Eyesight in older cats

My cat is 18 years old, and I have had her since she was a kitten. In the past year I have noticed that she acts strangely towards fabric items which I never remember her doing. For instance if there is a blanket on the couch or a shirt on the floor she will paw at it hesitantly, like she is reaching out to test it. Even items that lay flat, like a bath mat and strangely my boyfriends shorts, when he is wearing them. Sometimes she will walk over the item or just loose interest and walk around it or away, but if I push the item aside she will jump back like she is scared of it. She does this to fabric of all colors, patterns and textures. Even though she is an older cat she doesn't appear to have any health issues, has always been very healthy and is just as quick and sharp when she plays.

Reply
Hi
Well at 18 years old your cat may be having eyesight problems and may not see cloth very well and so is acting hesitantly around it as she is unsure what it is. However there are also other possibilities, there may be other age related problems too, such as dementia.

It may be worth having her checked out by a vet for any physical problems with her eyesight etc. Sometimes there can be health issues that are not that apparent but are there underlying. I had a 17 year old cat who had a heart murmer which we only discovered when she was going through a regular health check at the vets. Older cats do need more regular vet checks just to help support their aging systems.

I have a page about older cats which you may find of further interest here

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/senior-cat.html

best wishes kate

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