my old lady cat

[jchsasajs]

I have an old lady cat, Twizzy.. she is around 20. She lost her hearing mostly about 5 years ago after a bad ear infection and more recently i am pretty sure she is going blind. We also have 2 9 month old kittens. Twizzy and the kittens don’t interact really, they kind of sneak up on her and she hisses or swipes at them if they get too close. Twizzy sleeps 90% of her day so whenever i catch her up wandering around i get her some food and put it in front of her so she can find to eat. The kittens have food all the time but out of dogs reach but Twizzy has a harder time getting around and doesn’t do stairs so there is no where i can put it where she can always get to it bc the dogs will constantly scarf it up. I guess i am looking for any advice on helping her navigate or a way to tell for sure if she is blind or just has dementia maybe. i have never seen her walk into the wall but she does circles a lot and always seems like startled when i pet her or pick her up. I just want to make sure she is living her best life.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi what a sweetheart!!
You need to create a "wall" of baby gates or similar that will keep the dogs out, of a corner or something but allow for her to be able to get through. If the path is always consistent and things don't move around with your help and guidance she'll figure it out.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Along the lines of the baby gates, there are ones that have 'cat doors' in them - as long as your dogs are too big to get through. You could try them and then lead Twizzy to the cat door and help her through so that she knows her food is on the other side. I would imagine that it wouldn't take too long for her to figure it out especially if her sense of smell is still intact.

I have an 18+ yo who the vets say can see just fine, but I am pretty sure she has a hearing deficit as I can approach her to pet her, and she will jump if she didn't realize I was going to do so. It could also be some level of dementia, as she seems to stare off into space at times, but so far that hasn't precluded her from easily finding/accessing her food, water, and litter box. Also, if Twizzy has some arthritis, that could make her 'surprised' about being picked up because of her 'sore joints'.

Does Twizzy lay down after doing these circles? If so, it could be 'nesting' - getting in a comfortable position before laying down. Feeby doesn't do circles, but she can take what seems like a couple of minutes to get situated to lay down. She does have arthritis and so I think that is part of why she has her routine before laying down.

 

[neely]

Twizzy is a gentle old lady. How large is your dog? The reason I asked is because what we did so our dog could not get to the cat's food was place a gate in the doorway of our bathroom. It was raised just enough off the floor for the cat to easily get in the room and have access to her food.

It's possible Twizzy has cataracts but if you want confirmation I would suggest a visit with your vet. It's also possible she has dementia. Our dog had both cataracts and dementia. He would go to the back door to go out, do circles in the yard, come back in and do it all over again. I noticed the behavior happening more at night, almost like Sundowner's in humans.

 

[jchsasajs]

Hi what a sweetheart!!
You need to create a "wall" of baby gates or similar that will keep the dogs out, of a corner or something but allow for her to be able to get through. If the path is always consistent and things don't move around with your help and guidance she'll figure it out.

Along the lines of the baby gates, there are ones that have 'cat doors' in them - as long as your dogs are too big to get through. You could try them and then lead Twizzy to the cat door and help her through so that she knows her food is on the other side. I would imagine that it wouldn't take too long for her to figure it out especially if her sense of smell is still intact.

I have an 18+ yo who the vets say can see just fine, but I am pretty sure she has a hearing deficit as I can approach her to pet her, and she will jump if she didn't realize I was going to do so. It could also be some level of dementia, as she seems to stare off into space at times, but so far that hasn't precluded her from easily finding/accessing her food, water, and litter box. Also, if Twizzy has some arthritis, that could make her 'surprised' about being picked up because of her 'sore joints'.

Does Twizzy lay down after doing these circles? If so, it could be 'nesting' - getting in a comfortable position before laying down. Feeby doesn't do circles, but she can take what seems like a couple of minutes to get situated to lay down. She does have arthritis and so I think that is part of why she has her routine before laying down.

Hi, we do have one of those gates that has a mini cat door in it however we also have a dog that also fits thru that door. he likes cat food as much as she does… As far as the circles it is not before she goes to sleep it is more like she is searching trying to figure out where she is. She does have a little bit of trouble getting around do to a little wobble that she has had since the bad ear infection but she doesn’t seem to be in pain. She also seems to stare into space sometimes. thank you for the good advice.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi jchsasajs !

Blindness doesn't occur without a reason, it isn't an automatic occurrence in old age. High blood pressure is often the cause of older cats losing vision, and low levels of a key vitamin is another.

That "staring into space", circling and wobbliness are all symptoms of potential underlying conditions that could be addressed for her.....ensuring that she is living "her best life".

I'd be arranging for a geriatric assessment ASAP, to include blood pressure testing (which is often overlooked by general practice Vets).

If you want a reliable, handy list of symptoms and treatments with plain-language explanations, you'll find one right here.

Keep us posted!
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[jchsasajs]

i will do that, thank you

 

[Furballsmom]

we do have one of those gates that has a mini cat door in it however we also have a dog that also fits thru that door. he likes cat food as much as she does…

Get a door that's activated only by her microchip.