Signs of dementia?

[katmommy]

My 11yr old male seems to have developed dementia. He's been through a lot over the past year (overweight, diabetes, cat flu, loss of appetite, told no longer diabetic, possible arthritis).

We had him at the vet yesterday and they did blood work but all came back negative. She did suggest he might have dementia.

Symptoms include all the usual...
Lack of grooming
Very talkative and crying out (but not at night)
Excessive sleeping
Lack of interaction
No playing

All these ate listed as symptoms in my research. What had not been listed is complete lack of desire to walk or move. This started a couple of weeks ago. I have to pick him up and place him in the litter box and take him out. I also have to bring him in and out him on the counter to feed him, which I pretty much have to do by hand. I have to shove the food under his mouth to get him to eat and he can't be bothered with water. The vet gave us Royal Canon Recovery food and said to mix it with water as he was a bit dehydrated.

Has anyone had this situation?

Thank you!

 

[sivyaleah]

It's very possible. Our 15 year old has been showing signs of increasing confusion in the past year or so.  He frequently just stands in place, looking confused and unsure of where he is or what he was doing.  He used to be a very quiet cat - but now we hear him yowling for no reason we can discern; many times at night when the house is quiet and darker.  He sleeps A LOT.  And tends to go to a quieter place in the house to do so (which is saying a lot since there's only 2 of us and we're an older couple that isn't exactly making noise very much).  He also seems to have lost the enthusiasm to play.  Last, his appetite has dramatically decreased and, he forgets there is food in the bowl at times.  I have to pick him up and make like I'm putting new food in it, point it out to him and make a big fuss over it for him to realize it's there.  In fact, he has lost about 2 pounds this past year due to this and, frequent vomiting (which, the vet and us are working on).

FYI - all bloodwork on our cat came back negative also.  He's pretty healthy over all other than the vomiting. 

I'm not so sure a special diet food is going to help.  I'm fairly suspect of a lot of those kinds of foods since I can't discern anything different about them than the regular foods they make and they frequently contain ingredients I try to avoid in what I feed my cats but your mileage may vary as they say.  If he likes it great, if not, I'd be trying something else.  I do agree that mixing in some water with the food could be beneficial if he isn't drinking and eating on his own to keep him hydrated and properly nourished.

Senility in cats is not always a certain but it does appear fairly frequently.  It's an ongoing learning curve for us.  Hopefully others will see this and offer their insight as well.  I know there are a lot of senior kitty guardians here on TCS.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

My 11yr old male seems to have developed dementia. He's been through a lot over the past year (overweight, diabetes, cat flu, loss of appetite, told no longer diabetic, possible arthritis).

We had him at the vet yesterday and they did blood work but all came back negative. She did suggest he might have dementia.

Symptoms include all the usual...
Lack of grooming
Very talkative and crying out (but not at night)
Excessive sleeping
Lack of interaction
No playing

All these ate listed as symptoms in my research. What had not been listed is complete lack of desire to walk or move. This started a couple of weeks ago. I have to pick him up and place him in the litter box and take him out. I also have to bring him in and out him on the counter to feed him, which I pretty much have to do by hand. I have to shove the food under his mouth to get him to eat and he can't be bothered with water. The vet gave us Royal Canon Recovery food and said to mix it with water as he was a bit dehydrated.

Has anyone had this situation?

Thank you!

It sounds to me like your cat is displaying all the signs of depression, at least the signs of depression in humans.  Did your Vet say anything about that?  Has anything happened recently that would be a change for him.  A loss, perhaps?   Or bringing in a new furry friend?  Sometimes that backfires and throws our existing furries into depression.

 

[katmommy]

I think we were given the food as it can be mixed with water and she said he was a bit dehydrated. He hasn't drank water for several weeks now and has been getting liquids from the gravy in the pouch food. He's lapping up the the new food so if it keeps him drinking water, I'm all for it.

Depression was not mentioned. There really has been no changes in anything. We have four cats and Alfie is the oldest. The youngest is Crystal at six years and we got her as a kitten. Three of them are indoor cats only, Alfie included.

Clipped his nails and gave him a bath yesterday, poor thing. He was a mess from not grooming. I think he felt better to be clean.

I'm at a loss as what could be wrong.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I don't know...eleven seems awfully young for dementia to be starting.  And the total lack of wanting to eat doesn't seem to ring true.  Usually, as mentioned above, there is a desire to eat if they can remember where their bowl is.  Some cats don't remember they just ate and keep asking to be fed.

Here is another thread about feline dementia:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/313796/what-are-signs-of-cat-dementia

I'm still thinking it truly sounds like depression, at least in humans.  My mother suffers from dementia, and also depression.  She is on antidepressants, which help.  I know there are such things for cats too.  Wonder if that might be a starting place.  If not, I would seriously think about his quality of life.  Doesn't sound like he has much

(no interaction, no playing, no desire to walk or move, or eat

)

Here is a quality of life scale, which might be useful to you at some point

: http://www.allpetsmacomb.com/qualityoflife.html

 

[maggiemay]

So sorry to hear you're going through this.  It sounds like this boy has been through an awful lot during the past year, poor baby.  I have several things that came to mind when I read your post.  First, has he had recent bloodwork and were the results good?  Second, this could be a thyroid-related problem, especially with the yowling.  Third, I would have him thoroughly examined again by a vet.  It sounds to me as if he is sick rather than depressed or suffering from dementia, especially considering the fact that he is only 11.  He is showing definite signs of illness if he isn't eating, drinking, grooming or using the litter box by himself.  

