Elderly cat - advice please

[Caramac71]

My cat is approaching 19. 3 years ago he went blind and was diagnosed with high blood pressure (upper limit over double what it should have been). The blood pressure had caused haemmorhage and this had caused his retina's to detach. He was also found to have a heart murmur and kidney failure. The vet at the time told me he was a ticking time bomb and I should expect him to die at any minute.

3 years later and he's still going strong, bless him! He copes well with his lack of sight, he still occasionally uses the cat flap and has a wander round the garden, although he uses litter trays indoors now. But mainly he is content to wander around the house, sleeping wherever suits him. He is very demanding and has always been a very vocal cat. He eats a lot but his weight is good. He doesn't take great care of himself any more but he's not looking too bad.

My problem with him is that he is gradually waking up earlier and earlier, and as soon as he's awake he wants food. It used to be that he woke up at 6.30am, which is when I get up, but now it's anytime from the middle of the night. We've tried ignoring him in the hopes that he'll get back into the 6.30am habit and he'll cry on/off but usually we can ignore him. However we are going through a pretty bad time and both myself and my husband are struggling to sleep - so being woken up at 4.30am isn't ideal as then we cant get back to sleep and are finding it hard to function next day. We've tried getting up and feeding him when he wakes up, whatever time it is, but within 5 mins of feeding him he's invariably crying again. He seems to want company when he eats.

I think he has a degree of dementia as his behaviour is strange. He has to go through the same ritual of crying, eating, walking off, crying, eating, walking off many times before he realises he's not hungry.

We cant leave him with food down as otherwise the dog will eat it (and he'll only eat food that is freshly put down for him). He's used to having the run of the house, day and night. I have thought about trying to shut him in the kitchen at night but I feel really mean and I don't want to disorientate him as it's the only room he doesn't ever sleep in - but it is somewhere he can have his food, water, litter tray, cat flap and bed. IT would also mean moving him from wherever he is in the house when we go to bed at night.

Just wondered if anyone else had any better solutions to try and keep him in a more suitable pattern of sleep? Normally it's not an issue but the lack of sleep amongst other stresses in our life right now isn't helping. I feel really horrible as I get frustrated with him and it's not his fault, he's just an old man and I want him to enjoy what he has left of his life.

 

[JillA]

Have you spoken to the vet? A friend had a dog with dementia a few years back and he had some medication which helped. Not a long term solution but helped for a while.

 

[dorito]

I can sympathise as my old tabby cat was almost 21 when she was PTS. For the last couple of years she was a bit prone to waking in the night and as you say OP it can seem there is a dementia element as they don't really seem to know what's what.

You may have tried this already, but maybe give him some extra food just before you go to bed (so hopefully he may not wake hungry so soon). And/or a heated pad or microwave hottie in his bed in case he's waking up and feeling a bit chilly? Might just help him to sleep that bit longer.

 

[paddi22]

a friend had a similar situation before and got a timed feeder that just released small bits of food every now and then..they also had to build a kind of wooden box thing in the corner of the room with a small door so the dog couldn't get into it.

 

[HashRouge]

I suspect it is dementia as you say, but I'm not sure what you can do about it. My parents have always shut their cats downstairs overnight as when they got together my Dad did not appreciate being woken at 4am by Mum's then cat dribbling down his ear, and I have to say it serves us very well now we have two very demanding cats! Could you make sure that there is somewhere suitable for him to sleep in the kitchen, like a shoe box on the table (this is a favourite bed for our two). I know it feels mean but I suspect it is a routine he will soon get used to and it would be far better for you and your OH to get a good night's sleep! My parents never seem to have any trouble getting their two into the kitchen at bedtime - they put some dry food down for them and give them a couple of cat treats at the same time. Now they both turn up as soon as they hear the biscuits going in the bowl! But when I was a kid we used to just pick them up and take them down, it was never too much hassle. I know if they had the run of the house, they would be waking us up at all hours!

 

[Umbongo]

Has he been to the vets recently? Could he be tested for hyperthyroidism? Some of the signs are increased vocalisation and hunger, this is normally coupled with weight loss and an increased heart rate due to an increased speed of metabolism.

If this has been ruled out then my guess would also be some sort of age related dementia. Not sure what you could do about that, sorry

 

[twiggy2]

could be dementia/thyroid issue or a dental problem a vet visit should tell you more

 

[Murphy88]

Sounds like hyperthyroidism to me, although he may also have a degree of dementia. Was his thyroid tested when he first went blind, as hyperthyroidism can cause high blood pressure and heart problems so could all be related (although kidney problems can also cause high blood pressure so could just have been that).

 

[Caramac71]

Sounds like hyperthyroidism to me, although he may also have a degree of dementia. Was his thyroid tested when he first went blind, as hyperthyroidism can cause high blood pressure and heart problems so could all be related (although kidney problems can also cause high blood pressure so could just have been that).

Yes that was tested for and ruled out. I have had a cat with hyperthyroidism before and his behaviour isnt the same. Our previous cat ate loads but was losing weight, whereas this one is just going through the ritual of asking for foid and then realises he doesn't want it. (And 5 mins later is asking again!)

I wasn't aware there was treatment for dementia in cats. I will see if any of the above ideas help and if not, I'll speak to vet. It's not new behaviour, it's just that I'm struggling to get back to sleep when woken at night which us why it's more of an issue.

Thank you for your replies.

 

[EmmaC78]

Cold you get a timed feeder than you set to open in the early hours? There is one that has several compartments so you could time it for a couple of times during the night.

 

[Caramac71]

Cold you get a timed feeder than you set to open in the early hours? There is one that has several compartments so you could time it for a couple of times during the night.

I'm pretty sure the dog would soon suss out the timings and beat the cat to it And the dog is the same size as the cat so there's nowhere he can't get to.

I actually had a much better night with him, I woke him up and fed him before I went to bed and he didn't wake up til 6am. Let's hope that regime lasts!

 

[fatpiggy]

It does sound like dementia, but I wonder, because of his impaired vision (and he could be having hearing problems too) he is looking for someone to literally watch his back when he eats so that nothing can steal it or upset him.