Both of my cats are about 15 or over. They both seem pretty healthy/spunky.

One is getting a bit thin, though she eats all the time and we feed her wet cat food (yeah I had to make the switch) 2ce a day that she shares with the other cat. She eats a lot I think yet doesn't gain any weight. My friend says like people, sometimes older cats shrink. She is very spunky and can be quite active, though she gets a bit nutty by tearing off or chasing the other for apparently no reason. Oh and she meows ALOT. I think this has gotten worse as she is inconsolable sometimes but is very prompt...at 6 and again when I get home. Normally her food will calm her down.

The other cat is pretty docile and a bit fat...not too fat, but she's always been a big girl. SHe does meow at night like she's confused or something, but otherwise normal.

Is this normal behavior for cats of this age? Oh and I don't see a lot of poop in the litter, but they pee a lot and drink water a lot.

Hmm, I would get the cat that's lost weight checked out by a vet. She may have kidney failure, since she is an older cat that's losing weight, drinking a lot of water and peeing a lot. I had a cat who had those symptoms, and that is what he had. Not trying to scare you by saying that this is what's going on with your cat, but it was the first thing that popped into my head. It might be a good idea to play with your kitties so that they will be worn out and will go to sleep, instead of meowing alot. These are ideas that I have either used with my cats, or read in a cat magazine. Good luck, I hope you find these suggestions to be helpful.
[Edited 6/26/08 14:04pm]

psychodelicide said:

I think it may be time to have her check out. It's been a while. I just figured that since they are really old it could just go along with the age thing.

superspaceboy said:

Her age could definitely be a factor. But it would be a smart idea to have it checked out, to be sure.

Could just be normal signs of aging but the things you listed are all symptoms of feline diabetes.

Best to get them checked out.

psychodelicide said:

Good call, kidney failure is EXTREMELY common in older cats but it can be managed. The thin cat could also have hyperthyroidism, another common disease in older cats that is also manageable. Hyperthyroidism can cause cats to lose weight despite eating or even an increase in appetite, drinking and urinating more than normal, and being more irritable.

In anycase, at 15+ years a trip to the vet to see what's going on is a good idea.

I hope everything turns out okay!

Let me start by saying I am NOT an expert but I have some of the same problems with my oldest cat.
Have you let him/her being checked by a vet on worms? My oldest one is eating a lot but not gaining weight at all!

The doc says it's normal (he's almost 13yrs old) but it still worries me.


Kidney failure could be another issue

allready discussed edit..
[Edited 6/26/08 15:35pm]

I hope my kitty is ok.

JasmineFire said:

I didn't think of hyperthyroidism, but that could be what's going on too.

superspaceboy said:

go to a vet

superspaceboy said:

Me too.

superspaceboy said:

you're kitties are old. My motto with cats (within reason) is that as long as they are eating and enjoying their regular routines, then they have a good quality of life.

From what you described, it doesn't seem like either one of your cats is hiding under the couch, refusing to eat or drink.

You are an excellent cat owner purely for the fact that you're noticing and concerned about these changes. Make an appointment at the the vet and find out what's going on.

old cats seem to howl a bit, especially when they are alone in a room. My cat had kidney failure, too, but she didn't pee at that time and went downhill quickly.

To some extent, I don't believe in doing too much for a cat's health because they hate everything that's done to them.

My cat cost a lot of money to diagnose her problem, she hated the process, and there was nothing to do.

It actually sounded to me like your cats are okay, though, nothing alarmed me about losing some weight, running around, or howling.

superspaceboy said:

JasmineFire said:

I go with the same philosophy. Trust me I have seen her (natasha) be worse for wear. When I orginally got the other cat (camille) Natasha got really sick, no eating and cower in a corner. She did recover thankfully!

I am going to take her to the vet...it's time. I am just afraid they would find something terrible and honestly she is too old to go through crazy treatments. But a vet visit I think is needed.

NDRU said:

I have a freind who has paid at least 5K on her cats last year. First one had issues and then another got sick. She can't afford to keep up with it all, but they are her "kids" so I back off. I think she ought to give one to her mom as her mom can afford to take care of the cat, but she refuses.

superspaceboy said:

It's tough. I certainly understand loving your animals, but when it came to the decision, spend thousands of dollars so the cat can be miserable for longer, or make the other decision, I was glad my girlfriend (it was her cat, technically) decided the latter.

