Topic: How to cope with feline senility (Read 13746 times)

ccmacey · « **Reply #49 on:** April 29, 2007, 13:28:19 PM »

The pdsa vets are very hard to get round and they don't like you contributing in terms of you giving them suggestions. They dismiss suggestions and look at you like where are you getting this info from.

When they ask me where have I heard this and I say I use the internet they say well most things on the net are conflicting so nothing can be used as a guarantee. Its a hard situation to be in.

JackSpratt · « **Reply #48 on:** April 28, 2007, 10:46:31 AM »

If you think that would work, Lisa you've obviously never met my vet!

forever_missing_my_boys(Lisa) · « **Reply #47 on:** April 28, 2007, 10:23:20 AM »

i cannot understand why the pdsa cant simply do this test and u put whatever u have in the donation box .

if it was me id make so much fuss theyd have to give in and do it .

JackSpratt · « **Reply #46 on:** April 28, 2007, 09:46:58 AM »

Well, no if I pay in full they have no cause to. It might sound a small amount, but I genuinely do have to save to get £20 together. If they would do it on the PDSA the problem could be ruled out straight away.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #45 on:** April 28, 2007, 08:58:11 AM »

Maybe - but if you could save up the £20, then surely they can't complain at doing a test for you?

JackSpratt · « **Reply #44 on:** April 27, 2007, 23:23:54 PM »

Maybe if I phone the vets and describe the symptoms then see what they advise me rather than going in and them knowing I'm on PDSA it might be a different outcome! The PDSA and the vets that help them are as mentioned earlier "cost cutters" with the people who pay on a donation basis sadly.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #43 on:** April 27, 2007, 22:34:45 PM »

I personally think so, but I think Lynn may disagree with me, in which case you might be worth asking your vet. My reasoning is that hyper-t can cause excess vocalisation, so checking that out would be my first call, as it can be controlled with meds, so you could find it a big help IF that is the case. If she is, then after a few months on meds, she should have full bloods, as kidney probs can then show.

JackSpratt · « **Reply #42 on:** April 27, 2007, 22:31:02 PM »

So, primarily it would be a good idea to just get the T4 and see what the outcome is with that?

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #41 on:** April 27, 2007, 21:29:11 PM »

Good luck saving, that is a really good price for bloods, I pay £70ish for a full geriatric profile!! I personally would go for just the T4 test if you can't afford the others, while the other organs can be affected, kidney issues dont normally show up until the hyper-t is controlled, and I dont know about the liver, so to me, the thyroid is the most important.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #40 on:** April 27, 2007, 21:23:50 PM »

millys mum how right you are.

re the pdsa going the other way.

years ago a vet who worked at pdsa aberdeen (a very good vet aswell) had an ongoing cat patient with acromegaly (a rare endocrine disorder which causes giantism in mature cat and has secondary effects including diabetes/ heart failure etc etc) all of which i think this cat had. The treatment must have cost a fortune but the cat got treated regardless even with the level of things stacked against it as this isnt sustainable indefinately.
Also same place a cat with mouth tumour, was treated and treated but it just kept growing back worse in the end that cat had a partial mandibularectomy (which is amputating half of its lower jaw so basically its whole chin) and with this they can only eat sloppy food and obviously cant hold their tongue in.)

In my opinion the latter esp was just too much, dogs cope much better with that op but i just never felt it was fair for a cat.

JackSpratt · « **Reply #39 on:** April 27, 2007, 20:52:42 PM »

It is frustrating. It's actually the vet that's told me they won't cover it, but I'm going to call the PDSA and ask them directly. If they say they will, I'm going to ask them to send written confirmation.

I'm a bit amazed at the lack of communication between the vets and the PDSA actually. The cover I actually have running now is for Parsley(

) and I asked if I could stop it and re apply for cover for a different cat earlier than the allocated amount of time. The PDSA said no, but if the vet was prepared to see another cat on that cover, they'd agree to that. I phoned the vet and was told that would be fine. When I took Old Mog in I handed over the paperwork and they put it through. I had to pop back in for something and the VN said it wasn't alright after all and I'd be charged for the consultation!

I'm thoroughly unimpressed with the way things are run, but realise I have to be grateful for small mercies. After all a lot of countries don't even have free health cover for humans let alone pets!

