear little Edgar-cat!

Comically, Edgar had to spend the night last nite at the veterinarian's, because he was being too much of a kitten (squirmy) when the doctor tried to get a urine specimen! (I heard this squealing and fussing, not knowing it was Edgar!) (Hey, he's been around for awhile...he'll have the final say, i guess...) He got xrays, too, while he was there (we have to get second jobs for all of this! [grin] ) (Room and board was only $10, though! - a true bargain, wouldn't ya' say?!!)

The doctor looked at Edgar's recent blood work results that we got from his other doctor...everything looked good, including the possibilities for renal failure! (I was relieved!) He IS anemic, however. Apparently, his xrays look good, too, as there wasn't mention today of any cancerous-looking masses (unless they haven't been read yet). His urinalysis will be sent out and we'll know later in the week what indicators that may tell us. Despite good blood test readings, in order to get accurate results for diabetes screening, the blood has to be spun right away...there might have been a delay in this area to have an accurate test read for this disease. We're currently suspecting he has diabetes, despite no increase in drinking. Edgar's still a big boy, but he now has a pronounced slenderer neck...he weighed 11.7# last nite, down from 12.5# about 4 weeks ago.

Sooooo... That's the scoop...

I'll keep you posted, i promise!

=^..^=

p.s. According to a chart on the doctor's wall last nite, per Edgar's weight and age, it calculates that he's 84 years old (in "people" years). (Awwww, our dear little boy!...)