? Feline dementia

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Bellasmom

Bellasmom

Member Since 2018
does anyone here have any experience with feline dementia, I noticed Andy about a month ago was yowling some during the day and I would just say his name and let him see me and he would stop, not he is doing it at night and wakes us all up, again I just get up and say his name and he comes to bed with me, but them he gets back up, he is sleeping a bit more and DH said he has spent almost all day right beside him
He doesn’t act like he is any pain, the meow is like nothing I’ve heard before, it’s not a meow, stops immediately when I say his name
 
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I'm curious about this as well. My civvie Bella has moments where she forgets where her food bowl is, "gets lost" downstairs, and is almost too needy with her attention. Nothing overtly worrying, but curious. I'm interested in what others have to say.
 
My old Ty used to do this to the howling yowling degree I had to let our neighbours know it was just him orientating himself in his own way.
If I called him he would stop.

Oddly , once the semi-feral Dusty came to stay , this kinda stopped. I think she kinda acted as a reassurance guide in a way.

One time Ty decided to try to drink from a cup despite it was a hot tea & he would never have done such a thing before in his life. He just wasn't aware enough to steer clear.
 
This topic makes me sad. :( I have read information about it, and it breaks my heart.

Willow is 16 1/2, and she shows no signs of issues with being forgetful/getting lost or anything along those lines, but she has gotten more vocal and wants to be with me a lot more. During the night, she comes to me several times. She walks all over and around me. She often wants me to pet her nonstop. If I stop, she will tap my face with her paw. If that does not work, she will meow loudly. Some nights, it's really bad, and I struggle to get any sleep. During the day, she sometimes decides she needs love and will come and sit next to me. If I don't pet her, or if I do but stop, she starts meowing loudly until I pet her again. Makes phone calls difficult. I was gone one day while some work was being done in the attic of my house, and my husband was home. He said she was meowing so loudly that she could be heard up in the attic, and she was doing it nonstop. Nothing he could do to get her to stop. I ended up just going back home. Once I got home, she never meowed again. She also meows loudly the entire way to the vet and even once we get there and are in the lobby. She is itty bitty, barely 7 lbs, but boy can she meow strong and loud! She was never this vocal or needy when she was younger.

I love the little girl so much and have gotten more and more attached to her. I have lost so many cats before they made it to her age, so I live with a degree of worry about her. I hate it that she is getting old, and it is going to tear me apart if/when she starts having issues where I have to watch her decline.. and let's not even talk about losing her.
 
This is a heartbreaker for me. We had a Border Collie, smartest dogs on the planet, who walked without a leash for 12 years. Every mom for blocks around knew their kids were safe around Hannah, she often stuck her big nose right into baby buggies and we never once heard a complaint. Later in her life she would walk to the end of the block with me and have no idea where she was. She went for her last walk on a Sunday morning, then our vet opened up just for us and simply said the life had gone from her eyes. I've never gotten over that.
Some people still deny this is possible.
Below is Noah doing his thing in the fridge. This was my avatar for the longest time, he would just stand there until we had to move him. He would sometimes just stare into a corner and then snap out of it. Luckily the other cats let him be. I have had a cat that lived to 23 and was second in command alpha male wise so there's no explanation. Hannah with my first GA Nigel and then Noah. Just love them, watch the stairs and keep them inside.

hannah_nigel02 (2).JPG noah_fridge01.JPG
 
It is definitely a real thing. I have a 20.5 yr. old who loses his food bowl, yowls until I call his name and sometimes starts meandering somewhere and then stops dead in his tracks and stares into space like he's forgotten where he was going. He is also missing the litter box more frequently (front end in and back end out or one side in, other out) but doesn't seem to realize it. He's still trying though!

It's heartbreaking to watch them decline but they get old just like people. This guy is the first to greet me when I come home, still follows me into the kitchen and up & down the stairs albeit slowly now, cuddles and sleeps with me every night. He has his good and bad days and sometimes I wonder if it's "that" time but he always seems to rally. He was a very feisty fellow in his younger days and while generally a furry love bug, he was quick to let you know when he disapproved of anything. He's mellower now which is good but I really miss that feisty personality. :(
 
FurBabiesMama said:
This topic makes me sad. :( I have read information about it, and it breaks my heart.

Willow is 16 1/2, and she shows no signs of issues with being forgetful/getting lost or anything along those lines, but she has gotten more vocal and wants to be with me a lot more. During the night, she comes to me several times. She walks all over and around me. She often wants me to pet her nonstop. If I stop, she will tap my face with her paw. If that does not work, she will meow loudly. Some nights, it's really bad, and I struggle to get any sleep. During the day, she sometimes decides she needs love and will come and sit next to me. If I don't pet her, or if I do but stop, she starts meowing loudly until I pet her again. Makes phone calls difficult. I was gone one day while some work was being done in the attic of my house, and my husband was home. He said she was meowing so loudly that she could be heard up in the attic, and she was doing it nonstop. Nothing he could do to get her to stop. I ended up just going back home. Once I got home, she never meowed again. She also meows loudly the entire way to the vet and even once we get there and are in the lobby. She is itty bitty, barely 7 lbs, but boy can she meow strong and loud! She was never this vocal or needy when she was younger.

I love the little girl so much and have gotten more and more attached to her. I have lost so many cats before they made it to her age, so I live with a degree of worry about her. I hate it that she is getting old, and it is going to tear me apart if/when she starts having issues where I have to watch her decline.. and let's not even talk about losing her.
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See that’s what Andy is doing, he wants DH almost non stop if mike is here he is in his lap, walks right past me which is fine I just want him soothed and know everything is OK. My heart breaks for you and my heart breaks, as a caregiver(which I always will be inside) that was my specialty people with dementia, I just hate it!
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
This is a heartbreaker for me. We had a Border Collie, smartest dogs on the planet, who walked without a leash for 12 years. Every mom for blocks around knew their kids were safe around Hannah, she often stuck her big nose right into baby buggies and we never once heard a complaint. Later in her life she would walk to the end of the block with me and have no idea where she was. She went for her last walk on a Sunday morning, then our vet opened up just for us and simply said the life had gone from her eyes. I've never gotten over that.
Some people still deny this is possible.
Below is Noah doing his thing in the fridge. This was my avatar for the longest time, he would just stand there until we had to move him. He would sometimes just stare into a corner and then snap out of it. Luckily the other cats let him be. I have had a cat that lived to 23 and was second in command alpha male wise so there's no explanation. Hannah with my first GA Nigel and then Noah. Just love them, watch the stairs and keep them inside.

View attachment 40998 View attachment 40999
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Breaks my heart
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
It is definitely a real thing. I have a 20.5 yr. old who loses his food bowl, yowls until I call his name and sometimes starts meandering somewhere and then stops dead in his tracks and stares into space like he's forgotten where he was going. He is also missing the litter box more frequently (front end in and back end out or one side in, other out) but doesn't seem to realize it. He's still trying though!

It's heartbreaking to watch them decline but they get old just like people. This guy is the first to greet me when I come home, still follows me into the kitchen and up & down the stairs albeit slowly now, cuddles and sleeps with me every night. He has his good and bad days and sometimes I wonder if it's "that" time but he always seems to rally. He was a very feisty fellow in his younger days and while generally a furry love bug, he was quick to let you know when he disapproved of anything. He's mellower now which is good but I really miss that feisty personality. :(
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All this just breaks my heart
 
If anyone has never seen a human or worse yet a relative in dementia or full blown Alzheimer's I cannot warn you enough for what you're about to see. There won't be any photo album "Now I remember" moments. It will be ugly.
Maybe I chose not to see it in Noah or maybe it was something else. He acted like he had PTSD at a very early age but he was not the runt of the litter, never had an overnight stay at a vet until much later in life. We don't slam doors or play loud music, it was just one of those things.
Just make them feel as safe as possible and watch for any bullying when the other cats think you're asleep. I've come downstairs in the middle of the night and seen a bunch of cats having a board meeting like something in Lord of the Flies.
At her annual convention my vet went to a side seminar about what happens when you're asleep and she said she was shocked. Every so often I'll catch either Lewis or Daniel sinking their teeth into another cat, sometimes it was Noah, and I just lost my mind.
 
Big Hoss, who is 13 years old, has started to become more vocal than usual too. He was never a vocal cat until the last several months. It's a weird, mournful, raspy yowl. He doesn't appear to be in any pain or discomfort... and he still seems to be pretty lucid otherwise (he's always been a pretty quirky cat), he just does it as he wanders around the house. Usually at night.
Excessive vocalization can be a hallmark symptom of hyperthyroidism so if your kitties haven't been checked for that, I highly recommend ruling it out, as untreated hyperthyroidism causes all kinds of serious damage and certainly can go hand in hand with diabetes in cats.
 
ReaAnn & Big Hoss said:
Big Hoss, who is 13 years old, has started to become more vocal than usual too. He was never a vocal cat until the last several months. It's a weird, mournful, raspy yowl. He doesn't appear to be in any pain or discomfort... and he still seems to be pretty lucid otherwise (he's always been a pretty quirky cat), he just does it as he wanders around the house. Usually at night.
Excessive vocalization can be a hallmark symptom of hyperthyroidism so if your kitties haven't been checked for that, I highly recommend ruling it out, as untreated hyperthyroidism causes all kinds of serious damage and certainly can go hand in hand with diabetes in cats.
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Did ur cat have hyper t
 
I haven't had him tested yet. I'm going to have him back to the vet after the holidays and will get him checked then. My vet doesn't think he's hyperthyroid and I really don't either, but I definitely want to rule it out because I had a cat in the past who was diagnosed hyperthyroid at only 8 years old. She started yowling at night - all night long - and she was eating ravenously and losing weight. But clearly by the time she exhibited these symptoms, she'd already been hyperthyroid for quite some time because soon after she was diagnosed hyper-t and started medication, she started coughing and being lethargic. I took her back to the vet and it turned out she had very advanced cardiomyopathy - most likely caused by or at least greatly exacerbated by the hyperthyroidism. Three months and six thousand dollars later, she was dead. :'(
 
Quintus is more vocal. I talked with the behaviour vet and it seems he's just "calling room service" -- not in distress. Quintus is blind and doesn't move around very well, and I think his hearing isn't improving. I've put him on karsivan and it seemed to help, so I kept him on it.
 
ReaAnn & Big Hoss said:
I haven't had him tested yet. I'm going to have him back to the vet after the holidays and will get him checked then. My vet doesn't think he's hyperthyroid and I really don't either, but I definitely want to rule it out because I had a cat in the past who was diagnosed hyperthyroid at only 8 years old. She started yowling at night - all night long - and she was eating ravenously and losing weight. But clearly by the time she exhibited these symptoms, she'd already been hyperthyroid for quite some time because soon after she was diagnosed hyper-t and started medication, she started coughing and being lethargic. I took her back to the vet and it turned out she had very advanced cardiomyopathy - most likely caused by or at least greatly exacerbated by the hyperthyroidism. Three months and six thousand dollars later, she was dead. :'(
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I am so sorry
I have a hyper t cat her name is Abby and shes on meds and doesnt have her left thyroid, I had it removed and then it moved to the right one
 
ReaAnn & Big Hoss said:
I haven't had him tested yet. I'm going to have him back to the vet after the holidays and will get him checked then. My vet doesn't think he's hyperthyroid and I really don't either, but I definitely want to rule it out because I had a cat in the past who was diagnosed hyperthyroid at only 8 years old. She started yowling at night - all night long - and she was eating ravenously and losing weight. But clearly by the time she exhibited these symptoms, she'd already been hyperthyroid for quite some time because soon after she was diagnosed hyper-t and started medication, she started coughing and being lethargic. I took her back to the vet and it turned out she had very advanced cardiomyopathy - most likely caused by or at least greatly exacerbated by the hyperthyroidism. Three months and six thousand dollars later, she was dead. :'(
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Thanks for letting me know, he shows no other signs of hyper t but it is good to rule out
 
I can tell you from experience that a kitty who is losing his/her hearing can become very loud and vocal. One of my longest lived kitties was almost 22 when she passed and when she lost her hearing a few years before was very loud.
 
That mega yowl is quite something. My poor neighbours two houses away could hear him. Mind you they could hear my duck too :p

I can tell you from experience that a kitty who is losing his/her hearing can become very loud and vocal. One of my longest lived kitties was almost 22 when she passed and when she lost her hearing a few years before was very loud.
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True. Ty became rather hard of hearing. You had to be a bit careful not to give him a start.

If anyone has never seen a human or worse yet a relative in dementia or full blown Alzheimer's......
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Yup. My Smother-in-law. A 20 yr slide . The final 5/10 were very very far from pretty.
However my half-uncle ,who also had this, was a very different kettle of fish.

Ty didn't often wake me all through the night with yowls although he sometimes did.
 
This really got me thinking I have one civie that has been changing all of her habits lately, she has become more vocal but mostly she has become very anti social with the rest I thought it was some sort of dominance thing since she used to be the alpha female and is now sick, but maybe is something else, I know her thyroid is ok actually her problem are adrenal glands she is having high levels of aldosterone that we haven't been able to control,

Thanks for all your coments
 
I have enjoyed this thread. ;0) My Sammie started doing the night crying around the time she was dx a diabetic. Sometimes I not sure if she is going deaf and blind or what is going on. Would do it after I went to bed and wake me up. Can't figure out why as she didn't seem to be in pain and got around the house really well. She not doing it as much now, like every once in a while now like just checking to see if I am in the house or not during the day, not so much at night anymore. Sometimes I can give her her shot while she is asleep and she doesn't seem to know. Or she be looking at something or doing something I can sneak in and out the room without her knowing.
 
2 years ago, Junior (my now 16 year old), started to get lost inside the house. He would sit there and meow from frustration, when he couldnot find his food, water og toilet. I would life him to whatever I THOUGHT he wanted. Imagine his frustration when he wanted food, and I put him in the toilet... He could just stay for hours in one spot staring at the wall, unless I intervened. I thought he had become demented, but thought his quality of life was still decent, as long as I kept intervening, and lifting him around. He played and purred when I interacted with him, but could suddenly "fall out" as if there was no one "home" in his head. I took him to the vet, which said his behavior was typical for feline dementia. About a 10 months later, he actually started healing. It's been two years, and he is back to normal. It was obviously not dementia, as there is no comming back from that. Now I'm thinking he must of had a stroke or something like that.
 
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