old cat dying⁉

Good ol' Merlin. The 17 year old Maine coon, my baby.
Merlin is old, I get that. But is Merlin deteriorating?
he has trouble seeing these day. He has trouble getting to the potty in time. He isn't as active as he used to be.
he doesn't seem down, or depressed. He still loves to spoon and to have his head scratched, and to offer me a rat and decapitate it at my feet. He doesn't care to much about keeping up with his territory as he used to; but he still explores the property.
Merlin still has a lot left to live. But he is old and I know what that means.
if he has a year left or if he has a day left; I will make it his best. But I just want your opinions because, you are the experts, not me.
I personally dont think its the end. But then again, I've never had an old cat.

I'm certainly no expert either, but I've heard of great number of cats that live well into their 20's. Yes Merlin is a senior cat, but he could easily live for a few more years.

If you think he is declining, my opinion would be to get him to the vet for a wellness exam. That way you can go over any of the new, worrisome issues and figure out if these are indeed signs of aging or perhaps a condition that senior kitties are prone too.

It's the not getting to the box on time that makes me raise my eyebrows. That might be more than just a sign of aging.

So him not making it their in time could be a problem?

GraceTheCat said:

Good ol' Merlin. The 17 year old Maine coon, my baby.
Merlin is old, I get that. But is Merlin deteriorating?
he has trouble seeing these day. He has trouble getting to the potty in time. He isn't as active as he used to be.
he doesn't seem down, or depressed. He still loves to spoon and to have his head scratched, and to offer me a rat and decapitate it at my feet. He doesn't care to much about keeping up with his territory as he used to; but he still explores the property.
Merlin still has a lot left to live. But he is old and I know what that means.
if he has a year left or if he has a day left; I will make it his best. But I just want your opinions because, you are the experts, not me.
I personally dont think its the end. But then again, I've never had an old cat.

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Nothing you have mentioned isn't common to old age for anyone. Perhaps an extra litter box so he is always closer to a potty. Cats adapt well to vision loss especially in familiar territory.

If you haven't take him into the vet and get some blood work done and a good going over. Heading off a health crisis now could add years to his life.

Not making it to the litter box in time is often a symptom of being unwell. However, that does not mean it's related to old age. It could be that he is constipated, or has worms. He should see a vet.

I wont fail him [emoji]128522[/emoji]

GraceTheCat said:

So him not making it their in time could be a problem?

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Has Merlin been to the vet lately?? If not, that's where I would start. Is he having accidents of both kinds or just pee? If he goes to the vet and it's determined to be just old age, I'd add an additional litter box or 2 and put it /them close to the place(s) where he spends most of his time so he doesn't need to go as far when the urge strikes. 

Is he still eating and drinking normally?? It sounds like he is still interacting with you and still doing things he has always done so it sounds as though he's still enjoying life and being with you. Unless the vet finds some reason for alarm, it could be that he's arthritic and having a harder time getting in and out of the box. If that is the case, having litter boxes that are lower to the ground can help

Good luck and please give that senior sweetie a hug for me. 

Haha @kat021

I will give him a big hug!

It's a good idea to have a senior checked on a regular basis.  I think, from what you describe, he's just slowing down, not out of gas.  Honestly, I'm having a lot of the same problems he is, although I haven't caught any rats lately, so he's got me on that one.  My sense is that your boy is going to be with you for a while longer.  Just...love him and give him a scritch from his old "auntie"

Merlin could even have arthritis at his age. Lots of older kitties have it. My 14 year old, Skye, has it as seen on X rays. She was slowing down, moving with pain, stiff and sore, could hardly sit without a silent cry of pain.

She had a very bad reaction to Depo Medrol and to tramadol, and I didn't want to give her a narcotic every day. We prescribed lots of Cosequin or other forms of glucosamine supplement to d*gs, and we discuss it with cat owners as well. 


The Cosequin for Cats is amazing. I sprinkle a capsule on her wet breakfast, stir it up, and she eats it. That stuff made a HUGE difference for her! It's certainly wort discussing with your vet. This cat was moping around and depressed. Within a week of starting the Cosequin, she was back doing this:



Painful arthritis can make it painful to get in and out of the box, Sometimes you can cut one side or end down a bit lower to make access easier. You can add steps, ramps and lower access platforms to his favorite high spots and climbers so he doesn't have to jump up and down to reach his favorite places. It's worth discussing, but don't be surprised if your vet hasn't heard of it or had much experience with this in cats. But research seems to indicate that cats respond even more favorably to glucosamine-chondroitin supplements than d*gs do! This is great, since we have few pain control options for cats. This has been wonderful and has really made the past 9-10 months of Skye's life a whole lot better. I wish I had started it much earlier!

~Mackie

I once met a cat who was 30.  He belonged to a vet, gave regular blood donations for transfusions for other cats.

Yes, 17 is old for a cat, but that's not the same as dying, except in the sense that we are all dying from the moment we're born.

Get him seen, as other people here have suggested.  Merlin will have additional health issues as he ages, and the sooner your vet has a baseline, the better.  Additionally, you do need to find out why he's having trouble with the litter box.  Chances are it's fixable.

Margret

What Margret said is true! I once knew an "ancient" Siamese named Zephyr who was still running the front desk at a clinic where I did fill-in work when he was  26. Sure, he was a thin, bony looking little cat who lost whatever muscle mass and minimal body fat he had long ago-- he was never a burly boy to begin with. Lean-style Meezer, he was. I don't know how old he was when he finally went to hunt with StarClan (or crossed the Bridge). But at 26, he was still jumping up to the reception desk, climbing onto the printer to keep warm, cruising the counters, sounding off in his"obnoxious" Siamese raspy way at everyone who came in the front door... he was a pistol! 

