Tips for aging cat, noticing slight changes

I have a cat that is almost 12, I heard average lifespan for a cat is 16, she is not that far away so I hope she stays healthy.

I have noticed she is more clingy to me, but even more timid now with strangers than before, she used to be a stray and VERY independant meaning except at food time she did her own thing and wasn't begging for attention usually. Now she is clingy, she goes everywhere I go, whether its my bed, if im in the bathroom she waits outside the door, she paces when im doing chores, and when its quiet and im near my parents she has to go on everyone and sit next to us. If you ignore her she nips your foot and sometimes we dont expect it and it startles us she never did this in the past. Normally for some cats this isnt unusual but for her it is.

We have another cat 2 years younger and she has gotten ornery to him frequently swatting him in the face when in the past she left him alone or avoided him, she also wants to attack any cats she sees through the door usually she was so terrified of them first sight she would puff up and get away from the door. 

I also noticed a strange thing with her eating. She is normal weight and her bathroom habits are normal, but sometimes when I feed her she refuses to eat as if she doesnt like the food or doesnt know she was fed. Normally she loved her canned food but now its like she is picky about what she eats, sometimes she ignores the food all day if she doesnt like it. I have various flavors to keep it interesting but its being picky that worries me when she used to love them. If I put the bowl near her then she usually eats.  She used to finish all her canned food in a sitting years ago now she barely eats less than half.

She walks slower too but when she wants to she is very quick and agile.

She has been to the vets and they find nothing wrong with her they said as long as she isnt losing weight or missing the litterbox she is fine, but I know she is acting different.

I'm wondering if it's an age related thing or something else?

If the Vet has checked everything, it sounds like just age. I don't know what happens but probably the same thing that occurs in people. The important thing is to make sure she gets enough food and water. Perhaps more, smaller, meals during the day? What happens if you just leave the wet food down for her? I do that at night for my old girls (14+ y/o) and most of the time it is gone by morning.

She eats once in a while when I leave it, I do what you do, and clean it out morning and add new food. But when i'm awake she doesn't eat much. Her favorite treat is salt free turkey breast, in the past she had 2 teeth removed, but canned food is easy to eat so she's not starving, but perhaps the dry food makes her.mouth sensitive and not eating much of it now makes her hungry more often? The turkey is soft and easy to chew so that might be why she always wants that but ignores her food often.
 

If you've not had a senior blood panel done on her, I'd start with that.  She may not be eating because her tummy is upset/nauseous which might indicate something going on with her kidneys.  Also, feliway may help with her stress level.  Just plug one in and you're good to go!
 

stephanietx said:

If you've not had a senior blood panel done on her, I'd start with that.  She may not be eating because her tummy is upset/nauseous which might indicate something going on with her kidneys.  Also, feliway may help with her stress level.  Just plug one in and you're good to go!
 

Click to expand...

I had a blood test done 2 years ago for pre-op, is that the same thing? What is different about a senior test? I never thought about kidneys, I figured if she had kidney issues she would cry when going to the bathroom. What does feliway do, will it affect my other cat?

Many have a senior blood panel done every six months after the age of eight years.  I wish I had done this for my girl, as I am sure we could have caught the kidney failure early and she might still be here.  We lost her at fourteen years. The last few months she was very clingy, always around before, a but not the same intensity.

Wow, that is scary to me. I have two boys 16 yr old and my one boy has something wrong with him but I don't know what. I'm scared to take him to the vet to see. He had an eye removed when he was a kitten due to a birth defect. His other eye has recently had the third eyelid showing. He is very slow too and sleeps with me every night (but always has). He has a good appetite and drinks well too. My cats are gonna live a long time.
Hope you find out what's wrong with your baby.

If you think there may be something wrong then please takeim to see a vet. Do not be scared. If your hunch is right, it will be far easier to treat him earlier than in the later stages of a serious illness. The vet will do nothing without your agreement, whatever may be the problem. You love him, you owe it to him to have him checked out.

Yes Jenny you are right. I'm gonna take him tomorrow and I pray it's nothing serious. . He has always had the health issues and hates vets. I have to do it. I will let you all know what I find out. Thanks.

My Dusty is 10 and has had several health issues, though she is relatively healthy now.  I'm doing my best to get her to gain some weight.  One thing I do is to water down her canned food.  I add water to it and stir it up until it is mushy.  She likes it better that way, and will usually finish the bowl which is 1/3 to 1/2 a tuna sized can of food, which she will eat 2-3 times a day.  I also add about 3 drops of liquid B complex to her food once a day.  She either likes the taste or she doesn't taste it, as she will usually down the food in one sitting.

If your kitty is missing some teeth or has sore teeth, adding water to her food may help her to eat more.

Wow adding water is a great idea. He has all if his teeth but I notice that he leaves all of the food that doesn't have liquid in it. And adding the extra vitamin is also a great idea, thank you. I will try both suggestions to his food. Thanks again.

My skinny cat, Zets, has really matted hair on his belly and on the sides. There are large pieces of hair coming out of him. Any idea what this could be from? He is going to visit the vet next week but just posing the question to you all on here.

Adrianna

My cat is currently 19 - if they are indoor cats their lifespan is a lot longer than what most people expect. My cat had recent sight changes due to hypertension/highblood pressure which is common in cats especially if they are developing ESRD or have thyroid disease, etc etc. Now, if your vet has checked for these kinds of things, your cat could just be mellowing out and wanting to be cuddly clingy because of just getting older..

Though if you notice their eye reflectors being red or blood in the clear part of the eye that covers the iris, that's immediate concern. If their pupil becomes kinda white reflective it could be cataracts.

When in doubt take them to a vet you trust and have them test their blood - if they have to sedate the kitty when they do the blood pressure that kind of messes with the readings. Lack of appetite (imo) should also pair up with losing weight.. but I'm not a vet by any means. Also... have you kept your cats teeth healthy? It could be discomfort b/c gengivitis, etc. That is one of those things most people dont think about taking care of, but toothcare can really help with a pets overall health in the long run.

best wishes and here's hoping your kitty is just mellowing due to becoming older : )