But your cats sound pretty happy, right? It's worth a vet visit to ease your mind, of course!

My cat is also getting pretty old these days, I would say shes about 10ish? I really should look at our certificate. But she in recent times has started meowing a bit more but I see it as she just wants more attention and doesn't want to be by herself a lot.

One thing that I find is strange is she doesn't like being picked up, she always has. We got her from the RSPCA so for or all I know her previous owners did something to her which scarred her for life about being picked up? Or shes just fussy like that.

I hope your cat is ok I'm sure he/she/it is fine

perhaps the howling in older cats is attention or boredom but i would think
more often than not it means they are uncomfortable!
ie crystals in their urine or hairballs they aren't passing... on and on.
kcwm your kitty's kidneys could be tender or something
it's no fun for anyone to get old. even kitties. my kitties got a virus
and lost weight and did not look good at the end

to all the kitty owners. better to know what's going on than not and having your pet being uncomfortable

yeah I'm thinking that but I dunno shes been fussy about being picked up forever, and when you do pick her up she will try grab onto you as hard as she can and then she won't let go either.....especially when she wants to jump down! So she tries to jump off but shes still clinging onto you, silly cat

kcwm said:

I have two cats and one loves to be pickup and carried around while the other can't stand it. I've gotten him to the point where he'll tolerate it, but I don't think he'll ever like it. He loves to snuggle, but being picked up just isn't his thing. I think most cats are like that, either they love it or they hate it.

superspaceboy said:

Let us know what happens.

I had a cat that lived until 20 At around 15 she too started to become waaaay more vocal and thin. I think it's normal for them because we had her checked by the vet and they said she was fine, just old She too would eat all day long and not gain anything. Just keep an eye on it, if you feel as though your cat is acting weird bring it to the vet. Keep in mind that soon the puking and diarrhea will shortly follow

My Baby would just NOT die! She got sick and lost all the fur around her neck and chest...the Vet wanted to treat her but my Mom thought it would be best to just put her down. She was old and looked like she was in pain when she would walk and she was not eating as much. It was very hard for us to do it, I got her when I was 7 years old!

I agree with all the earlier diagnoses of kidney failure but I have to point something out - wet food is WET, usually between 79 and 87% water. That obviously makes it less nutritious and makes the cat pee WAY more since it eats water. Why did you have to make the switch to wet food? If that was teeth related that might be a source of meowling too, mouth pain is a bitch. You might want to try pouring some cold water on dry food and leave it to swell for a while and then feed the cat with it, if you don't leave it for too long the nutrients don't dissolve and that way the cat gets a much better diet.
But it IS an old cat and kidney problems are so common with them.

Teacher said:

wet food does contain a large amount of water but cats are known for keeping themselves slightly dehydrated at all times. Their kidneys can concentrate urine better than most mammals and I highly doubt that changing from dry food to wet food would make a cat noticably urinate more.

There are plenty of wet foods that don't skimp on the nutrients but they are the more expensive brands. Wellness is one brand that comes to mind and many of the Science Diet wet foods are pretty well made, too. Basically, stay away from the cheap supermarket brands.

superspaceboy said:

I hope so too.

I'm going through this with my Fred right now and he had the same symptoms you describe, Sadly, it turned out to be kidney failure...he's 17.

We thought it was the end but he's hanging in there after spending a night at the vet hospital. We get the meds into him when we can and give him his IV. As long as he's comfortable we won't put him down, but we know it's a matter of time now.

Hopefully, your kitty's trouble won't be as serious but you still gotta know what's going on. Good luck.

Teacher said:

My vet actually had us switch Fred to wet food even with the kidney failure because he has some tooth abcesses making it painful to eat the dry food. He's eating a lot more now, although he's still skinny. On days when he won't eat the cat food we give him a bit of canned tuna or turkey. Every day we have to figure out a new food and medication strategy.

babynoz said:

canned food also smells better to cats and can entice a cat who is off food to eat.

best of luck with you're cat. It sounds like you are doing a really good job with him.

superspaceboy said:

as for your first cat ( the skinny one) you should take her in and get a senior screen. shes eating and gaining no weight? shoulds like a bit like hyperthyroid disease. not sure how much it runs at your vet office but where i work the senior screen is about 150.00. and the part about being much more vocal falls into category as well. hope this info helps

JasmineFire said:

thanks,