Our 17 year old cat has started walking around the house howling, seems to have balance problems, and sometimes seems very confused, even though we haven't moved anything in the house. Is this some kind of dementia? Can anything be done for him?

Please check with your vet about this problem. Our elderly cat did the same thing for long time before he died. He even got lost one day in the neighbourhood he knew very well. A nice lady took him to the humane society, where I finally found him. We just assumed it was dementia so didn't consult the vet. But since then I have thought maybe he was in pain because of the howling, and hope we didn't cause him a lot of suffering by keeping him around. I'd be interested in what you discover about this, and wish you well with your good friend. My heart goes out to you.

Thank you. Our feeling is that as long as he isn't in pain, and he doesn't seem to be, we will live with being woken up by a pitiful cry at first light. We have tried gently kneading him and he doesn't react, which I think he would if he was hurting. That said, if things get worse, we will ask our vet and I will let you know what I learn. Thanks again.

It is very important to get your kitty to the vet! my cat acts the same way and he is in kidney failure. He is wobbly, seems confused, and howls on the top of his lungs.Kidney failure cant be cured, but it can be slowed down. If there is something wrong with your cat, an illness or some kind of organ failure, the sooner it is caught, the less damage will be done. It is better and cheaper to catch a problem when it starts than after it turns into a big emergancy.

My 18.5 year old cat does that also-- howls, and sometimes wobbles. The vet has not found anything new wrong with him, and he h as done the blood tests, x-rays, scans, etc. and he has gone to a feline cardiac consultant. When he howls, it is more as if he is frightened than in pain. It is almost as if he does not know where he is. He really enjoys affection these days, much more so than in his youth.

We have known for a few years he has an enlarged heart, and he is being treated for that. The vet is amazed he is in as good physical shape as he is, given the heart problem.

He maintains his weight; if anything his appetite is better than it has been in a few years. I did have him checked for hyperthyroidism, by the way.

By cat years he is in his 90s, so it may just be old age.

The mystery behaviour was solved: our Nikki was suffering from Cognitive Disorder, and there was nothing to be done. Sadly, we put him down on April 10. Thanks for all your info and replies.

Sorry to hear about Nikki. Please accept my sympathy. My boy Samson sends you a comforting purr & headbutt, too.

I am very sorry to hear about Nikki. We had to say goodbye to our beloved 11 yr old collie just before Christmas, and it is a very traumatic thing for a family.

Thanks for all the kind words. We still have fits of tears and I still wake up and feel for him on the bed in the morning, but it was the right thing to do - he was suffering and keeping him alive was for us, not for him. Hugs to all.

After reading about feline dementia I am wondering if my little fifteen year old girl is entering into this phase of her life! She wonders around yeowling and waking me in the early morning hours... Also she is requiring more and more loves and hugs! She likes to sleep in her carrier where I made a bed for her, where its dark and quiet..I saw a program on Animal Planet a couple years ago with an elderly feline exhibiting these same traits. She does have a tendency to wobble at times! also..Lately it takes her a couple of tries just to jump on my bed! Dear Lord, give me the strength to let her go when its time!!

That sounds just like our Nikki. The howling was so sad and we would find him in odd corners just staring into the wall. He also needed extra loving, which I suspect was a result of his perpetual confusion and blindness. Lying on my chest for hours on end was probably conforting because he knew where he was. Most of the time he didn't, even though we have been in the same house for the last 4 years, and he walked intos sliding doors and walls and even got himself trapped behind the dryer! Our thoughts are with you and your wee one.

This board seems to be the one I've been looking for.I have a 16 year old DSH called Fritzie.For the last year or so,he seems to be completely unresponsive to sound and sight on his right side,but can still see but not hear on his left side.He cannot turn right anymore,even to save his life.In some respects,Nikki sounds like he had the same thing.He is on a low protein prescription diet,but is still eating normally.Sadly,he doesn't play anymore,and howls very loudly for no apparent reason,although he has always been a very vocal cat.He really likes to be cradled like a baby,and purrs loudly when I do this-it's his main source of comfort.
The vet says he has one of three things: feline dementia,a brain tumor,or he has had a stroke.The plan is to keep him going as long as he eats and does his business in the litter box.I dread the day I'll have to take him to the vet for the last time!

