my 15 year old cat is suddenly acting like a 3 year old~

by Janice
(Canada)

my 15 year old cat Cane, was barely eating, having a hard time pooping, and got really bony and skinny (like actually almost gross to touch she was so thin).. and her fur was thin and not nice. I was not working at the time and couldnt afford to take her to the vet. I figured maybe she wasnt eating because her teeth have been rotting for some time.. the last time I took her to a vet the vetranarian said she should have teeth pulled but wasnt sure being put out would be good for her... anyhow that was like 5 years ago and I just lived with the fact that my cat seemed okay, even though her breath smelled like a horses rear end :o)

Anyhow.. After her going downhill a couple months ago, I decided to try my own thing.. she wasnt eating the dry food (presumably because her teeth hurt) and she has never liked wet food even though I tried a jillion brands after that vet told me she should be eating it after a certain age.

So I started buying chicken legs and liver and boiling the chicken and frying up the liver in a pan and then grinding it all up in the blender..(soetimes I add other cooked meat, or chicken hearts but always always boiled chicken legs including a bit of the skin..) Ive been feeding that to her. she ate it right away, and almost immediately started gaining the weight back.. now a month later.. maybe a month and a half, she is a completely different cat.. She not only gained weight back, she actually has muscle in her back when you pet down her spine. Also about a week into changing her to the cooked chicken, she started pulling her hair out (Id find huge tufts of hair everywhere..) it totally freaked me out as she has NEVER done this in 15 years. Anyhow.. maybe a week after that, Her fur went from thin and falling out to PERFECT.. soft,sleek, it looks like she had a professional hair cut around her rear end, she actually looks like she did 12 years ago!

And then to top it all off, she has started running around and getting into all my stuff like a kitten.. she jumps onto my dining room table when I eat and when I poke her off and say no, she jumps right back up.. she has some serious attitude..she gets into my fake and real (non poisonous) plants and I continuously have to shoo her out, and the worst thing is, she has decided she is invincible and now walks and even runs, across my banister upstairs. this is really scary as it leads straight down to the basement which is cement and the stairs themselves are hard wood..I cant seem to keep her away.. its like she suddenly has a second life and she is acting like a kitten..

Iknow you are probably thinking "why complain", but its kindof freaking me out. Im stressed out every day she is going to end up huring herself or killing herself playing too hard and then falling or something.. you can even see her looking around constantly for something to get into. She had always been a super smart cat (eerily so) and now you can actually see her calculating in her head all the time on what to do next..

I cant beleive feeding her chicken could have given her this new lease on life.. do you think she could have a brain tumour??

Litterally I was calling vets a month ago making plans to put her down.. Now I almost want to take her to a vet just so they can marvel at how good she looks at her age..

crazy?

Janice

Answer by Kate
Hi
well when you first mentioned your cats skinniness i always think of a thyroid issue, as this is a classic symptom ans is most common in cats over 12 years old.
however the teeth issue could have meant that for years she was not eating enough and so was sort of starving which would have caused a very sluggish thin cat.

Now it could be that the chicken has made it possible for her to eat again and this has improved her overall health and as she may be feeling so much better is full of the joys of spring.

However the thyroid issue could be there too, especially as she is now quite old. If it were me I would be taking her to the vets to have this checked out as well as any other possible causes of her over activity.

i do have a web page about thyroid conditions which you may find of further interest here

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

It would be very interesting to know what the vet thinks about this issue, so if you have the time and if you visit the vet, I would much like it if you could let me know the outcome via a comment to this post.

I hope she is just full of the joys of spring.

best wishes Kate

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