Tobys results

[niki71uk]

thyroid was normal,good new i guess,but it means,he IS senile

doc mentioned tablets that toby could take.which might or might not help,no harm trying i guess,thou they will taken 3 wks to kick in so i will go at some point this wk and collect them

[dandysmom]

Good news about the thyroid. My Patches had slight feline dementia; I found you sort of get used to the yowling; I'd just cuddle and talk to her when she was a bit disoriented. It helped.

[angieh]

Yes, my Merlin had the same, but he could always be comforted. It's so much easier with a cat than a person! They don't know what they can't remember and are just happy to hear a kind voice and feel safe. The nighttime crying is heart rending but if your cat (like Merlin) slept on the bed, he was within easy reach and used to stop very quickly. It was a phase and didn't last for the rest of his life.

[niki71uk]

had as worrying time last nite tho,about 10.30 he was at the back door wanting in,he wasnt yowling,but as i was talking to my neighbour,he got bored waiting an wonderd off,i half expectd him round about 2.30 am yowling,but nothing!!! then about 5am i woke up an went outside,calling,an still no sign,i then checked just after taking to dog out,b4 i went to work,no sign !!!!!!!,i phoned my dad coz he lives near n got him to come during to day to see if toby id show up
he still hadnt by 11am,but by 12 he suddenly appeared,an has been inside since,SILLY BOY!!!!!


I GUESS EITHER HE WAS ADVENTURING,OR HUFFING FROM THE VET VISIT LOL

[dandysmom]

That raises a question. Is it safe for a cat with dementia to stay out at night? Not a problem for me as my girl went out only on a harness. But I'm wondering: could he/she forget the way home? Anyone have any experience of this?

[angieh]

That's a good point ..... Merlin was always a come and go as he pleased cat and thankfully never got lost. Cats have very good sense of smell and I am sure that so long as they don't wander too far, they can follow their scent trail home.

[Elaine]

Although dementia is not uncommon, there is usually an underlying cause.
http://www.fabcats.org/owners/elderly/senility.html

[angieh]

That's really interesting Elaine. I must read that article more closely. Thanks for posting the link.

[dandysmom]

Thanks from me too!

[Elaine]

You are both very welcome. It is important to investigate any possible underlying cause as it can be helped with medication. Winston and Merlin both had comprmised kidney function, this also means that they were unable to filter out any toxins properly, hence the signs of dementia, I later dicovered that Winston had hypertension, not uncommon in cats with failing kidneys. Once that was under treatment the yowling stopped. Hypertension can be diagnosed by having the blood pressure checked, it's easy. painless and relatively quick to have this done.