So, ah...

[childewolf]

...I want to reassure myself that this is still a while off, but...for several months now, Little has slowly become...different. He's 16 now, and I've consulted with our vet and the almighty interwebs and it sounds like he is just suffering from Getting Old

Comments

[rickthefightguy]

Well, see...there's yer problem. The giant brain. Ours are lentil brains.

But seriously, good wishes headed your way. Libby is way more experienced with this sort of thing than me, maybe she has some thoughts?

[rickthefightguy]

Libby (Tamarinne) tried to post this, but apparently, you don't consider her a friend (sniff

[childewolf]

We tried Cosequin for the arthritis over a year ago (when his bellowing first started ramping up), but we didn't really notice a change at all. He was still stiff and he was still bellowing like a basset hound. :P

After that, the doctor prescribed Buprenorphine which made him very happy and sedated...but I was a little uneasy about giving him something they also use to help people with opioid addictions. Heh heh...

We're bringing him back to the vet for more testing, I'm just curious if anyone I know has had an elderly cat lose his marbles in a similar fashion. I'm inclined to give Buprenorphine another try, since it seemed to work...but, meh.

Stupid jerk cats, getting old! Aren't they supposed to have little pixies that ride around on their backs and make them wear hats that let them live to 100?? :P

[tamarinne]

well, if the buprenorphine made him mellow and happy, maybe it's something to keep in mind if the bellowing/disorientation gets really bad.

And damn those little slacker pixies. Where are they with their magic hats?!? :P

[uloixia]

He bellows loudly when he's in a room by himself. He appears lost, and runs (purring) to you when you approach him. It seems like...he gets lost or scared because he feels insecure about his location, then is exhilirated when he sees our faces and knows he's safe.Sounds like onset of kitty Alzheimers or at least a whole lot of forgetfulness. I happen to have talked about this to my vet a while back simply because I was talking to a coworker who had the same thing happen to her cat and he basically said that unless anything else physically is going on (cancer, diabetes, etc.), just leave it. No use in bugging the poor cat any more than he has to be bugged

[childewolf]

Oh man, this little jerk already gets all love and attention in the world! ;)

It sounds a lot like kitty Alzheimers is similar to the disease in humans. So, we have to try and up his mental stimulus...give him more puzzles and toys to play with.

We're really considering putting him back on the buprenorphine, but we'll see what the vet has to say. I'm of the mind that the less we do the better, but seriously...I can't tell you how LOUD he is. >.

[nimue_obscure]

Ugh, sorry, no useful information here but *hugs* and i'm kicking some people about speeding up work on that teleporter, but still don't think it'll be ready by the weekend :(

Nico does the bellowing thing, except that it's more a of a plaintive mew (he is but young, of course) and basically is just sending out a "marco" because as soon as i yell "i'm in bed" or "i'm in the bathroom" he trots over or jumps up and shuts his piehole. Might be the same kind of motivation, but far less obnoxious because he is still young and not loud like a basset hound.

Hugs for the hoomans and scritches for the felines.

[childewolf]

Awww, little jerks. Yeah, Little always did the "Hey!" bark when he wondered where we were, but this is just out of control now. He won't stop until you get up and go to him. And that really sucks when I'm working at home cause it literally happens every 5 minutes. Gah!

Thank you for the loves. We misses you sooooo much!! Snuggle your little jerks for me. #^_^#

[namey]

Pffft. You have until next weekend, then. >_>

[rambleman]

we had a cat once with kitty alzheimer's. she'd go down to the basement to use the litter box and then forget how she got down there. and then begin to yowl in the most piteous way. one of us would go to the top of the stairs and say "Pooh! we're up here!" and she'd figure out where the stairs were and be so happy to see us. we never had the chance or money to try to treat it, but old cats are old cats

[childewolf]

LOL Awwww, I remember you telling me about Pooh! Dammit! Stupid old cats getting old and stuff!

Bah, I know I'm grasping at straws. There really isn't much we can do. I just want the little jerk to be happy. Those sad, loud, bellows are so freaking heartbreaking. Especially when you know it's all in their head!! :P

[rambleman]

in Japan, once they've perfected robots to soothe the elderly, we can use them to soothe bratty addled cats.

[childewolf]

OMG!!!! WANT!!! :D