Also, if it is dementia or getting a bit of brain fog, there's an excellent supplement called Vetri-DMG that works wonders on elderly pets, pets with seizures, it's a great immune system enhancer, and it even works on birds.  I have used it with much success.  Here is the information on it, and please browse through the reviews, some are written by vets, who also highly recommend this supplement:  http://www.1800petmeds.com/Vetri+DMG-prod10994.html?Ntt=vetri-dmg   I will keep the two of you in my prayers.  I know this is as hard on you as it is on him.  Hugs!

 

[katmommy]

MaggieMay, as I said in my original post, we had him at the vet the day before and blood work all came back negative.

I had to give him another bath today as he pooped during the night right where he was. When I was drying him off, he started to groom/lick his back leg, but that was about it.

He shows a bit of alertness if he hears me shaking a treat bag. He'll eat one or two and then wants no part of it.

He only cries out when I disturb him or pick him up to put him in the litter box.

It is hard on us although I'm the one mainly taking care of him. Hubby doesn't really do much as he's at work all day. I get annoyed at him because I get frustrated and then he tell me I should calm down.[emoji]128533[/emoji]

I'm seriously thinking that maybe it's time to send him over the rainbow. My head says it is, but my heart says no.[emoji]128546[/emoji]

 

[maggiemay]

MaggieMay, as I said in my original post, we had him at the vet the day before and blood work all came back negative.

I had to give him another bath today as he pooped during the night right where he was. When I was drying him off, he started to groom/lick his back leg, but that was about it.

He shows a bit of alertness if he hears me shaking a treat bag. He'll eat one or two and then wants no part of it.

He only cries out when I disturb him or pick him up to put him in the litter box.

It is hard on us although I'm the one mainly taking care of him. Hubby doesn't really do much as he's at work all day. I get annoyed at him because I get frustrated and then he tell me I should calm down.[emoji]128533[/emoji]

I'm seriously thinking that maybe it's time to send him over the rainbow. My head says it is, but my heart says no.[emoji]128546[/emoji]

Sorry, @KatMommy, I had limited time and was answering several questions.  I did read your original post, but then answered without referring back to, the fact that his blood work came back negative, and I do apologize.  I am currently dealing with a cat who has "the metabolic profile of a 4-year-old" on her blood work, everything absolutely perfect.  She is 16, weighs 5 pounds and is not a surgical candidate.  She  has a hard abdominal mass that has now been aspirated for the third time to try to get a cancer diagnosis.  I am telling you this so you can see that cats can be extremely ill even if their blood panels come back great.  I would get a second opinion by another vet.  What pain meds is he on, since he is most obviously in pain?  This cat needs to go back to a vet asap, and I personally would go to another vet.  I would print your description of his symptoms out and take it with you, because it's SO easy when at the vet's to forget something.  He needs pain meds immediately, if he cries out when you pick him up.   His quality of life is definitely diminished at this point, but he's only 11.  You would be surprised at how quickly they can swing back from even this with the correct diagnosis and treatment.  I don't think your boy has dementia in the least; I think he is in a lot of pain.   Wishing you both the best.

 

[foxxycat]

nausea can affect life. did they do xray to see if he has arthritis or other? I have a 12 yr old who has bad arthritis-she was acting depressed. We are still trying to find something to help the pain. But when she is hurting she wont eat.

Another vet is recommended. anti nausea meds-sub fluids-pain meds to see if it helps-pumpkin faces bloodwork was perfect as well. if they want they can try appetite stimulant. But he needs to eat. Try babyfood meat like chicken ham or turkey.

 

[Margret]

Arthritis could easily be causing him to not want to jump up on his own, or to play.  And the others are right; this does sound a heck of a lot like depression, at least in humans.  Human antidepressants work on cats as well, though the dosage is, of course, different; you may want to ask your vet about putting him on an antidepressant as a trial.  If you do, make sure that the trial continues for at least a month; it takes a while for antidepressants to build up to a therapeutic level in the body, and after it does you want to give it some time to see how well it works for him.

Also, I've been dealing with a seriously depressed husband for the last four years, and in his case it was mimicking full blown insanity -- he was making totally irrational decisions that had consequences that made the depression worse.  Some illnesses cause a person to have attitudes that favor the illness, and depression is one of those.  And never doubt that cats are people, too, just because they're short and have fur.  They're not humans, but they're definitely people.

Margret

 

[CatLover49]

MaggieMay, as I said in my original post, we had him at the vet the day before and blood work all came back negative.

I had to give him another bath today as he pooped during the night right where he was. When I was drying him off, he started to groom/lick his back leg, but that was about it.

He shows a bit of alertness if he hears me shaking a treat bag. He'll eat one or two and then wants no part of it.

He only cries out when I disturb him or pick him up to put him in the litter box.

It is hard on us although I'm the one mainly taking care of him. Hubby doesn't really do much as he's at work all day. I get annoyed at him because I get frustrated and then he tell me I should calm down.[emoji]128533[/emoji]

I'm seriously thinking that maybe it's time to send him over the rainbow. My head says it is, but my heart says no.[emoji]128546[/emoji]

Im not sure but it sounds like possibly arthritis..cause you said he only cries out when u disturb him or pick him up..I have an 11yr old...I think myself its too soon to be considering sending him over the rainbow...Sounds like arthritis or hes just not feeling well..older cats wont use the litter box well if they have arthritis and they certainly dont want to picked up or disturbed...