Cat advice please

[Dznypal]

We have a cat that’s 16. Whenever we vacation we have our son and we also have a cat sitter someone is always here at least once a day sometimes twice
Our sitter actually reads stories to them. They seem like their listening
Always we’ve noticed for about the last month she hides sleeps alot.
We just came back from vacation and she seemed thinner and she hardly moved. We called the vet who said sometimes when the family the cats won’t eat. We go on vacations a lot and nothing like this has happened before
The scary thing is we try to get her to eat or drink and she won’t have anything to do with it.
We took her to an urgent vet place but they were too busy to see her. I thought that was strange. But referred us an emergency 24 vet or bri g her back in the morning
So we brought her home
We’re going to see if her regular vet can see her tomorrow she used to do house calls but stopped with Covid.
Anyways does anyone have any thoughts or ideas

 

[Girl of the South]

My cat stopped eating after a friend (loud male) spent a couple days at my house. Canned pumpkin was suggested. Tuna juice (from a can of tuna). Treats. The vet can give them a drug - I actually think it’s something like Valium? That really triggers their eating . . . It is scary and 16 is a ripe old age for a cat. The vet can do bloodwork to see if it’s physical - you’re right, could be emotional from being left alone. I board my cat now. He is social and 2 or 2 hours a day of a human is not enough. He’s happy to have activity around him. Hope their appetite comes back.

 

[barkley]

Tuna juice (from a can of tuna)

you have to be very cautious giving cat's anything that has tuna (even the liquid from the can) b/c it has HIGH mercury content which can be toxic. the other issue is if they develop a taste for it and stop eating (as in refuse) their other food they can suffer malnutrition b/c it does not have all the nutrients they need.

16 is getting up in age for a cat so it could be appetite slowing down. both of the older cats we've had cross the rainbow bridge took to eating and drinking less/sleeping more in the last few months of their lives.

hope your baby girl feels better.

 

[DodgerGirl]

When my family would go out we always made sure our cat was comfortable and we would feed him his cat treats and give him a few cat toys to keep him entertained until we came back. And when my family would return home from doing errands my cat would be worse by yowling and not eating and he would have accidents in the house. Because our house would be so smelly that my mom had to deodorize the house every time and it was because our cat didn't like being left alone. What you should do if you have to go on vacation and you have to leave your cat is always leave on some music or the TV so she can hear noise. The other thing I could guess why your cat is not feeling good is because she thinks you left for a long time and thought you would be gone forever and your cat might've gotten worried and started not eating and other behaviors. Because cats have feelings and simply cannot understand why they can't go with you on vacations
Good luck with your cat Dznypal and hope my advice will help you
Dodger

 

[dizneegirl]

At 16, if she's been hiding and sleeping a lot, she may just be winding down. Often cats will hide when they don't feel well, or they're old. If she's lost weight, and doesn't even want to drink, she might be ready to go.

You can try something like jarred baby food, warmed slightly, to see if she's interested. Get one with NOTHING but meat... no onion, no garlic. Or one of the pureed cat foods/treats in a pouch... they're often extremely fragrant, and if heated slightly, might get her interest.

Not drinking water isn't good, though. Sorry.

 

[BrianL]

Get her in to see the vet. While these are bad signs, it could be any number of things, many of them treatable. I can't believe an emergency vet turned you away for being "too busy" - what is that? Anyway, talk to your regular vet and get her in as soon as possible. I will say that sometimes my cat acts weird after I have been gone, but it usually passes after a few days. Also, if she has been on any medications lately, that can contribute. A while back I really thought I was losing my kitty, but it was an antibiotic injection that she had gotten. Once that ran its course, she was back to normal instantly!

 

[leebee]

Your kitty might just be slowing down. This is what happened with both of ours- sleeping more, eating less and less. Eventually we ended up thinning down the cat food with warm water until it was about the consistency of maple syrup and letting them take a few licks at a time- then the cat would move to a different spot so we'd move the food, he'd take another lick or two, etc. We eventually had to have them both put to sleep; Potter was 17 and Weasley was 20. We had a good, long life with these boys and we still miss them.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Take her to the vet ASAP. May be a temporary condition, or quite possibly, normal symptoms of old age. When our 19-yr-old cat started losing weight, the vet prescribed Mirataz, an appetite stimulant in ointment form that you apply inside the ears. He also was getting weekly vitamin B12 injections for a while.

