Howling in Geriatric Cat

[SharonZ]

We got the cats when they were kittens, and DD was 7. She was all about Harry Potter at the time. Her 2 new kittens were a black/white/mix tiger with lines on his head, so he was Potter, and his brother is a yellow/orange tiger, who became Weasley. DD is an only child so "the boys" were like siblings to her. She is married and off now, and has 2 kitties of her own. At home it's just, DH, Weasley, and me... sigh.

I'm going to try some of the Prescription k/d food for him, to see if he seems better. I'm sure he is having kidney issues.

I would get a diagnosis of kidney issues before starting on the prescription food.

 

[mom2rtk]

We got the cats when they were kittens, and DD was 7. She was all about Harry Potter at the time. Her 2 new kittens were a black/white/mix tiger with lines on his head, so he was Potter, and his brother is a yellow/orange tiger, who became Weasley. DD is an only child so "the boys" were like siblings to her. She is married and off now, and has 2 kitties of her own. At home it's just, DH, Weasley, and me... sigh.

I'm going to try some of the Prescription k/d food for him, to see if he seems better. I'm sure he is having kidney issues.

The food won't hurt to try. But you'll need a prescription to buy it.

That is sometimes a symptom of thyroid issues. I'm not sure when you last had a senior blood panel drawn, but I would start there. I think Dementia is also a possibility.

Not sure if this was for me (OP) or for the other poster, but we did do the senior blood panel and her thyroid function was fine. Thyroid, dementia and kidney function were all possibilities. No way to test for dementia of course, but at least the blood panel gave a good picture of the rest. And for us at least, I think the fact that she's no longer howling is a good indication the kidney disease was the source of the problem. She doesn't show any other outward signs of dementia. Going strong at 18 1/2 now!

 

[mom2rtk]

I would get a diagnosis of kidney issues before starting on the prescription food.

The vet asked what other cats we had in the house and actually told us (I think because they were mature) that it would be fine if the other 2 ate her k/d food. However, at $50/bag and $2.40 a can, I'm not letting them!

 

[leebee]

So this isn't the same Prescription K/D food that Petco sells, made by Hills? We had blood work done last summer, and the vet said there is nothing predominantly wrong, he is just an old kitty. 19 1/2... he sure is.

 

[mom2rtk]

So this isn't the same Prescription K/D food that Petco sells, made by Hills? We had blood work done last summer, and the vet said there is nothing predominantly wrong, he is just an old kitty. 19 1/2... he sure is.

It is, but you need a prescription to purchase it.

 

[leebee]

It is, but you need a prescription to purchase it.

OK, weird. I can put it in the shopping basket at Petco. I will call the vet. We know he's having kidney issues (wobbly-walk, reduced consumption, increased urine output) and pick up a 'script.

 

[mom2rtk]

OK, weird. I can put it in the shopping basket at Petco. I will call the vet. We know he's having kidney issues (wobbly-walk, reduced consumption, increased urine output) and pick up a 'script.

They will ask for vet info when you check out. I'd just call the vet. No reason not to.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm resurrecting my own thread since this has become a problem again. She stopped howling last fall completely once we got her eating the Prescription diet. Now about 8 months later, she's still eating only the kidney diet, but the howling has started again. I'm really not sure what to do with it, if anything. It's an extremely loud yowl. I assume the kidney disease has progressed and she's uncomfortable in some way?

I have called the vet's office leaving a message twice for one of them to call me. They normally do all stand by visits but only appointments now with Covid procedures. I doubt I'd be able to go in with her for an exam anyway. She's 19 now, and yes I know she's not going to be around forever. I just want to get an idea of whether she's in distress, and confirm that we're doing everything we can to give her the best quality of life in the time she has left.

I guess I'll call the vet's office again tomorrow and just go ahead with an appointment. I just hate to put her through that if there's nothing they can do anyway.

Anybody else have experience with kidney disease in really old cats? Is it worth taking her back in?

 

[disneychrista]

If you feel she is in pain or discomfort in anyway you should have her seen. But also be prepared that it might be time to make that tough decision.

