Desperate for help with blind cat

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I really need advice.

My 20 year old cat recently had a bout of hypertension so bad her retinas detached and she's probably 95% blind, about 70% deaf on top of that, and in the early stages of kidney failure. To clarify ahead of time yes she's on the proper diet and meds, vaccinated, fixed, and sees the vet more than regularly atm.

This all happened as we moved across the country, into an apartment temporarily, and most recently into a large, two story house.

At the apartment was where things really got bad with her health. She was able to navigate okay with the blindness a few weeks after it happened but started peeing on the carpet when it got too difficult to find her way to the box I guess.

Moreover, now that we're in the house, aside from the peeing I worried about her falling down the stairs, getting her food constantly stolen by the other two cars as it had been up until recently (she was getting dangerously thin,) and overall the house just being too big for her to navigate.

So ultimately I decided to keep her in the master bathroom which is quite large (about 12x7 ft of walkable space) where I could easily interact with her and where she could easily navigate. On that aspect it's been very successful as she's no longer missing the box and has put on a couple pounds.

The problem now is that if I'm not with her, holding her, talking to her 24/7 she starts crying. And this is not just talkative cat crying, I would almost describe it as screaming. Constantly. Loudly enough that it carries through the whole house and has driven my husband to sleep in another bedroom.

I do what I can, she spends a few hours laying down with me in bed on the weekends, I'm in there several times a day for feeding, medication, and just to visit. But I have a job and things I have to do and short of carrying her with me at all times I can't be with her every second.

At the vet's recommendation we've tried the thundershirt, which she's gotten used to, feliway spray around the room, lots of extra beds and toys, placing my worn shirts that smell like me in the beds. Nothing is working. She is just crying and crying and it's killing me.

I just don't know what to do. She's so happy and alert when she's with me, her bloodwork results are nowhere near bad enough to justify euthanasia at this point and my vet said based on his observations of her he wouldn't be comfortable doing that anyway. I also do not want to euthanize her until the time comes with her kidneys but I'm just so lost for ideas.

I've had this cat since I was 11 years old, I want to do right by her but I no longer know what to do and neither it seems does the vet. If anyone has gone through something like this or has any suggestions for what we could try to do or change what we are doing, I'd sincerely appreciate anything you have to offer.

How is her relationship with the other cats?

My heart goes out to you, you will be blessed for being so kind. Cats HATE change, and for a twenty year old, all these changes lately have been too much for her senior brain to handle. She is obviously going through separation anxiety..... newer home, being almost blind, and can't sense the one she loves above all else beside her. I agree with the smaller room, it helps to stabilize her, but now you have to work on making her feel more secure. I would start by leaving your worn shirt on the floor, it will smell of you and give her comfort. Bring her to the room you are working in, like the kitchen during the times you are there to give her a sense of family time. Maybe let one of the other cats in the room with her for periods of time (not during feeding time) to keep her busy. They make feliway collars too, which may surround her with the security hormones at all times.

Until she feels secure there is not much to be done except to reassure her you will not abandon her, maybe you could try a recording of your voice reading a book or reminiscing about earlier times that comes on with a timer. Make sure she has a heated cat bed, her old bones may be needing some extra warmth and she may sleep better. At twenty she is at the end of her life span, so just do what you can to love her and let her know she is not alone. Just like with any of the elderly, they revert back to almost infant needs. She has lived a wonderful long life and I praise you for helping her, and loving her through it. She is a treasured part of your life and has brought much to it, give her a kiss from me.

I hope many others will perhaps help you through this difficult time and let you find a solution, keep us updated! 

It used to be fine, they'd at least ignore eachother, but between her being sick and isolated for a while they just hiss at her, steal her food, and knock her around

Sherrasama,

I am so sorry, this has got to be so frustrating. My Vincie girl is totally deaf, almost 17 and her sight is going as well, plus early stages of kidney failure. She also cries loudly when she doesn't know if I am around. I don't know if this will help but when she howls at night when

I go to bed (she became afraid of being upstairs once she became deaf), I turn a flashlight off and on, Since you said she is 95% deaf

maybe she could see the light. This calms Vincie down. The howling is soooo loud so I kind of know what you are going through,

When my Kirsten passed on 7 October, Vincie took it very bad. She howled for days, off and on. The vet suggested medication to

get her through the rough patch. It is called aceprova- something not certain of the spelling, One of my other cats took it when we

moved because of the stress and the crying stopped, But Vincie calmed down and I didn't feel she had to be medicated. My vet feels

with cats, the least amount of medication possible and I trust them.