 

[Dznypal]

Thanks for all the thoughts and advice on our little Ariel.
We had a little bed for her set up set up next to ours last night but she manged to get out but I did find her special hiding g spot. Last night when she crawled out of her bed she went into the extra bedroom. There’s a space between the wall and headboard she slipped through that but when I would check under the beds I couldn’t see her. I just woke sincecwe can call our vet soon. They open at 8.

We too thought it was strange that an urgent vet place said they were too busy and recommend taking her to a 24 vet. Ieecreally wanted our regular vet anyways
Our other cat Belle seems like she knows something and is constantly with us
Our last cat was jasmine who crosed the rainbow bridge in 2016
For awhile we had 3 cats cubbie who at the time I forgot there was a cubbie as an original Mouseketeer Ariel and belle
Sorry to ramble but I tend to ramble when I’m upset.

 

[Judique]

We have a cat that’s 16. Whenever we vacation we have our son and we also have a cat sitter someone is always here at least once a day sometimes twice
Our sitter actually reads stories to them. They seem like their listening
Always we’ve noticed for about the last month she hides sleeps alot.
We just came back from vacation and she seemed thinner and she hardly moved. We called the vet who said sometimes when the family the cats won’t eat. We go on vacations a lot and nothing like this has happened before
The scary thing is we try to get her to eat or drink and she won’t have anything to do with it.
We took her to an urgent vet place but they were too busy to see her. I thought that was strange. But referred us an emergency 24 vet or bri g her back in the morning
So we brought her home
We’re going to see if her regular vet can see her tomorrow she used to do house calls but stopped with Covid.
Anyways does anyone have any thoughts or ideas

Your cat may be in pain and it's difficult to tell because they try to hide it. I learned recently that many older cats get arthritis by the time they are 11 or 12. If the cat is not eating or drinking at all there's probably a need to see your vet. Be prepared for the blood testing, possible xrays, etc. $$.

I have 3 cats and a dog, all a bit older. Dog -15 this October. Cats 12, 16 and 17.

I'm lucky in that most of the time someone is here when I travel. In 2024, we were all gone, and I had 2 sitters, one who came in the morning and evening and one who came midday. This was mainly for the old dog as he needed to be let out as often as possible.

The cat that is 17 is now a sleep all day cat. He comes down mostly just for food or if he hears treats being given cause they love the treats! There's nothing wrong with him other than age. He sees our vet yearly and if anything is not right (same as all four). So far, other than a lot of sleeping, he seems well. He has lost a pound or two over the last few years, now weighs 12+.

The 16 year old is very active. She is only 6 and a half pounds, is very picky about her food, and will only eat what she likes. She flies around, to the top of a tall cat tree where she reigns over the room.

The 12 year old has more challenges. He's got arthritis, gets a shot for it monthly and is slower. I've had to get cat steps for him and the older guy. He sleeps a lot also but not as much as the 17 year old.

I feel all of my cats are winding down. I'll let them go when they are ready, either with intervention or not depending on the situation. By that I mean possibly putting them down if it will save them a lot of pain. These are difficult decisions but it's a thing we have to deal with for all the love they've given us over the years. Best case for me would be they go gently in their sleep, but it's not about me, so I'm prepared to put them down if that has to be. One thing I won't do is subject them to something like surgery at their ages. Hoping for the best for you and your cat.

 

[mom2rtk]

Go see the vet. Have them do a geriatric cat blood panel. That will reveal if there’s something serious going on if she hasn’t been drinking well, have them give her some fluids and see if she perks up. Cats are notorious for having kidney issues. You don’t want to let this rest long before getting her fluids.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

To me it just sounds like her time may be up soon.
She's 16.
Always CALL the urgent care/pet ER before going when its something like this and not a "she will die in the next 5 minutes" kind of emergency.
You can try to give her anything she will possibly eat like wet food, treats as a full meal, baby food, personally my cats throughout the years have all loved Arby's roast beef...
A number of things could be wrong but basically all of them are going to be caused by her being 16 so comfort care or putting her down may be your real options.

 

[Tuffcookie]

Go see the vet. Have them do a geriatric cat blood panel. That will reveal if there’s something serious going on if she hasn’t been drinking well, have them give her some fluids and see if she perks up. Cats are notorious for having kidney issues. You don’t want to let this rest long before getting her fluids.

Yes, older cats are prone to get kidney disease.