strange behavior in old cat

If anyone has ANY advice what so ever, I would gladly appreciate hearing from you. My cat is 13 years old, and he is generally an outdoor cat who sleeps inside at my feet on the bed. He eats indoors, but does all his business out of doors. As of lately, his behavior has changed. He has become very clingy, wanting to be with me all the time. He even comes and sleeps up by my head. He walks around all day long, restless, meowing. He seems to want to eat, but when he begins to eat, he suddenly gets frightened, meows aggressivly and runs off. Also he has had 2 poopy accidents in the bathroom, and they were runny. I have heard that when in pain, animals don't know how to deal with it, and they try to run away. This has caused me to look at his mouth to see if it is painful for him to eat. He does indeed have black spots all along his gums, which I have noticed there for a long while. So I took a can of tuna, mixed it with water and pulverized it in the food processor to a consistancy of a thick shake, and voila.. he ate it! Any comments on aging, diseases of the mouth or anything else would be very welcome. Thank you, ~Curley

I think it's definitely time for a visit to Vet for a check-up. Tooth problems can manifest themselves in many ways and it seems he is having trouble eating anything that is not in mush form.
Teeth also affect the stomach and other areas of the body in humans as well as kitties.

So take him to the VET and have him take a look see to determine what the problem might be.

Good luck!!

I would also take him to the vet for a general check up. With aging cats, there can be a multitude of problems extending beyond mouth and gums. They can have stomach problems, kidney problems, liver problems, digestive disorders, or even just parasites. Especially if he's an outdoor cat, they should be dewormed every 6 months or so. Cats can't talk to you, so they try to tell you in other ways

A concur. Take him to the vet right away. Had I listened to the signs my Norton was giving me, he may still be with me today. Don't allow any reasons for regret. You and your kitty will feel better. It could just be tooth decay, which is very common in kitties.

Thanks to everyone for the great advice and care. I will keep you all posted. If there are still more suggestions, I will still want to hear them.

I agree with all that was said above. In addition to feeling pain while eating, it also sounds like in general he is not feeling very comfortable, even when not eating. . . hence the clinginess and restless walking.

Until he has been checked by his vet and is feeling better, if I were you I would set kitty up with an indoor litter box. . . I think letting him outside at this time is too risky, as he may run away.

Sick and injured kitties very often try to run away because they don't have any way of processing pain except in the survival sense. To them pain = attack.. . .and when under attack, running and hiding from this pain demon seems the best option.

Take care to the both of you. Let us know how the vet appt goes.

My cat is 18 ( i can't change the 'kitten' word by my name) and he became super clingy the last few years. He'll attach himself at whatever location i am, and change rooms if i do etc. He also meows a LOT.. have just tried Dr.Bach rescue remedy 3 drops at bedtime to relax him. Next appmt at vet he'll get some good tests but for your kitty.... I think somewhere between where food comes in and goes out your cat has something wrong.. the diahrea accident sounds like vet-inquiry is for sure the best idea. His mewoing and clinging could be he knows something is wrong and you are the 'pack' leader and take care of things.
Best wishes -Lynne

The "kitten" below your name is your rank, not your cat's. It will go up as you post....I wanted to stay a kitten, but oh well!