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Senior Cats
I know a lot of us have older cats so I started this thread for info predominately relevant to them. I have 3. Zylo is 14, Zany is 12, and Zena is 11. Lately, Zylo has not been doing so well. We have had him since he was about 8 months old and he has always been a very healthy cat. He originally found us as a stray and as a result he has been an indoor/outdoor cat all of his life. Our other two are strictly indoor. Several months ago, Zylo developed a lump on his side that has neither grown nor shrunk and doesn't seem to bother him. He has always had some crusty eye and nose drainage (fairly common for his breed) but lately his eyes also seem to be a bit red. The last few days he also seems to have some digestive problems (vomiting his wet food, loose stools). And his is just generally looking pretty old lately. He has slowed a few steps and doesn't jump and climb as much as he did in his prime, but his movement is still very good and he doesn't appear to be arthritic. I'm thinking maybe I should take him to be examined in general just to determine if all of these things are expected age related conditions or if any of it is something else that could be treated and cured.
Any one else have similar issues with older cats?
Any one else have similar issues with older cats?
my Spirit is 11 now and except for irritability with the boys (Bob and Butters) which she always had, happily she seems the same little girl as she was as a 5 week old kitten. Still participates in family time, initiates play time and has a nice appetite. I hope to have her for a long time more-she's like a little daughter for me as I never had children. (i'm 46-not going to be having any at this late date!)
Zylo seems to be over whatever it was that had disagreed with him digestively. No more vomiting or diarrhea and he is looking better overall.
We have a couple of senior males at the shelter who are quite similar to Zylo temperment wise. George is about 10 and Mike is about 12. They both love to hang out in the kitten room and just watch the goings on. They both get along with everybody, human and 4 legged.
We have a couple of senior males at the shelter who are quite similar to Zylo temperment wise. George is about 10 and Mike is about 12. They both love to hang out in the kitten room and just watch the goings on. They both get along with everybody, human and 4 legged.
My cat had something similar last year. She developed a lump on her side that I didn't even notice, my vet felt it. She wasn't acting like it bothered her and otherwise seemed ok, though she also has had a weepy eye from time to time and throws up sometimes. She's also lost some weight.
The eye thing the vet felt was a herpes that lots of cats get. You can get an eye cream and Lysine to sprinkle on their food. It can help but there's no real cure.
The lump we had biopsied and it was found to be cancerous so we did opt for the surgery to remove it. She did very well with the surgery and recovered quickly. The only problem is, it could return and the older she gets the less likely she'll do as well in surgery. It's something we have to think about, whether we'd want to put her through that again. It's also pretty costly. I'm glad we did so that we've given her a few more years, hopefully, but I don't know if I would do it again the older she gets. I just pray it doesn't return.
My cat is a senior cat too. She's 13 years old now.
The eye thing the vet felt was a herpes that lots of cats get. You can get an eye cream and Lysine to sprinkle on their food. It can help but there's no real cure.
The lump we had biopsied and it was found to be cancerous so we did opt for the surgery to remove it. She did very well with the surgery and recovered quickly. The only problem is, it could return and the older she gets the less likely she'll do as well in surgery. It's something we have to think about, whether we'd want to put her through that again. It's also pretty costly. I'm glad we did so that we've given her a few more years, hopefully, but I don't know if I would do it again the older she gets. I just pray it doesn't return.
My cat is a senior cat too. She's 13 years old now.
That is a really good program they have for the senior citizens as so many of them are on limited incomes to begin with. I see so many come thru my work with their babies riding next to them.....both so happy.
I think the senior thing is somewhat arbitrary and varies, just like it does with human senior citizens. I'm 62 and get all kinds of junk mail about benefits for "senior citizens" and their lower age limit is anywhere from 50-65 :-). The shelter uses 8 for cats and dogs only because they have an adoption program where senior citizens (65 and older) can adopt senior pets (8 and older) without any adoption fee.
SO Snickers is considered a "senior" cat already? He is 9......He acts like he is 6 months old!!!
Just as an additional bit of info, Zylo is a predominately white cat with pink skin, so his skin around his eyes have always looked a bit pink. I didn't explain that very well in my first post, it isn't the eyes itself that are red, but the skin area immediately surrounding the eyes. It may be that his fur is thinning a bit so more of his skin in showing through in certain areas.
I have been watching the lump closely ever since we noticed it several months ago. There has been no change in size or hardness of the lump, but it still concerns me.
I have been watching the lump closely ever since we noticed it several months ago. There has been no change in size or hardness of the lump, but it still concerns me.
He has lost a couple of pounds, but that has been gradually over the last year or so.
No, he doesn't have any shortness of breath or lethargy. His appetite is still good, even though he has does some vomiting and had diarrhea the last few days. I am feed the adult cats and kittens together lately so he has had more canned food available than he is use to, so that could be part of the problem.
I would definitely get that lump checked out!! How is his weight? Anyway, here is something I found that may be of interest. PM me if you want to know where to find it.
Diane- It is best to get all lumps in the skin or subcutaneous tissue of cats examined by your vet.
