Feline dementia

[Leroy17]

5 nights ago we were awakened by my 17.6 year old cat (LeRoy)with loud meowing and pacing. Next day I noticed he was eating much less and was pacing all day. Next day ate even less and even refused treats. Saw vet on Thursday (today’s Saturday). Did exam, sq fluid blood work and shot of anti-emetic. Couldn’t get urine sample.
Sent home with Mirataz. So far it has done nothing. Syringe feeding Hills a/d. Only got 1/2 can in him today. Urine sample yesterday, no word yet.
He will not eat anything on his own. Tried EVERYTHING suggested on this site. Won’t drink anything but water.
Blood work revealed hyperthyroidism. Transdermal meds on order. Don’t know when we will get it. Put a calming collar on at 3:00am today. Still pacing non stop. Drinking and peeing o.k. Still nighttime yowling. We leave lights on everywhere.

Despite the above efforts he is getting worse. Walks himself into corners and staring off. No longer jumping. Acting more confused. Hearing and vision seem o.k. No litter problem.

He seems to be losing ground fast. Anyone have experience with feline dementia? Vet closed untill Monday. I’m reluctantly considering home euthanasia. This is not life.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
I believe this is less dementia than effects from the hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure being one etc even though he's not eating .

Hyperthyroidism in Cats

See if you can immediately obtain low iodine food which would be any of the Weruva brands, and find ways to hand feed him (spoon, finger, syringe, tongue depressor), even boiled chicken which is lower iodine.

Weruva | Because We Luvya

 

[Leroy17]

Furballsmom,
Thank you for the link and suggestions. Syringe feeding is the only option right now. Tried the others.
We had another hyperthyroid cat. 100% different behavior! She had the classic insatiable appetite. Lost her to kidney desease 6 weeks after Radio Cat. Don’t understand that one with all the labs and vet visits. That was a cat only clinic. Too many awful experiences there.

 

[Furballsmom]

My boy didn't have the hyperactivity or the yowling (he was17 ) but he did have the increased appetite and weight loss.

Hang in there with all this! Let us know how things go

 

[neely]

Lost her to kidney desease 6 weeks after Radio Cat. Don’t understand that one with all the labs and vet visits. That was a cat only clinic. Too many awful experiences there.

Our cat received the I-131 radioactive iodine treatment a year ago. We had the option of taking him to a specialty clinic affiliated with a veterinary university medical school or Radical. Radiocat has locations in different states and does not offer Scintigraphy. For that reason our vet did not recommend it and we decided against it. I'm so sorry you had a bad experience and your cat passed away 6 wks. after receiving treatment there.

Fingers crossed you receive the transdermal gel medicine for Leroy soon.

 

[Leroy17]

I was able to contact the vet this morning. His urine showed no other problems. She was pretty sure his behavior problems are due to dementia. He started peeing on the floor( and his litter box) yesterday. I was having a difficult time getting an answer if I should proceed with the thyroid meds. She thought they would not help with his lack of appetite or constant pacing. I haven’t seen him sleep since Saturday.
Vet suggested going to emergency vet to get ultra sound of abdomen. We should have the meds within the hour. I will try the transdurmal meds. I think the US may be a waste and cause more stress. He is still not eating and I’m not getting much in him with the syringe feedings. 4 times daily. He can’t hold still for long. Turkey baby food at 5:30am Wellness Core tiny tasters around 8:30am.

I think this may be the end of the road for my little smooch.

 

[Leroy17]

Forgot to mention, I think the vet said his T4 was 7

 

[Furballsmom]

If you can, have them check his blood pressure.

 

[Alldara]

5 nights ago we were awakened by my 17.6 year old cat (LeRoy)with loud meowing and pacing. Next day I noticed he was eating much less and was pacing all day. Next day ate even less and even refused treats. Saw vet on Thursday (today’s Saturday). Did exam, sq fluid blood work and shot of anti-emetic. Couldn’t get urine sample.
Sent home with Mirataz. So far it has done nothing. Syringe feeding Hills a/d. Only got 1/2 can in him today. Urine sample yesterday, no word yet.
He will not eat anything on his own. Tried EVERYTHING suggested on this site. Won’t drink anything but water.
Blood work revealed hyperthyroidism. Transdermal meds on order. Don’t know when we will get it. Put a calming collar on at 3:00am today. Still pacing non stop. Drinking and peeing o.k. Still nighttime yowling. We leave lights on everywhere.

Despite the above efforts he is getting worse. Walks himself into corners and staring off. No longer jumping. Acting more confused. Hearing and vision seem o.k. No litter problem.

He seems to be losing ground fast. Anyone have experience with feline dementia? Vet closed untill Monday. I’m reluctantly considering home euthanasia. This is not life.

What you're describing are symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Yes the yowling and the not eating. Hyperthyroidism.changes the taste of foods so they might not like it. I had to handfeed my cat for a couple days while awaiting medication.

I would urge you to request a small prescription of pills in the meantime. Personally, my vet gave a script and I filled it at a human pharmacy. It was $75 for a month of pills. It's nice to have on hand as well in case there's a shortage of the transdermal medication.