Lynn: I could say that the crockery is "of historic interest"....it's not, but that might be the clincher!

forever_missing_my_boys(Lisa) · « **Reply #38 on:** April 27, 2007, 20:50:05 PM »

Quote from: Millys Mum on April 27, 2007, 20:42:07 PM

Sometimes Susanne they go the other way, a friend of mine took on a middle aged neutered tom, because of his 'history' (i knew this cat for some years before, he was ok) they wouldnt vaccinate without running bloods and snap testing him, or it wouldnt "be worth it"! I suppose they would have got her to have him pts if he had been positive.

If they cant fund all the pets then they shouldnt sign anymore on, its better to provide care for 5000 properly then double that and not. Like CC's Ollie.

i agree with u there

Millys Mum · « **Reply #37 on:** April 27, 2007, 20:42:07 PM »

Sometimes Susanne they go the other way, a friend of mine took on a middle aged neutered tom, because of his 'history' (i knew this cat for some years before, he was ok) they wouldnt vaccinate without running bloods and snap testing him, or it wouldnt "be worth it"! I suppose they would have got her to have him pts if he had been positive.

If they cant fund all the pets then they shouldnt sign anymore on, its better to provide care for 5000 properly then double that and not. Like CC's Ollie.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #36 on:** April 27, 2007, 20:31:11 PM »

What a shame the pdsa won't do the full test. It's really rather short sighted of them imo. I would have thought they'd be keen on picking up potential problems as early as possible as that would surely save them money in the long run. I wouldn't give up on nagging them about it though - keep trying!

I must admit I'm not terribly impressed with the pdsa going by what Ive heard about them on here. I mean, I know they are a charity and don't have unlimited funds but they really do seem to cut corners a lot.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #35 on:** April 27, 2007, 20:24:48 PM »

well i'd say no but having seen the crap that gets sold on there you never know

JackSpratt · « **Reply #34 on:** April 27, 2007, 19:47:10 PM »

Quote from: lynn on April 27, 2007, 18:51:06 PM

yep js really is (and im not just saying that) No treats for you for a wee while then But well done for finding out and sorta getting a plan of action going

You should flog something on ebay (ha ha if you have a brand new pair of childs lelli kellys size 9 i'll buy them )

Yep really is to the second test? OK...saving starts here!

Hmmm....I don't really have anything to sell on EBay. (Gah!) D'you think anyone would want to buy a load of crockery that doesn't match for £42?!!!

forever_missing_my_boys(Lisa) · « **Reply #33 on:** April 27, 2007, 18:54:57 PM »

I think its unfair the pdsa wont do the tests

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #32 on:** April 27, 2007, 18:51:06 PM »

yep js really is (and im not just saying that) No treats for you for a wee while then

But well done for finding out and sorta getting a plan of action going

You should flog something on ebay

(ha ha if you have a brand new pair of childs lelli kellys size 9 i'll buy them

)

JackSpratt · « **Reply #31 on:** April 27, 2007, 18:36:19 PM »

Susanne, I would love to push for that, but unfortunately whenever I've tried to push for things in the past I've been "reasoned" with by the vets.

I called today and found out that a T4 test cost £20.67 and an "After 10" test costs £42.20. I think the the second one checks kidney and liver function. If that's a good idea, I'll start saving; save arguing with the vet to get it done on the PDSA! (It'll take me a small while, but she isn't suffering as far as we can tell.)

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #30 on:** April 27, 2007, 12:35:28 PM »

Quote from: lynn on April 27, 2007, 10:49:44 AM

Susanne yes totally correct but money is an issue here thats why we've said if js can possibly at the least manage to get the mini profile done as hyper T affects kidney and liver. If cost wasnt involved i'd be saying full profiling and t4.