Lumps can occur due to abscesses or trauma leading to hematoma or seroma formation, which are collections of blood or serum, respectively, under the skin. Even though they are usually due to some sort of trauma, hematomas and seromas are often non-painful. It is easy to identify these by aspirating the contents with a needle on a syringe (fine needle aspirate) since either blood or serum will be extracted from the lump. Abscesses occasionally wall off and appear to be non-painful, as well. Lumps in this region can be due to hernias. If the lump has always been present this is a strong possibility. Hernias also sometimes occur due to trauma and we have seen a couple of hernias that appeared later in life for unknown reasons. It is surprisingly easy to miss a hernia that has been present for a long time. I have noted hernias in the record and then had owners come in later with the cat, having just noticed the lump again and not remembering talking about it in a previous office visit.
The last cause I can think of for lumps in this region is cancer, even in young cats. Sometimes young cats develop fibrosarcomas and they can occur in this region. These tumors need to be removed and very wide surgical margins made around the area the tumor occupied. For this reason it may be best to have a needle aspirate done first and the type of tumor identified if possible. That way, the surgeon knows for sure the importance of making an aggressive effort to get wide surgical margins in all directions. So it is just best to have your vet look at the lump and try to determine what it is. I'm glad that is your plan. If a biopsy is suggested it would be a good idea to have it done. It is better to error on the side of caution when it comes to subcutaneous lumps in cats.
Diane- It is best to get all lumps in the skin or subcutaneous tissue of cats examined by your vet.
Lumps can occur due to abscesses or trauma leading to hematoma or seroma formation, which are collections of blood or serum, respectively, under the skin. Even though they are usually due to some sort of trauma, hematomas and seromas are often non-painful. It is easy to identify these by aspirating the contents with a needle on a syringe (fine needle aspirate) since either blood or serum will be extracted from the lump. Abscesses occasionally wall off and appear to be non-painful, as well. Lumps in this region can be due to hernias. If the lump has always been present this is a strong possibility. Hernias also sometimes occur due to trauma and we have seen a couple of hernias that appeared later in life for unknown reasons. It is surprisingly easy to miss a hernia that has been present for a long time. I have noted hernias in the record and then had owners come in later with the cat, having just noticed the lump again and not remembering talking about it in a previous office visit.
The last cause I can think of for lumps in this region is cancer, even in young cats. Sometimes young cats develop fibrosarcomas and they can occur in this region. These tumors need to be removed and very wide surgical margins made around the area the tumor occupied. For this reason it may be best to have a needle aspirate done first and the type of tumor identified if possible. That way, the surgeon knows for sure the importance of making an aggressive effort to get wide surgical margins in all directions. So it is just best to have your vet look at the lump and try to determine what it is. I'm glad that is your plan. If a biopsy is suggested it would be a good idea to have it done. It is better to error on the side of caution when it comes to subcutaneous lumps in cats.
Nancy, I have an older kitty and she's 17 yrs old! I've also dealt w/ plenty of older kitties while growing up. From what I've seen, the main problems that crop up are hyperthyroid disease, kidney disease, diabetes, muscle wasting in the legs, and they get constipated. I don't know why older kitties develop constipation, but they do.
In my opinion, I think that Zylo's eye issue is separate from the vomiting and diarrhea(signs of hyperthyroid problems). I do agree w/ Opus that the eye issue could be due to high blood pressure. My cat is blind in one eye from it. I'll tell you what, I am damn lucky that it didn't affect both eyes.
I do have to tell ya, that I am concerned about your kitty's lump on his side. I would get him checked out just for some peace of mind.
Hope things turn out well with Zylo!
ZQ
In my opinion, I think that Zylo's eye issue is separate from the vomiting and diarrhea(signs of hyperthyroid problems). I do agree w/ Opus that the eye issue could be due to high blood pressure. My cat is blind in one eye from it. I'll tell you what, I am damn lucky that it didn't affect both eyes.
I do have to tell ya, that I am concerned about your kitty's lump on his side. I would get him checked out just for some peace of mind.
Hope things turn out well with Zylo!
ZQ
sorry this will have to be a very quick reply for now, I have a very hectic day ahead.
can I ask if you've noticed any change in his breathing....ie: some shortness of breath?
My Opus (lost him 2005 at age 17) when he was 14 he developed similar symptoms, lethargy,weakness, SOB, loss of appetite and the most pressing was ONE very RED EYE.
My local Vet treated it with steroid drops and after a few weeks of no improvement he was refered to an ophthalmologist at a Vet. teaching hospital.........................long long story, but bottom line is he was DX'd with CHF and very HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE thats what caused the red eye symptom for him anyway...again long story he lost sight in that eye but was treated successfully for 2 yrs before he lost the eye due to lack of blood supply at the beginning.
This is very common in older cats apparently. so just wanted to mention it as a possibility.
I hope you get more replies and I hope its not anything as serious as Opus's problems.
can I ask if you've noticed any change in his breathing....ie: some shortness of breath?
My Opus (lost him 2005 at age 17) when he was 14 he developed similar symptoms, lethargy,weakness, SOB, loss of appetite and the most pressing was ONE very RED EYE.
My local Vet treated it with steroid drops and after a few weeks of no improvement he was refered to an ophthalmologist at a Vet. teaching hospital.........................long long story, but bottom line is he was DX'd with CHF and very HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE thats what caused the red eye symptom for him anyway...again long story he lost sight in that eye but was treated successfully for 2 yrs before he lost the eye due to lack of blood supply at the beginning.
This is very common in older cats apparently. so just wanted to mention it as a possibility.
I hope you get more replies and I hope its not anything as serious as Opus's problems.
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