Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

My cat is acting strangely, please help

My Maine Coon which is about 14 years old has suddenly been acting moody and hiding lately. He usually is up and about in the morning in our kitchen, then at night or when he wants to be alone he will go down to the basement, but he is in the basement all day lately. This is highly unusual for him and I'm wondering what the cause could be. I took him to the vet yesterday and he said the only thing out of ordinary was his bladder being quite large and mentioned that it could be something to do with that and to monitor his litter to see if he is urinating properly. Last night I checked and he pooped and urinated in the litter so I think that can be ruled out? Anyways, right when we got home from the vet he went down stairs and back up quickly to the kitchen like everything was normal. I had petted him a bit on his head and he was purring like usual, but then my brother petted him (he has a good relationship with him as well) near the stomach he growled and hissed very angrily then ran to the top of our chair and laid down. When he was at the vet and the vet was grabbing the same area he didn't respond violently. He proceeded to lay on the chair for the remainder of the day without moving once. We tried feeding him Fancy Feast, but he only took a few bites. At one point when he was eating again my sister walked down the stairs right next to the chair and he growled very loudly and angrily again. Later he went down to the basement and that's when I checked his litter and left him alone for the night. Today he hasn't been up and about as well and I went down to the basement to look for him and he was hiding in a place I had seen him before maybe once. He gave me a faint meow with hardly any power behind it. This all happened very suddenly, he has been active and friendly up until two days ago when he started growling and hiding. I was wondering what my concerns should be based on the circumstances. Thank you for your help.
4 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
535822 tn?1443976780
I wonder if he could have had some kind of accident ,got trapped, kicked and is bruised ..
Helpful - 0
1945970 tn?1324211954
I'm not sure if this is the problem, but my cat was hidding alot too, she wasn't moody though but every cat is different. She also didn't use the little hardly at all. But, she did hid alot(which was abnormal for her too) and she also didn't eat alot and I took her to the vets they took some urin from her and they said she ad a UTI. Maybe you could take him back to the vets and tell them that you'd appreciate it if they took a urin sample or something. I hope your kitty gets better.
Helpful - 0
996946 tn?1503249112
I agree with Opus.  Your cat is an older cat and any behavioral changes can be considered important and potentially life-threatening.  He is not acting like his old self and being 14 he is definitely getting up in age.  I would definitely take him back to the Vet tomorrow for a Urinalysis and bloodwork would be good too to check his kidney and liver functions as well. Good Luck...I hope he gets to feeling better!
Helpful - 0
874521 tn?1424116797
well all I can say is I can't believe the Vet didn't do at the very least a urine sample...at this age and being a male I would highly suspect a UTI with or without crystals...and either can be very serious and very painful. Cats will typically go into hiding when they are in pain.
seeing tomorrow is Christmas day you aren't likely able to rush him back in for a urinalysis for a couple days, UNLESS he stops passing urine than its an EMERGENCY...bladders with crystals can block and burst.
feed him canned food, male cats need the extra moisture than can food provides and try everyway you can to get him to DRINK...water....
If its crystals plus a UTI than he will also need antibiotics very soon.
If it were my cat I wouldn't wait, I'm really upset with the Vet that didn't check this out for him.

Of course it could be a many other problems...this is just my guess of the most likely.
Did the Vet even do bloodwork?

You are the best judge of your cat not acting normally and like I said the hiding too are both indications of PAIN.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Cats Community

Top Cats Answerers
874521 tn?1424116797
Canada..., SK
506791 tn?1439842983
Saint Mary's County, MD
242912 tn?1660619837
CA
740516 tn?1360942486
Brazil
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Members of our Pet Communities share their Halloween pet photos.
Like to travel but hate to leave your pooch at home? Dr. Carol Osborne talks tips on how (and where!) to take a trip with your pampered pet
Ooh and aah your way through these too-cute photos of MedHelp members' best friends
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.