FYI. Vets around her are not allow owners to accompany the animal. They come out to the car to get the pet. Do the exam and either call or come back out to discuss. Payment is also being done over the phone.

 

[Farro]

I'm resurrecting my own thread since this has become a problem again. She stopped howling last fall completely once we got her eating the Prescription diet. Now about 8 months later, she's still eating only the kidney diet, but the howling has started again. I'm really not sure what to do with it, if anything. It's an extremely loud yowl. I assume the kidney disease has progressed and she's uncomfortable in some way?

I have called the vet's office leaving a message twice for one of them to call me. They normally do all stand by visits but only appointments now with Covid procedures. I doubt I'd be able to go in with her for an exam anyway. She's 19 now, and yes I know she's not going to be around forever. I just want to get an idea of whether she's in distress, and confirm that we're doing everything we can to give her the best quality of life in the time she has left.

I guess I'll call the vet's office again tomorrow and just go ahead with an appointment. I just hate to put her through that if there's nothing they can do anyway.

Anybody else have experience with kidney disease in really old cats? Is it worth taking her back in?

Our cat was 18, doing the yowling, turned out to be kidney disease. If the disease has progressed far enough, they will probably want you to start giving IV fluids at home.

We did that. All I can say is he had to be put to sleep soon after we started and we found it to be a blessing. Giving that IV - he was miserable, we were miserable, it was stress inducing and sad. We had to do every day.

I would speak with vet about if they want you to do that, how much longer would your cat live with/without and see if it's worth it. Also know the fluids can cause congestive heart failure (that is what happened to) and you will feel like it's your fault. I blamed myself even though the vet said we were doing everything correctly, he was just so old.

Sorry for blunt answer and I know how difficult and sad this is.

 

[mom2rtk]

If you feel she is in pain or discomfort in anyway you should have her seen. But also be prepared that it might be time to make that tough decision.

FYI. Vets around her are not allow owners to accompany the animal. They come out to the car to get the pet. Do the exam and either call or come back out to discuss. Payment is also being done over the phone.

I've been mulling this over for days. She's not at a point where I think it's time to let her go. She seems very happy and affectionate. She just yowls a number of times a day. I do think she needs to be seen though. I need their input. I need to rule out anything else I'm missing (her teeth are always a possibility).

Thanks for the rundown on how you're seeing visits handled. That's sort of what I was expecting. I guess I'll call back in the morning and go ahead with an appointment.

They had to sedate her last fall to get the blood sample they needed, so she had to stay without me there. I guess this wouldn't be much different.

I think my only concern in this is deciding if taking her will be more stress than she can handle. I don't expect her to live forever, but I would feel bad if taking her to the vet was the catalyst for her passing right now.

Our cat Phil was 18, doing the yowling, turned out to be kidney disease. If the disease has progressed far enough, they will probably want you to start giving IV fluids at home.

We did that. All I can say is he had to be put to sleep soon after we started and we found it to be a blessing. Giving that IV - he was miserable, we were miserable, it was stress inducing and sad. We had to do every day.

I would speak with vet about if they want you to do that, how much longer would your cat live with/without and see if it's worth it. Also know the fluids can cause congestive heart failure (that is what happened to Phil) and you will feel like it's your fault. I blamed myself even though the vet said we were doing everything correctly, he was just so old.

Sorry for blunt answer and I know how difficult and sad this is.

No problem being blunt. It's not like we're dealing with a young cat being taken from us prematurely. We know she won't last too much longer. I know the kidney disease will continue to progress.

She doesn't appear to be dehydrated. She continues to go to her water bowl many times a day and drink. She continues to eat her food and isn't losing weight (11 pounds).

I appreciate the heads up on IV therapy being a possibility. I would do that for her if she needed it and if she continued to have a decent quality of life. But yeah, I could see it being a pretty big pain for both you and your cat.

 

[disneychrista]

I've been mulling this over for days. She's not at a point where I think it's time to let her go.