I am not a vet but I feel this howling will pass. Maybe you could ask for a small dose of the med doc prescribed for my Lena becasue it did help.

Mia

Can you try feliway diffusers in the rooms where the other cats are to calm them down a bit?
If this is ok with your vet, can you give her kitten food and other canned food to get the weight back on her, depending on the protein/carb ratio - I don't know what that's supposed to be for a kidney cat.
Kitten milk replacer might also help
Oops, this thread came up when I was looking for something else, I didn't catch the fact it's the right month, but last year - sorry about that!

At 20, with failing senses and old age, coupled with the change this was bound to be hard for her, and because you love her so much, you too. I agree with Furballsmom that a kitten food, or a food paste could encourage her to eat. di and bob also made a great suggestion of the scents of you on a t-shirt, or a jumper to bring her a nice familiar comfort. She's also not too ill or old for low beds, which if they are igloo (closed in) can bring a great deal of security to a cat struggling to cope with a larger environment. Normally, Cats wouldn't like this to be close to their litter, or food but in this instance it might be better to present this as a mid point between the two so that everything is in small walking distance.

If you start to notice that she is more comfortable in confined spaces you could invest in a large dog crate/ ground pen with space for a litter tray, food bowl and a water bowl, and a comfy bed. It really depends on her reaction to limited spaces.

I think in this instance you are right to keep her isolated from your other cats especially when you aren't able to supervise, if they pick on her, and she's slow at defending herself then giving her a separate territory will make her feel more comfortable. To cope with her crying, you might try and settle her on a Luke-warm water bottle before you leave / get on with a task, if you couple that with a nice smelly meal paste and a sweater freshly worn you might be able to bring her comfort level up.

It is hard, but in the long run, I think you will need to consider her quality of life. Making decisions now, about your limit and the cat's limit means you will not be making those decisions in a (more) highly emotional situation. I don't for one minute want you to think that I'm suggesting that you just put her down because she's old and deaf and partially blind. She clearly knows when she's with you and that brings her comfort and that's because you share such a special relationship. She's not in pain at the moment, as far as I can tell from what was said. Planning now will make it easier for you, and it will make it easier for her too because you will be less stressed when the time comes for you to part.

I very much hope that you are able to make her comfortable in your new home, and that your memories together will build on the ones you already have. Much Love and support, Kiss ~

kissthisangel said:

It is hard, but in the long run, I think you will need to consider her quality of life. Making decisions now, about your limit and the cat's limit means you will not be making those decisions in a (more) highly emotional situation. I don't for one minute want you to think that I'm suggesting that you just put her down because she's old and deaf and partially blind. She clearly knows when she's with you and that brings her comfort and that's because you share such a special relationship. She's not in pain at the moment, as far as I can tell from what was said. Planning now will make it easier for you, and it will make it easier for her too because you will be less stressed when the time comes for you to part.

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When is your cat not the cat you knew and loved as you grew up with her?

Not eating, sleeping and going to the litter box anymore are easy signs to recognize when the time has come but there are other things that aren't quite so easy to see.

Does she play like she used to?
Well, of course, she's a 20-year old cat. She's not going to play like a kitten anymore but as long as she's still got a little bit of kitten in her heart, she's okay. When that "heart of the kitten" disappears, that's another sign that the time is drawing near.

Does she still do things like greet you at the door when you come home like she used to?
Again, with age, she won't be as spry as she used to be but she should, at least, pay attention and greet you in some fashion when you come home. When she stops doing that, take it as another sign.

Cats have a daily routine.
Maybe she'll sit by the window and watch birds in the morning then she'll lay in a warm sunbeam in the afternoon and snuggle up on the sofa in the evening. When all she does is lay in one place, that's another sign.

When all the signs start adding up, that's when you'll know that her time has come.

I agree with kissthisangel. Preparing yourself, emotionally, for the time when she has to go away makes it better for you and her. It lets you take some control of the situation and bring healthy closure to things.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you!