But it is ever more important to stay on top of problems and concerns as they arise during our cats' senior years. Recall that at age 17, your guy is like an 84 year old grandfather.  Age related conditions and diseases are common now. Things can develop pretty fast. Thus, more frequent exams and blood work are a really good idea, to catch these things and spot changes early in the course. Then you can begin treatment to slow the progress and maintain a good, low-pain quality of life if something does come up. Don't rely on your cat to tell you if something's wrong-- he won't , until the problem is quite advanced and/or painful. By then it's much harder to get a handle on the issue.

Even something as "simple" as OA, arthritis, should be addressed. Pain and lack of mobility reduce the quality of life tremendously. Cats that hurt stop eating and socializing. Their health goes down further as a result... it's a tailspin.

You have a number of good ideas on home helps for the litter box issue: lower sides on the box, entrance ramps or steps, more boxes in easy to reach places, experimenting with the substrate in case the texture hurts elderly paws or is heavy to dig with geriatric joints... discussing supplements such as Cosequin for Cats or something similar with your vet in case there's a touch of arthritis going on. If the vet feels that this is the case and you decide to use the Cosequin, give it a month or two to see the FULL benefit. You may begin seeing improvement sooner, even within the first week like I did with Skye, but every patient is different and may respond differently. However, it is important to rule out medical or mental reasons for the box troubles (like feline dementia... it happens)

And don't forget the mouth! The MAJORITY of pets... cats AND d*gs... have some sort of periodontal or dental issue by age 5. If your kitty has never had a dental exam and cleaning, and/or has not had home dental care regularly.. Don't beat yourself up if this is the case; most pets haven't had regular dental services and home care-- it is the hope that this will change in the near future and caring for a cat's teeth will be as commonplace as vaccinations, wellness exams, monthly flea prevention and spay/neuter surgery. But do have the vet get a look inside the mouth. A lot of senior pets suffer in silence with dental disease, broken teeth or teeth with FORL's, stomatitis, even oral cancer. It doesn't have to be this way. You now know better... you have been educated, and if your vet doesn't seem to put importance on feline dental care, you are in a position to advocate and educate.

~MackieMac

I had a Maine Coon, Hazel, that lived to 19. She had arthritis in her hips, which is apparently not unusual for Maine Coon. She needed a lower sided box to get to and a puppy pee pad by the box. It hurt for her to get all the way in and she knew it, and would avoid the box until the last possible second. The pee pad made all the difference because then she had an option.

I remember giving her Cosequin because there were no pain relievers for cats with arthritis then. I also got her a warm bed with firm foam so she could keep warm but she always preferred a lap.

The senior kitty blood panel will tell your vet how Merlin's kidneys are doing, thyroid, and anything else that might be going on.

Laura Mae said:

 
I had a Maine Coon, Hazel, that lived to 19. She had arthritis in her hips, which is apparently not unusual for Maine Coon. She needed a lower sided box to get to and a puppy pee pad by the box. It hurt for her to get all the way in and she knew it, and would avoid the box until the last possible second. The pee pad made all the difference because then she had an option.

I remember giving her Cosequin because there were no pain relievers for cats with arthritis then. I also got her a warm bed with firm foam so she could keep warm but she always preferred a lap.

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How did Hazel do with the Cosequin? It's been a life-changer (restorer?) for Skye. It brought her activity level back a few years, it seems... she doesn't act like an almost 14 year old (13 yr 11 mo) cat! She comes running-- RUNNING-- to see me again when she's outside. That's what she did 10 years ago. I know she's an older cat now, but it's great to see such a dramatic result. 

I hope it worked as well for Hazel as it does for Skye.

I've never used this for an animal, but I took glucosamine and chondroitin for my own osteoarthritis for a very long time.  In humans it can take years to build up to an effective level, it seems.  I'm glad to hear that it's faster in cats.

I have had some fairly major injuries to my joints, the left knee was forcibly bent backward once, for instance, and the one time I tried cross country skiing my skis caught in the deep tracks from skiers ahead of me, causing me to fall, and then the safety closure didn't let go the way it was supposed to, twisting that left knee.  Fortunately, as the daughter of a physical therapist I knew to ice it, and there was plenty of snow available for that purpose, but I had to crawl back to my car, and later I had to drive it home -- standard transmission, which means using the left leg for the clutch.  And osteoarthritis is basically cumulative joint injury.  My left knee was pretty bad for a while, and I had begun to have arthritis in my fingers as well, but then the glucosamine and chondroitin finally built up enough to make a real difference.  I'm completely arthritis free now.  My cousin says, "Oh, well it's probably all the weight you've lost."  That would make sense if it were just my knee that's better, but what about my fingers?  It's not like I walk on my hands. 

All of which is a long-winded way of saying that this stuff works for humans, and I have no doubt that it works for cats as well.  If I had a cat beginning to have symptoms of osteoarthritis I would definitely be giving her Cosequin.

Margret

Yesterday Merlin pooped on the bed. We are keeping him outside and letting him sleep I the barn from now on. He actually likes it in the barn, and he still gets plenty of attention!

Do you still plan to take him to the vet? That's a very clear sign that something is wrong.

He has an appointment in a few weeks. He was trapped indoors all day long, and he doesn't like using the box, so it could be my fault

GraceTheCat said:

He has an appointment in a few weeks. He was trapped indoors all day long, and he doesn't like using the box, so it could be my fault

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I have a feeling this guy has a "LOT MORE LIVIN" to do!!

Guys I appreciate it! It is good to know that Merlin is strong as ever!