I think when she is at that point you will know. I had to let my cat go last August. He kept going through period where he wasn't eating or going to the bathroom (they do kind of go together). For him it took about 6 months several vet visits and nearly $3k in various tests I woke up one morning to him "crying" he hadn't eaten in days and was skin and bone at the point and just knew it was time.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

I'm resurrecting my own thread since this has become a problem again. She stopped howling last fall completely once we got her eating the Prescription diet. Now about 8 months later, she's still eating only the kidney diet, but the howling has started again. I'm really not sure what to do with it, if anything. It's an extremely loud yowl. I assume the kidney disease has progressed and she's uncomfortable in some way?

I have called the vet's office leaving a message twice for one of them to call me. They normally do all stand by visits but only appointments now with Covid procedures. I doubt I'd be able to go in with her for an exam anyway. She's 19 now, and yes I know she's not going to be around forever. I just want to get an idea of whether she's in distress, and confirm that we're doing everything we can to give her the best quality of life in the time she has left.

I guess I'll call the vet's office again tomorrow and just go ahead with an appointment. I just hate to put her through that if there's nothing they can do anyway.

Anybody else have experience with kidney disease in really old cats? Is it worth taking her back in?

No advice. Just want to say that you are a great cat Mom! Sorry your cat is having trouble. We have a 16 year old cat and the last year has been a year of ups and downs. We have had to bring our girl to the vet once since Covid and it was so hard not being able to go in with her.
Best of luck.

 

[macraven]

It is really tough when your cat is old and howls.
You feel helpless.

I went through what the poster is asking about some years back.

It is difficult to go through and make a decision.

My cat seemed ok at times but she did not last more than 3 months when her howling started
off and on.
She was 18 years old when we lost her.
Her kidneys failed.
Kitty cat had diabetes when she was 8 years old but woukd eat canned diabetic cat food and have mostly great days especially when we started the insulin injections

she had many calm days and then not so good days
Until we knew what was wrong with her, our vet told us some geriatric cats become confused at times and howl.
And it’s compared to a human that has Alzheimer’s when they act different and howl loudly.

Not all vets have that theory but it helped us have peace thinking we’d let her pass naturally
have you talked to your vet what He thinks is the issue?

 

[Katiebird]

My oldest cat is 20 and has done the howling for a while now. She’s also completely deaf, so we think that she thinks she’s just normal meowing, can’t hear us respond (we automatically try to talk to her even though she can’t hear us), so she keeps yowling. If we got sit on the couch with her for a while, she wants to be petted and then goes back to sleep after a while. She likes to be picked up and held and petted, so she doesn’t seem to be in major pain, but she does have pretty bad arthritis so that could be part of it. She’s still eating, drinking, using the box (though she poops next to the box and then comes to tell us about it), demands treats (loudly! Lol) etc.

At this point she’s old enough and hasn’t left the house in so long that we’ve decided that it’s not really worth the stress on her to take her in unless we think it’s the end (and we plan to have someone come to us when the time comes). She’s clearly not in the best health, but it’s also not her time quite yet.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think when she is at that point you will know. I had to let my cat go last August. He kept going through period where he wasn't eating or going to the bathroom (they do kind of go together). For him it took about 6 months several vet visits and nearly $3k in various tests I woke up one morning to him "crying" he hadn't eaten in days and was skin and bone at the point and just knew it was time.

I'm sorry you lost your cat. How old was he? I agree I'll know when it's time. And it's not time yet. I am going to start weighing her regularly to get an idea of when she starts losing weight. I agree if she stops eating or drinking, that would likely be the time. She stopped eating at age 14 and I thought it was the end, but we found out (after persistently taking her to the vet several times) that it was her teeth. We took a chance and had some pulled and she rebounded so nicely! We've had 5 bonus years now.

No advice. Just want to say that you are a great cat Mom! Sorry your cat is having trouble. We have a 16 year old cat and the last year has been a year of ups and downs. We have had to bring our girl to the vet once since Covid and it was so hard not being able to go in with her.
Best of luck.

Aww, thank you. You understand my concern with this. At this age, taking her to the vet is hard enough on her. Not being able to have me there will be so much harder for her. How is yours doing now?

It is really tough when your cat is old and howls.
You feel helpless.

I went through what the poster is asking about some years back.

It is difficult to go through and make a decision.

