Old age cat

[Im a BusyBee]

My cat has just turned 18 - doesnt seem possible my son is 20 now and he was just 2 when we got her as a tiny kitten! we had brother and sister, the brother was a 'proper' cat as my husband says and hunted and stayed away for days etc but he came home to die and died naturally 3.5 years ago, he was totaly wore up. She has been a fussy dainty little cat, eats loads and is no more than skin and bones now. The last few days she has started making a mess indoors even though there is and always has been a cat flap. We cant put up with it, i know its old age but how and when do we decided enough is enough? Is it likely to be temporary or do you think its near the end for her?

[Eve]

Awww bless her.

Does she seem at all distressed or in pain or troubled in any way?

Maybe take her to see the vet just to get their advice and make sure she's not suffering and then make a decision accordingly.

Can you put her a tray near to where she sleeps so it's closer for her to see if she uses that?

Maybe make sure her food is properly mushed up so easier to eat and warm it in the microwave a bit first, maybe go for more smaller meals.

Some special cat milk (felix do one) could also be a nice treat, especially warmed for her.

[bensmum]

Bless her, she's probably feeling her age. Does she have somewhere soft to dig outside? It could be that the ground is too hard for her old bones. Could you not put a litter tray inside for her and see if that makes a difference? My old lady will be 19 in March and I have noticed that she is more reluctant to go outside at the moment.
It may be worth having her checked over by a vet but if she's happy and in no pain then she could last for a while yet.

[ruthann58]

my friend had this problem with one of hers the vet changed the cats diet and now she is fine good luck

[puss_boots]

Aww I hate posts like this, my old cat had to be put to sleep on 1st Dec, he was 18 and had pretty much the same trouble as your cat, but he still managed to reach his litter tray although it was an effort for him. I was very reluctant to have him put to sleep but the last day of his life he couldn't even lift his head up to look at me. If your cat is still eating and drinking and plodding about then just try a litter tray, only have her put to sleep if she is suffering or obviously not enjoying life anymore. It could be near the end for her who can say. My thoughts are with you because I know how hard it is. puss xx

[jenniferjane]

we have always had cats our oldest 16 years became ill and started to eat and eat but lost a lot of weight he also started to mess in the house because he could not get out in time we took him to the vets and spent �300 on him to no avail the vets could not find out what was wrong, his mess was very runny and in the end it hurt him to pass the mess and we had to say enough is enough, we loved him very much but could not watch him suffer any more, we even went to the expense of having a wooden floor layed to make cleaning easier its very sad as he was part of our family and I still mss him very much. you need to know when the time is right good luck