I understand entirely. Your wee one seems to be suffering from something slightly different than Cognitive Disorder that our Nikki had, as Fritzie has differences on right vs. left. Nikki was completely blind, had full hearing, and with full mobility. Fritzie's condition almost sounds like a stroke. Towards the end, Nikki seemed to forget where the litter box was, preferring our bedroom carpet, but he still ate all his food and Berty's as well if I'd let him. My heart goes out to you.

thegrovelandcatlady Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I understand entirely. Your wee one seems to be
> suffering from something slightly different than
> Cognitive Disorder that our Nikki had, as Fritzie
> has differences on right vs. left. Nikki was
> completely blind, had full hearing, and with full
> mobility. Fritzie's condition almost sounds like
> a stroke. Towards the end, Nikki seemed to forget
> where the litter box was, preferring our bedroom
> carpet, but he still ate all his food and Berty's
> as well if I'd let him. My heart goes out to you.


Thanks,I appreciate that.I tend to agree with your assessment.In fact,when this started,I had Fritzie in to see the vet,who took him to the back for blood work and to get a urine sample.The vet came out and told me Fritzie had a seizure of some kind while they were taking his blood,which was quite a shock.My thinking is if it were a tumor,he would have deteriorated steadily,which he hasn't.I don't know how fast dementia progresses,so that is still a possibility,guess.We have been mainly cat people here,with the odd boston bull and a mutt,but mostly cats.Oh well,one day at a time.

Hi all, and thank you for your posts. My 17-year old kitty Tribble exhibits some of the symptoms you have described: she yowls loudly through the night, is sometimes wobbly when she walks, has occasional difficulty jumping up onto low things, was vomiting more and more frequently, and seems disoriented but not all the time. I have taken her to the vet who can't find anything wrong with her except cataracts. We put her on food for sensitive tummies and she is throwing up less often than she was. Because she never yowls during the daytime, I suspect it has nothing to do with pain but I don't know that for sure. Tribble's hearing is less acute than it was. She still uses her litterbox correctly. Like Nikki above, Tribble loves to sleep on my lap and would be happy to be there all day if she could manage it. All of your posts sounded familiar in some way. I'm not sure whether I should be thinking about helping her cross over to the other side.

Thanks for the info. ^^"

Hi there,
I realize your post is now a couple years old, but I was wondering how things progressed with Fritzie. I have a 14 yr old cat named Harley and in the last year he has developed a lot of the symptoms described on this board. He paces constantly, pretty much only turns to the right, is sometimes wobbly, and gets stuck in places. He quit purring probably just over a year ago and really has lost most of his personality. He still seems to enjoy being held, but doesn't seek out affection like he used to. It used to be that if you held your hand anywhere near him, he would come over and rub his head on it. He still eats fairly well, and tries to use the litterbox, though I think with his balance issues, it's hard for him to stand in the litter. I had him at a vet in February of 2010 and she told me exactly what your vet told you - stroke, tumor or dementia. We are constantly tripping over him and stepping on him because he's constantly underfoot and I worry that he'll get hurt or cause someone in the family to get hurt. I would appreciate any additional info or thoughts you may have.

Our son to be 16 yr. old no-tailed bobby-cat from Tennessee is showing some of the symptoms described.When we got her she was severely abused and did not want to be touched. Then, she etared accepting us and knew she would never be hurt again. About 3 months ago, we came home after being out most of the day,and she ran to hide, didn't want us near her,would hide and if we found her and just talked to her, she would take off again. This lasted about 3 days, then she began getting on our bed again,and coming up to sit beside us. She also allowed easy rubs and cuddling. There were no physical changes. I thought she might be having the little tiny strokes that just affect memory. She has been fine for a while. Hope she continues to have quality of Life.