My cat seemed ok at times but she did not last more than 3 months when her howling started
off and on.
She was 18 years old when we lost her.
Her kidneys failed.
Kitty cat had diabetes when she was 8 years old but woukd eat canned diabetic cat food and have mostly great days especially when we started the insulin injections

she had many calm days and then not so good days
Until we knew what was wrong with her, our vet told us some geriatric cats become confused at times and howl.
And it’s compared to a human that has Alzheimer’s when they act different and howl loudly.

Not all vets have that theory but it helped us have peace thinking we’d let her pass naturally
have you talked to your vet what He thinks is the issue?

It's always the kidneys in these cats, isn't it? Good job giving the insulin injections all those years. I did that for our dog many years ago. It's definitely a commitment.

Our first visit for the howling the vet we saw (it's a multi vet practice) said it was likely just dementia. We took her back after a while and saw the feline specialist in the group. She encouraged us to do a full blood panel despite needing to sedate her at age 18 to get the sample. That's where we confirmed the kidney disease and ruled out thyroid problems.

I'm trying to communicate with the vet this week, but haven't gotten a call back yet. That's why I'm thinking I might just need to make an appointment and take her in.

My oldest cat is 20 and has done the howling for a while now. She’s also completely deaf, so we think that she thinks she’s just normal meowing, can’t hear us respond (we automatically try to talk to her even though she can’t hear us), so she keeps yowling. If we got sit on the couch with her for a while, she wants to be petted and then goes back to sleep after a while. She likes to be picked up and held and petted, so she doesn’t seem to be in major pain, but she does have pretty bad arthritis so that could be part of it. She’s still eating, drinking, using the box (though she poops next to the box and then comes to tell us about it), demands treats (loudly! Lol) etc.

At this point she’s old enough and hasn’t left the house in so long that we’ve decided that it’s not really worth the stress on her to take her in unless we think it’s the end (and we plan to have someone come to us when the time comes). She’s clearly not in the best health, but it’s also not her time quite yet.

Your cat sounds very much like ours. She yowls, but when you sit down and pet her, she rubs against you, wants to lay in your lap, is eager to have attention. Like yours, ours is still eating, drinking and using the box. So I really don't think it's her time yet.

The howling is annoying, especially at night. But I really just want to rule out anything else that might be causing pain that could easily be addressed.

Give your 20 year old a big hug from me!

 

[fortwildernessishome]

Aww, thank you. You understand my concern with this. At this age, taking her to the vet is hard enough on her. Not being able to have me there will be so much harder for her. How is yours doing now?

Our cat is "okay". She had a totally uneventful life health wise for 15 years. A year ago Feb. she started having a discharge from her nose. We brought her in and she was diagnosed with a sinus infection. She got a shot and her infection cleared up almost immediately and she was great for about six weeks. Then it started again, so back to the vet we went. We got a new Med, in liquid form and gave her that for 7 days. Again, she responded great and it cleared up again right away. But it was back 6 weeks later. Back to the vet and the Dr. gave her a full work up on her blood. Bloodwork, showed her to be in great health, but still having a sinus infection. Stronger Med this time in pill form. Basically, for the last 16 months we have been bouncing back and fourth to the vet about every 4-6 weeks. Lots more tests done, x-rays etc. She's a great cat and we adore her!! She eats and drinks and goes to the bathroom and plays and does all of the things you want your pet to do. But, she is almost always congested and I feel so sorry for her.

Best of luck to you and your cat. So hard when they cant tell us what the problem is.

 

[mom2rtk]

Our cat is "okay". She had a totally uneventful life health wise for 15 years. A year ago Feb. she started having a discharge from her nose. We brought her in and she was diagnosed with a sinus infection. She got a shot and her infection cleared up almost immediately and she was great for about six weeks. Then it started again, so back to the vet we went. We got a new Med, in liquid form and gave her that for 7 days. Again, she responded great and it cleared up again right away. But it was back 6 weeks later. Back to the vet and the Dr. gave her a full work up on her blood. Bloodwork, showed her to be in great health, but still having a sinus infection. Stronger Med this time in pill form. Basically, for the last 16 months we have been bouncing back and fourth to the vet about every 4-6 weeks. Lots more tests done, x-rays etc. She's a great cat and we adore her!! She eats and drinks and goes to the bathroom and plays and does all of the things you want your pet to do. But, she is almost always congested and I feel so sorry for her.