Ah yes - I was forgetting. But given that there are symptoms of senility I would push for a full blood panel as it will cost less to get it all done in one go than to faff around testing for this and that, then maybe in a few months time there will be a suggestion to test for something else. In a cat that age I think it's reasonable to do a full senior blood panel so I would advise JackSpratt to push for that. They may refuse to do it but I'd try asking for it, pushing her age as justification for doing it. It could save money in the long run.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #29 on:** April 27, 2007, 10:49:44 AM »

Yes JS what i was meaning really was the vet take all the blood to cover all tests but to wait until the results of the biochem profile is with him before he makes the decision as to whether the T4 is necessary. (so ask if you can have both but only continue to test or send away to test for the T4 if the other bloods & symptoms are nec)

Susanne yes totally correct but money is an issue here thats why we've said if js can possibly at the least manage to get the mini profile done as hyper T affects kidney and liver. If cost wasnt involved i'd be saying full profiling and t4.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #28 on:** April 27, 2007, 10:14:54 AM »

If she's not had any blood tests done I'd ask for a full senior panel (sometiemes called geriatric blood panel) including T4. That should cover everything.

JackSpratt · « **Reply #27 on:** April 27, 2007, 10:07:19 AM »

So I specifically need to ask for a mini biochemistry profile initially? Is that right? (sorry for being so slow on the uptake!)

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #26 on:** April 27, 2007, 07:28:02 AM »

Ideally js yes. What i meant earlier was they ran the mini biochem in the practice and it was fine and the vet didnt think she had other clinical symptoms of the hyperT they might feel she doesnt need the T4 done so this would save you money if that makes sense.

JackSpratt · « **Reply #25 on:** April 26, 2007, 22:28:57 PM »

So I need a T4 and a mini biochemistry profile?

Thanks Des, me too. She's getting on a bit and I want to make sure she isn't unhappy in her old age!

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #24 on:** April 26, 2007, 20:38:33 PM »

Fingers crossed you can sort something out for her JS.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #23 on:** April 26, 2007, 20:30:11 PM »

Jack yup she does need the blood test done really. Tell me has the vet had a good feel in her neck and also have they had good checks of her heart rate ?

If you do have to pay for it you should phone around to see how much it would be for a mini profile aswell as this would show liver and kidney function. Hyper T can cause kidney problems and also usually causes a liver enzyme to be elevated so that should really be looked at aswell.

The tests would be T4 (tests for hyperthyroid) and a Mini biochemistry profile atleast this would test for her urea, creatinine(kidney parameters), ALT & ALKP (liver enzymes)

(what you could do is have the bloods taken and if the alt levels are well within normal and her heart rate & sounds are totally normal aswell and she doesnt seem to have other hyperT characteristics you can discuss with the vet if you should send the blood away for the thyroid t4 test..but the vet can take the whole amount of blood since its only a ml or 2 for thyroid test anyway.)

JackSpratt · « **Reply #22 on:** April 26, 2007, 20:17:44 PM »

Amanda, can you tell me the specific name for the type of test I need? That way, I'll be armed with the information necessary to ask for what may be able to help my Old Girl.

Thanks to you all, by the way. Knowing there are people who understand how frustrating it is can be very reassuring.

Amanda (mad4moggies) · « **Reply #21 on:** April 26, 2007, 19:40:13 PM »

Sorry Jack, i misunderstood about her age! I see what you mean about the PDSA being involved but if she is hyperthyroid and is put on the meds it could be the answer to your prayers. Also, you don`t have to have a full blood test done. Although that would be great as it would show up any other problems they can just do the thyroid test on its own which would cost less.

JackSpratt · « **Reply #20 on:** April 26, 2007, 15:59:30 PM »

Amanda, I'VE had her for twelve years - she's closer to 16. (She's a rescue cat.)

No, I haven't had a blood test done. I keep mentioning it when I go, but the vets I go to have reassured me they don't feel the need for one. I have the same problem as CC in that, she's on PDSA cover and if you get too pushy the vets tend to look at you like you're being cheeky! (I don't think it's cheeky to know what I want for my cat when I've organised cover for her, but I could be wrong!)

I asked about the cost of the blood test and I think it was around £30 - 40 for a basic test, so I guess I'll start saving.

CC - no, not all cats get senility,it's the same as people. And Millys mum - I'd thought of ear muffs, but maybe you're on to something.....