I was able to do a pill pocket for a week before she figured out how to spit it out.

 

[Furballsmom]

Did you not do the ultrasound?
I agree, I really think this is Hyper-T

 

[Alldara]

Lily paced and howled everywhere. She was hungry all the time but everything tasted bad. So she cried more. We also thought feline dementia, but this stopped after medication.

Hyperthyroid can make the heart race too so your cat feels anxious. Causing more crying. Anxiety contributes to litter issues.

Hyperthyroidism in Cats.

If your vet can't fax a script to the pharmacy now, I would suggest calling the emergency vet for an emergency script.

 

[Leroy17]

I did not get the US. The waiting list at emergency vet is over a day. They could’ve guarantee we would be seen promptly after the wait either.
I gave him a dose of the ear med at 2:00pm after 1 syringe of food. He will stop swallowing after about 1/2 of the surine
I talked this over with my husband about our option of trying to get into another vets office that advertises on their web site they do US. This would be basically starting over. I spoke with 2 home euthanasia vets about his condition. For some reason they thought it was time, but neither had their schedule open until next week.
Husband also agrees. I really don’t think things will turn around for LeRoy.

 

[fionasmom]

Home euthanasia vets provide a wonderful service, but they do normally assume that you have called because you have made the decision already and have enough medical information to support your choice. I would try the meds, but it is your decision.

 

[Leroy17]

Yes. I had to do the home euthanasia 2 times before. It is a very good choice. Wish I’d known about it earlier in my life. We have an appointment for tomorrow. Found someone on the 3rd try.
Leroy has become very difficult to feed because he will stop swallowing after half the syringe. He is in some kind of zombie state with the pacing. He tried to walk into the wood burning stove when I was adding another log. Keeps getting stuck between furniture and such. We have barricades all over. I still offer him food/treats but he’ll walk past like he has a plane to catch.
I am giving up because he is getting worse. Vet was not very encouraging and I’m not going to fight things because he is getting weaker. No pleasure in his life at all now.
What do you think about me stopping the forced feeding? The vet will be here tomorrow at 1:00 or 2:00pm. Last feed was at 2:00.

 

[Furballsmom]

What do you think about me stopping the forced feeding?

I had the worst time trying to decide exactly that with my Poppycat. His system started to crash on a Saturday am the end of October, but we couldn't get in to a vet who'd put him to sleep (for context, I am still arguing with the ER vet we saw that Saturday morning since they charged us for more than we authorized but she's only available on the weekends so it's taking a really long time) .. .. until Monday AM.

I decided to continue with a little food, and a little water on alternate times as long as he could swallow on the thought that maybe it was helping with getting at least a little hydration into him, and maybe was providing a little bit regarding his comfort. I have no idea if I was right or wrong. Eventually he and I did stop in the very early hours of Monday morning and just waited it out together until his regular vet opened.

 

[fionasmom]

I am sorry that you are facing this. I agree that continuing to offer food, even with a little encouragement, might bring some comfort. If he is really beyond feeding, he will refuse the food and I would not fight it at that point. Just let him know that it is there if he wants a taste. As you get closer to the appointment, I would just spend time keeping him comfortable in whatever is the best way possible. Please let us know how you are.

 

[Leroy17]

I had the worst time trying to decide exactly that with my Poppycat. His system started to crash on a Saturday am the end of October, but we couldn't get in to a vet who'd put him to sleep (for context, I am still arguing with the ER vet we saw that Saturday morning since they charged us for more than we authorized but she's only available on the weekends so it's taking a really long time) .. .. until Monday AM.

I decided to continue with a little food, and a little water on alternate times as long as he could swallow on the thought that maybe it was helping with getting at least a little hydration into him, and maybe was providing a little bit regarding his comfort. I have no idea if I was right or wrong. Eventually he and I did stop in the very early hours of Monday morning and just waited it out together until his regular vet opened.

 

[Leroy17]

That’s just what I mean. Am I forcing him with the syringe more comfort to me or Leroy? He does drink plenty of water with no problem. I’ll just leave treats and food out. I do have all the bowls elevated for comfort.
BTW, last week the vet did check his heart and said everything sounded normal and no detectable murmur. I do believe his problems are HT related coupled with dementia. If I could get him to eat or even smell one piece of food I would go ahead with whatever I needed to do to keep him going. Whatever happened to him is progressing quickly. Don’t think I could get enough nutrition info him while we wait to see if the meds are going to help. As all are familiar with this one, I’ve spent day and night researching

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Leroy17]

LeRoy is now in peace. The home euthanasia was the best thing to do. The sedation shot put him to sleep purring in my arms. He looked so happy to finally get some rest. The Lap of Love vet put him in a lined basket with a pillow after and covered him like a baby. We completely lost it when her car left the driveway.
The guilt and wondering has waned. He was unable to get comfortable or eat and it was killing me(and him).

Thank you all who have graciously replied with your wisdom or just reacted.