Feline Dementia? Wierd Symptoms

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oreosmom

oreosmom

Member Since 2012
Hi Group, You have helped me in the past and I pray one of you have an idea of what is going on with my cat Debbie. Debbie is 17 years old. She has arthritis in her back, and walks slowly. All blood, ultrasounds, and X rays are normal. Only one thing...she calls us during the night and wants us to sit with her!!! It is like she is lonely. It is a loud meow-call. We can't sleep soundly since she drives us nuts at night. She is in our bedroom and quite cozy in her bed. We are baffled. She is not in pain. She stops calling when we sit with her! I put her on my bed, but she wants to get off and sit in her bed on the floor.

She seems to have her vision in tact and she can hear OK, and we even leave a night light on for her.

We have tried vet prescribed oral Benadryl, to knock her out....but she vomits and foams at the mouth from it and our vet said this is typical in cats.

The vet thinks dementia might be going on. Have any of you seen this? We don't have the heart to put her down since she is fine during the daytime!!! HELP!!!
 
Since all bloodwork is fine (no kidney issues), this is indeed a sign of age related dementia. Dakota does this right after we go to bed at night if I don't wake him before turning off most of the lights. He's getting hit with this from 2 directions right now - his kidneys are failing AND he's getting ancient old. Here's what I was just reading from Tanya's CKD site:

Howling (Particularly at Night)


This is sometimes the result of toxin levels in the blood.

Howling may have other causes such as:

I would recommend always having blood pressure checked in a howling cat.

Increased vocalisation in elderly cats (2015) Gunn-Moore DA European Journal of Companion Animal Practice 25(3) pp20-29 states "Chronic kidney disease can result in increased vocalisation when associated systemic hypertension causes cerebral vascular compromise (as in CDS). It can also occur when polyuria without adequate access to water cause cerebral dehydration, when polydipsia/polyuria predisposes to a secondary UTI (see UTI), or when severe uraemia results in uraemic encephalopathy."
Click to expand...

Maybe this helps a bit...that howl is such a lonesome, heartbreaking sound for us cat servants...
 
My Tyler developed this badly for a while. He would do this outside on the drive on his way back indoors. He has always been a talky cat who announced a return but this was so bad I had to let the neighbour know that he was fine , just old. This was before the diabetis diagnosis and also before even the CKD diagnosis.
Today he doesn't howl outside at all . He will still tell the upstairs bathroom off in that way. I am not sure why . It is close to where he chooses to sleep & if he feels no-one is about maybe it is his signal that he is there and is anyone around.
What changed for Tyler in the main with this we think was that a semi-wild kitten came to live under our house. Long story short but she lives with us now and Ty is OK with this. All she wanted to do from the outset was to be with him. From that day on, he has never howled outside. I think her presence acts as a reassurance for him .

I m not sure what to suggest with this. Certainly not an expensive to sort out kitten ! It may pass . Is she able to get on your bed by herself at night? Even if she doesn't want to stay long ?

Tyler has a box to help him get on the bed but these years he only stays a while before going to his preferred sleep place.
 
My cat Zimmy did this. Turned out he had high blood pressure. He stopped the night howling once on blood pressure meds.
 
Thank you for writing. Things are still iffy with Debbie. She still wakes at night calling us. And now sometimes during the day. Her BP is normal as is all of her bloodwork. We are at wits end. Thanks for your information. Oreos Mom
 
Two of my cats did this when they developed CKD. Sub q fluids helped. If she's anxious maybe try a cbd oil. It has really helped my kitty rest and relax at night. I use Restorative Botanicals 4paws pet blend and Tribby gets 1 drop 2 x a day to start and then after a week 2 drops 2 x a day but the dose is forgiving. They have great customer service and a good web page. It also reduces inflammation so may help relive some of the pain she may be in from arthritis?
CBD oil is safe but you need to get one without and thc as cars cannot process this well. Also look for a cold pressed oil. No coconut, olive etc oils.
Hope she feels better.
 
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