Amanda (mad4moggies) · « **Reply #19 on:** April 26, 2007, 15:18:52 PM »

As others have already mentioned i would seriously think about Old mog having another blood test. It might also be worth sending it to an external laboratory because sometimes the in house ones aren`t 100% reliable. If she has any degree for hyperthyroidism then this could be causing her vocalising and it seems a bit unfair that the vet justs puts it down to senility. At 12 years she isn`t young but initially when i read your first post it seemed maybe slightly early as i would have thought 14+ would be a more likely age for senility to be setting in but i guess each cat is different. If she has a blood test and it comes above the normal range i would say its worth starting her on treatment and seeing what sort of effect it has on her yowling.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #18 on:** April 26, 2007, 12:55:24 PM »

Amanda, JS's original post http://www.chaptanservices.com/purrs/index.php?topic=3230.40

JS, have you tried ear muffs at night?!

Before the vets condems the old love to be losing her marbles another blood test would be a good idea, a mild hyper t cat does only get worse.

ccmacey · « **Reply #17 on:** April 26, 2007, 11:24:27 AM »

Do all cats get senile with old age, worried now.

Jack I know things arnt going to get better just hope you and your little lady will be ok.

This is a sad thing to go through

Amanda (mad4moggies) · « **Reply #16 on:** April 25, 2007, 23:40:20 PM »

Has she actually had a blood test for her thyroid?

JackSpratt · « **Reply #15 on:** April 25, 2007, 23:19:07 PM »

Amanda,thank you for the link! I almost cried with relief at the possibility of being able to do something constructive. Part of the problem with this situation is I can't do particularly much to help her - which I HATE! (My partner actually pointed out this seemed to be my issue. If I can do something to help, I can cope a lot better with the problem!)

It's hugely difficult, and yes the vet did say there was a slight issue with her thyroid but she's literally only really displaying one of the symptoms. She's still cuddly,(size wise and attention wise!)she enjoys playing with string and toilets and eats normally. Her sleeping pattern is really random, though and her yowling is LOUD! Two of the cats are a bit confused by her from time to time, they look at her with a "what's up with you NOW?!!" expression. My oldest tom,who she mothered huge amounts when I got him just looks worried about her, bless him.

I'll look at the link now.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #14 on:** April 25, 2007, 22:29:51 PM »

have you, thats interesting i have only experienced it in dog use..fantastic drug.

what was up with the rabbit ?

Amanda (mad4moggies) · « **Reply #13 on:** April 25, 2007, 22:10:18 PM »

Well it is really for dogs but i have seen it used in a rabbit before with positive results!

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #12 on:** April 25, 2007, 22:05:21 PM »

is vivitonin still purely for dogs amanda ? i have wondered if they had something in the market similar for cats yet.

Amanda (mad4moggies) · « **Reply #11 on:** April 25, 2007, 22:01:11 PM »

Jack, i`m sorry to hear this it must be very difficult. Has she had a blood test to check her thyroid because i`ve heard of them doing similar things if they become hyperthyroid. Also, i suppose you have nothing to lose by trying a Feliway diffuser which you can get from your vet or online. It may not work for senility but you never know.

A few months ago at work we had a talk given to us about a new product for senility in cats and dogs. Apparently they have had a lot of success with it. It`s called Aktivait and its not a prescription drug so you can buy it online but i would speak to your vet first about it. It`s capsules so can be sprinkled on the food as well. Rather than typing out what it contains i will post a link i found so you can have a read http://www.vetontheweb.co.uk/pet-clinic-detail.asp?id=512

I have further information about it at work if you need it but it might be worth a try as it could make a difference. Also, if you do look around for information about it on the internet you might see that the packaging etc is directed at mostly dogs. You can ignore this as apparently it was marketing error as they didn`t include a picture of a cat on the bottle! For a cat it is about £18 for a pot of 60 capsules on the net. They only have to have one a day so thats 2 months worth. I was told that ideally you should try it for 3 months before you make the decision of whether it is working.

Hope this helps you and good luck.

JackSpratt · « **Reply #10 on:** April 25, 2007, 19:46:46 PM »

Gill, sometimes she even wails in her sleep. It's utterly painful to watch an animal you've cared for for twelve years get so nutty. I mean, she isn't in pain or unhappy, but she's always been such a bright cat....and every now and then she still is.

It's difficult, but generally, yes the only way to keep her happy is to be close to her at all times. Which, lets face it, isn't entirely practical. I'm sure we'll manage, but any tips or suggestions would be gratefully received!

Author Topic: How to cope with feline senility (Read 13746 times)

ccmacey

ccmacey