Best of luck to you and your cat. So hard when they cant tell us what the problem is.

That's really hard to be carting an older cat back and forth to the vet so much. I'm sure it was hard to take her to the vet when you couldn't stay with her. Here's hoping she does OK for now and won't have to go back again soon. Glad you have a good picture of her health after all her visits though. That must be reassuring.

I called our vet's office again today and found out the feline specialist has been out since March. No idea why they didn't tell me that before. So I asked to have the other vet we like call today. And no call. I'm ready to take her if that's what they suggest. But dang, I'm disappointed in how things have been going with them. We've been using this practice for 30 years and have always loved them. If it wasn't for the new Covid procedures, I'd just be there when they open tomorrow. But alas, can't do that these days. Good thing she isn't in distress in between bouts of howling.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Geriatric cats with renal failure are my specialty! I mean, not really, but every cat I’ve owned has eventually gotten to that point, including the one I have now. Eating, drinking, and 11# is not what end-of-life kidney disease looks like, so I don’t think you need to be concerned you’re there yet. Also, as a former ICU vet tech, I can tell you the only time the stress of a trip to the vet is the catalyst for death is when the animal is within minutes of dying anyway, so you don’t need to worry about that either.

I agree it’s best to schedule an appointment and have the renal values rechecked along with a general work up — check teeth and thyroid, for sure. Cats can live a long time with kidney disease; it’s not a death sentence by any means. Four of my cats were in renal failure at the end of their lives and only one actually died from it. The others developed other terminal conditions. Cat number five is still kicking, his condition being successfully managed with nightly subcutaneous fluids, a phosphorus binder added to his kidney diet, and a medication called Calcitriol. The addition of any or all of those could be beneficial to your cat’s long term prognosis, so talk to your vet. And just because you start with interventions doesn’t mean you have to continue with them. I only started my current cat on fluids on a try-and-see basis. He’s a little spitfire and I never thought he would tolerate it, but he surprised me so we‘ve stuck with it. Now he’s so comfortable with the process he stands still and eats his food while I give him the fluids. I wouldn’t do it if it caused an unacceptable level of stress for him. Quality of life comes first.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Our cat is "okay". She had a totally uneventful life health wise for 15 years. A year ago Feb. she started having a discharge from her nose. We brought her in and she was diagnosed with a sinus infection. She got a shot and her infection cleared up almost immediately and she was great for about six weeks. Then it started again, so back to the vet we went. We got a new Med, in liquid form and gave her that for 7 days. Again, she responded great and it cleared up again right away. But it was back 6 weeks later. Back to the vet and the Dr. gave her a full work up on her blood. Bloodwork, showed her to be in great health, but still having a sinus infection. Stronger Med this time in pill form. Basically, for the last 16 months we have been bouncing back and fourth to the vet about every 4-6 weeks. Lots more tests done, x-rays etc. She's a great cat and we adore her!! She eats and drinks and goes to the bathroom and plays and does all of the things you want your pet to do. But, she is almost always congested and I feel so sorry for her.

Best of luck to you and your cat. So hard when they cant tell us what the problem is.

I scanned the thread the first time through and missed your post. If it’s at all reassuring, what you’re describing is not unusual in cats. That low-level, ever-present congestion can be present in otherwise healthy cats without ever causing further health problems. Sometimes it’s due to polyps in the inner ear, sometimes it’s idiopathic. Two of my cats had the snottiness issue — for one it lasted less than a year, the other dealt with it for probably at least half of his 19 years. Both had multiple full work ups and the recommendations from the vets were always “benign neglect.” In other words, just leave it alone unless it caused further problems. For the cat with the more severe case, I had to intervene with antibiotics for secondary infection maybe a total of twice in his life, but otherwise there was nothing to be done. Sometimes it was better and sometimes it was worse and, oddly, it magically cleared up the older he got. By the time he died, he had been congestion-free for several years.