15 Year Old Cat Having Some Issues

[ariinya]

Hello again!

Well... Sammy is absolutely stumping me! He seems to be in absolutely perfect health (on the outside). He plays like a kitten and constantly has the zoomies around the house! However, I've noticed that he drinks a great deal of water and urinates very often. 6–8 times a day, perhaps. I'm wondering if he might have diabetes.

Also, he has these, ah... things on his chin. I'd say they were acne if they weren't so damn big! I'm sorry I can't get a picture of them, they still don't penetrate the fur, but they are black in color, reach from about mid-jaw to the top of his neck, and seem to be itchy and not painful when I touch them. A note; I did just change their food bowls from ceramic to stainless steel. Allergic reaction, maybe?

I know you guys can't diagnose him, and your advice would be to go to a vet. I'm mid to high functioning autistic; I don't play well with others. >_> People scare the living hell out of me. But I managed to screw up my courage and call my vet's office to ask about the price. It's $53 just for a checkup, and I know he'll need blood tests. God, it galls me to put a price on my cats' health, but I'm living off of $100/month while my aunt and uncle are my payees. I'd just like to know what you guys think, I suppose... and if you think he does have diabetes, how long can he live without treatment?

Thanks you guys. I always appreciate you. ^_^
Love from,
Tracy

 

[kissthisangel]

You're right, we're not able to diagnose. If Sammy has only just got these black marks on his neck and chin switch back to the ceramics, It might be that he very well does have a metal allergy. I'd make this change immediately and monitor changes. For Sammy's peeing. Well, is this a change? what does Sammy's normal toileting habit look like? Drinking can be unusual, if the cat is having a wet diet, 90 percent of their water should come from that. Throw in dry food, older cats, central heating, hot summers these can all attribute to thirst. Ultimately, as experienced as we are, as a group, we can't tell you if you should worry about something complex like this. Allergies and skin issues are one thing since it's often mild, but urinary tract health in male cats especially require an expert opinion.

 

[LTS3]

Symptoms include excessive urination (like frequent huge puddles) and the urine smells sugary and are very sticky and hard to scoop. Is your cat's urine like that? Is there any weight loss or excessive hunger?

Diabetes isn't a death sentence unless you decide for whatever reason to not treat it. Treatment may include insulin and diet change. You can try a diet change without a vet visit. Low carb canned foods are best. Under 10% carbs is best and these are typically pate type foods. Feline Diabetes —Diabetes in Cats — Treatment and Diabetic Cat Info — FDMB is a good place for more info.

Other health issues may have similar symptoms. It would be best for a vet to examine the cat and do necessary blood work.

Most vets are doing contact-less vet appointments. A vet tech will come outside to collect the pet. You just hang out n the parking lot or wherever. The vet will call you, assuming you have a cell phone, with any questions and to discuss bloodwork and treatment. Can you bring a trusted friend or family member to accompany you to the vet?

The chin thing is most likely acne. Try wiping the chin a few times daily with a damp wash cloth and a Stridex acne pad. A swab of witch hazel instead of the Stridex works as well.

 

[ariinya]

No, his urine is definitely not like that. I can scoop it up quite easily! And it has that ammonia smell, which is mostly masked by the litter. I'm not sure about his previous toileting behaviors... it's only when things became abnormal that I really began to notice. ^^;

I will most certainly get some stridex pads when I go out next! Thank you very much. For now, I'll just wipe his chin down.

As for the vet... I absolutely cannot afford it. Heck, I can barely afford myself. -_- This is a very recent change since my dad died in February. My aunt and uncle are my new payees (since I am considered unable to be financially independent), and they aren't doing a very good job. I get $100 each month to live off of, and I never receive the remainder of what's in my account at the end of the month.

Trust me, I would certainly do anything for my babies, even face my social anxieties! But having an empty wallet... I'll have to save for a few months.

 

[daftcat75]

Does he eat wet and dry food? Only one or the other? Dry food is dehydrating. It's also high in carbs. Both are not good for a diabetic or pre-diabetic cat. Or kidney disease. Or bladder infection. Without blood work, we can't say for sure that's what's going on. But if you can shift him closer to an all wet food diet, you might be able to alleviate the symptoms even if you can't cure the condition (whatever it may be.)

Honestly, a check up with blood and urine work up is highly recommended at least once a year (and preferably every six months) for a cat his age. Save what you can and maybe talk with your aunt and uncle about getting some help there. A 15 year old cat is nearly equivalent with a 70-something year old person. I don't know how old your aunt and uncle are. But they may relate to this.

 

[ariinya]

Dry food, free feeding. I was actually reading about that on the Feline Diabetes site! I'm thinking about changing them both to scheduled meals of wet food. Though the first days might be hard! Molly is one to do as she likes, not as she's told.

I'm having trouble with portion size, though. The information is just so vague! Molly is about 10lbs, Sammy about 18lbs (I would get you EXACT, but my scale disappeared in the move :X). Maybe it's my math? I multiply and divide and somehow get... 26 cans per day?! That can't be right!!! And I would LIKE for Sammy to lose some weight, so I tried to calculate for a 15lb cat.

 

[daftcat75]

Dry food, free feeding. I was actually reading about that on the Feline Diabetes site! I'm thinking about changing them both to scheduled meals of wet food. Though the first days might be hard! Molly is one to do as she likes, not as she's told.

I'm having trouble with portion size, though. The information is just so vague! Molly is about 10lbs, Sammy about 18lbs (I would get you EXACT, but my scale disappeared in the move :X). Maybe it's my math? I multiply and divide and somehow get... 26 cans per day?! That can't be right!!! And I would LIKE for Sammy to lose some weight, so I tried to calculate for a 15lb cat.

A popular and affordable wet food is Fancy Feast Classic pate. These are approximately 100 calories per can. (96 calories. Close enough to make the math easy.) An indoor only cat will need approximately 20 calories per lbs. An indoor-outdoor cat will need as much as 30 calories per pound or more. Let’s go with 20 to make the math easy. Molly would need 200 calories or two cans of Fancy Feast. Sammy would need 300 calories or 3 cans.

Neither cat will eat a can in one meal. Not if they want to keep it down. Start with a couple spoonfuls for each for one snack a day for several days. Use their poops as a guide. If they are no worse, keep going and add more to their portions. If their poops become softer and smellier, take it slower. If they’re much worse, try a different food. Make sure you are adjusting the amount of dry food you offer as they get more wet food.

Many cats will only eat about half a can’s worth in a meal. You might have to feed them more than twice a day.

 

[ariinya]

Math... oh Lord, you're making my brain throb. xD

But that does sound easy enough. Thank you for that! I'll definitely look into foods. I just discovered Chewy.com, and I'm having fun looking all through the site in any case!

 

[LTS3]

Feed roughly 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. This may be thee or four 3 oz cans or one 5.5 oz can plus part of another can. Adjust the amount of calories as needed. Hangry cats? Feed a little more calories. Gaining a bit too much weight? Reduce a little. The label on the cans have calorie amount. You can also use this chart: https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf