Any cat experts?

[dennishoddy]

Not a cat, but my older dog needs special food as a geriatric to help it eat and have proper poop vs diarrhea.
Your cat might need the same. A visit to the vet might give some insight to the lethargy it appears may be going on.
It isn't cheap food, but that boy has scored me hundreds of quail and pheasant. He has earned his place in my wallet in his golden years.
Resting quietly beside the recliner as we speak.

 

[RustedBeef]

My cat I got when I was in 3rd grade died a few years ago but he never lost much weight. Actually, one time he did lose weight after he got lost the first winter after we moved to Oklahoma, but he gained it all back in his old age. For him the real sign was when he couldn't climb steps anymore. Think he was bout 15 years old or so.

 

[adamsredlines]

Vet scares me as she had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia when she was a kitten that caused her to have a week stay in the pet hosputal and about 6 months of blindness.
I will take her in for a checkup but am not too sure I am willing to put her under again.

 

[swampratt]

We never got taken to the doctor unless an arm fell off.
No dentist until I was 24. teeth were fine.
Our animals were treated the same way or worse.. you sick.. well you gonna die.

I say if the cat likes the soft food you may just end up feeding it soft food.. maybe mix in some hard with soft.
Maybe some raw meat now and then.. most animals like that.. say ground deer meat.
cats need some calcium though.
Look up raw meat diet or natural foods for cats.

 

[n423]

Warning, a teeth cleaning will normally involve anesthesia and be VERY expensive. Last quote I got was in the $600 range.

Went thru that with our dog. Found vet that would give a shot to relax him instead of anesthesia. Cost was about $200 for cleaning. This was years ago.

 

[Profreedomokie]

Older cats do lose the sense of smell. Try heating up the food so she can smell it better. We have 5 cats now and have had cats for 44 years.

 

[tRidiot]

Took mine to the vet after she started acting poorly. Lazing around (yeah, more than usual for a cat), wasn't cleaning herself, all greasy and matted on her back, etc.

Turns out she has AIDS. Well, FIV... Feline Immunodeficiency Virus... the kitty version of Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV.

So... bottom line, she gonna die. She is better now, but will be susceptible to infections and will eventually go downhill again. That experience was traumatic enough, she ain't going back to the vet, she'll just go out to the back 40 next time. Be a lot cheaper, too. She was a hateful, spiteful, biting, screaming, spitting, clawing and overall bitchy little feline for a few weeks after she got back. Ain't gonna go through that again.

Both of my cats have now surpassed their Lifetime Allotment of Healthcare Dollars. Coupla hundred each, we're done at the next illness.

 

[Tanis143]

Warning, a teeth cleaning will normally involve anesthesia and be VERY expensive. Last quote I got was in the $600 range.

Yes on this, and in older cats they run the risk of going into cardiac arrest. My male cat almost bottomed out his BP

Took mine to the vet after she started acting poorly. Lazing around (yeah, more than usual for a cat), wasn't cleaning herself, all greasy and matted on her back, etc.

Turns out she has AIDS. Well, FIV... Feline Immunodeficiency Virus... the kitty version of Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV.

So... bottom line, she gonna die. She is better now, but will be susceptible to infections and will eventually go downhill again. That experience was traumatic enough, she ain't going back to the vet, she'll just go out to the back 40 next time. Be a lot cheaper, too. She was a hateful, spiteful, biting, screaming, spitting, clawing and overall *****y little feline for a few weeks after she got back. Ain't gonna go through that again.

Both of my cats have now surpassed their Lifetime Allotment of Healthcare Dollars. Coupla hundred each, we're done at the next illness.

Between my two cats I've spend close to $2K over the last two years. My female had to have an eye removed, then less than a year later we had to put her down due to kidney failure. My male cat had to have several teeth removed. Yeah, after he goes we are not going to have any pets for a while. In less than a year we went from a dog and two cats to just a cat.

 

[saddlebum]

Men own cats? Never heard of such

 

[adamsredlines]

REAL men do :p

Cats are awesome. They're pretty much independent, travel well, can be left home for long periods of time and dont eat much. Mine has been all over the country with me from the time she was a kitten riding in my cargo pocket til about two years ago when I was concerned with her age and travel. I like dogs but they are a much bigger commitment, and the ones I would like are harder to travel with. To each their own, I suppose.