Senior Cat Has Started Crying A Lot

Question
Hi - I have three cats (9, 15 and 19) - in the past week, my 19 year old cat will sit in a room by herself and just cry really loudly.  Almost like she is lost. She still has a good appetite but over the years of course sleeps more than anything else.  She is also looking a little threadbare, but still cleans herself.  Can you give any insight into the crying?  She will do it for a few minutes and then not again for several hours - thanks so much for your time!

Answer


Kathie,

When a senior cat cries...listen, she is telling you something is wrong! Your cat is approx. 92 years old in human years! It could be any number of things. Things start to give out at her age.

She needs to go to the vet for a senior cat checkup to check the functions of her kidneys, liver, and thyroid. And possibly find out what is wrong for sure besides old age. The vet may be able to give her some medicine for any pain, or something to comfort her.

She may have painful arthritis or pain elsewhere. She may have 'kitty alzheimers' or she may be getting senile. Another common reason for the crying is that she could have gone deaf. They rely on vibrations to know where everyone is and they cry if they don't feel any vibrations from anyone.

She needs constant reassurance from you and lots of love now. Aging and the problems related to it are very confusing for them because they don't understand what is going on and why. Don't ever get upset at her for getting old.

Diets also need to be changed as the cat ages. Their dietary needs are different and their teeth are different. I would speak to the vet about that also.

I am including some great links about the senior cat that you may find helpful: (copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)

http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html
http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm
http://www.wbvc.bc.ca/elderly.htm

And if you do need to put poor kitty to sleep at some point (I hope not anytime soon!) here is an EXCELLENT site for emotional support:
http://rainbowsbridge.com/hello.htm

The cat has a wonderful owner who is caring and the cat KNOWS she's loved. That's the most important thing. Just be patient with her as you would your 92 year old grandmother. You probably will have to make concessions for future aging problems, such as bladder or bowel control loss, but I know you will do them with love.

Tabbi