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Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years
Hello. I've posted here once or twice before about an old cat I
inherited. All I knew about her when I inherited her was that she had been spayed and given initial shots (rabies, distemper, leukemia) when she was saved from the streets by my sister in 1994. One of you was *so* nice and called my little babe a "grand old" cat, and she is. Or was--before I finally got her to a vet in January, where she received her first exam, teeth/tartar cleaning, shots, and microchipping in years (first and only microchipping). In order to help my little girl, I have to be upfront and say this may have something to do with those "chicken or the egg" situations. I'm going through the worst period of stress in my life, so I don't know to what extent if any my kitty's very dramatic and upsetting behavioral changes are influenced by my depression and ill health. 1) Increased night-time restlessness and vocalization. Before the vet visit, she would often prowl our halls, but not meow. Now I've been without sleep ever since January because she meows for no perceptible reasons. She eats Fancy Feast exclusively, always has at least three water bowls and litter boxes available, and frequently little sips of milk. Her bowel movements have never been better. 2) Dramatic changes in daytime behavior. Of course it is that time of midwinter where everyone, animals or humans, get really down; and this is the time of year when vomiting has traditionally happened with her. But she doesn't want to get near me anymore in the ways she used to before the vet visit (and catching and trapping her that day is such an ugly memory, I actually rearranged furniture and mopped every floor in the house, so that there's no scent of fear pheromones leftover). She's always ready and willing for a brushing, which I give her at least three or more times a day, and it's not a matter of *total* avoidance. She just has a kind of sad hopeless expression that I sincerely am not imagining. Last week, I took my queen bed apart in order to put the box spring and mattress on the floor. (She stopped being able to jump up this past autumn.) I thought she'd come and curl up with me the way she used to. She'll gladly sleep across the room on her cushion (in fact, that's what she's doing right now), but she sleeps almost round the clock--until it's time for me to sleep! I'm sorry for rambling on so long, but I'm so sad about her aging. For some reason, her aging reminds me of my own (I'm 49), and vice versa. So-- Can someone just tell me if it's "normal" for a cat to just lose interest in living, or to come to life only at night, when she can avoid human beings? I have to stress that I did not want to vaccinate her. I did so because I might relocate to a development where it is required, and now I feel so guilty, as if I somehow "did" this to her. The vet was female, an angel, and her staff was great. (The vet gave her a clean bill of health except for her teeth.) Thank you all for reading and hopefully responding. |
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Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years
Did you have any blood work done? She may be hyperthyroid. The
restlessness at night. I would have a complete blood work up done on her. Vomiting is probably due to shedding the winter coat about now and she probably has hairballs? 49 is not old! Well - maybe for a cat! She may be sleeping all day because she is bored. Do you encourage her to play? |
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Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years
and she is. Or was--before I finally got her to a vet in January,
where she received her first exam, teeth/tartar cleaning, shots, and microchipping in years (first and only microchipping). Did she have a full blood panel, urinalysis, and T4 test? 1) Increased night-time restlessness and vocalization. Before the vet visit, she would often prowl our halls, but not meow. Now I've been without sleep ever since January because she meows for no perceptible Can be symptoms of hyperthyroidsim, ureamia (from kidney disease), hypertension or cognitive disfuction. If she didn't have the above testing, she should have it to find out if she has hyperthyroidism or kidney disease. If it's cognitive disfunction, she wakes up at night and is "confused" about where she is and cries out - it helps to answer her so she realizes where she is. Anna -- Message posted via CatKB.com http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ealth/200602/1 |
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Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years
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Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years
Thanks! (And thanks to Anna, too.) No, I didn't have bloodwork done
on her, and I suppose I'll have to go through all of that, especially 'cause the vet suggested I bring her in for a (sedated) teeth treatment. Funny thing is I have thyroid problems too. Didn't she just get the teeth cleaning done in January? Anna -- Message posted via CatKB.com http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ealth/200602/1 |
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Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years
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Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years
PawsForThought wrote:
Hi Violet, Cats are amazing creatures at picking up on our stress, so your kitty's recent behavior may be related to that. I would definitely get her checked out thoroughly though, including a full blood panel workup. I've done a lot of reading about vaccines, and some vets believe that they can (especially rabies) cause some behavioral changes. An interesting read is Dr. Martin Goldman's "The Nature of Animal Healing" - http://tinyurl.com/r6jpj Lauren, Rhonda, Margarita, and everyone else (except that awful person!)-- Thank you very much for the responses. The vet was kind but very emphatic during the visit about keeping me away from my dolly when I thought the vet and staff were "hurting" her. I started bawling like a baby, because at the age of anywhere between 12-15, my doll is of the age where I thought the vet would find something terribly wrong with her. One other thing I forgot to mention. Our routine--mine as well as D.J.'s--is thrown off on a weekly basis by my elderly and slightly befuddled mother, who spends half the week at home and half with a sister (the sister who rescued D.J.). This sister has Mom up her house to alleviate the stress of elder care on me, but the weekly disruption of routine actually creates more stress than it solves. For example, I'm an extremely quiet person who doesn't play the television loudly even when I'm totally alone. D.J. loves Easy Listening music, and I play it exclusively when we're alone. My mom, on the other hand, while not being deaf, has always been loud, messy, and, well, "Calamity Jane" even before she was old. So maybe this start/stop of conflicting personalities is wearing on D.J. as much as it is on me. *That* was why I took D.J. for the innoculations. I'm waiting for the winter to end, and then I'm shipping out. Oh, well, thanks for the chance to vent. Sincere thanks. |
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Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years
IBen Getiner wrote:
Yeah... You 'did this to her' This happened, just like I said it would, after you gave her the needless hysterectomy operation. And just like with human mammals, depression sometimes follows. Of course, no one in here took me seriously when I made this observation about a year ago. Why, I do not know, since every mammal from a shrew to a great blue whale are internally identical in every respect. YOU did it because you just HAD to jump on the politically correct bandwagon and you used your kat to do it. LIVE with it. Just like your kitty now must do every day for the rest of her LIFE. This kind of stuff... needless stuff... makes me ****ing sick. The best thing you could do for your kat would be to give her away. Just make sure that he family you give her to are not Chinese. At least try to use your brain on that one... Hey, Ben? You need about 5 grams of valium and 100 mg of potassium chloride. -- All relevant people are pertinent. All rude people are impertinent. Therefore, no rude people are relevant. -- Solomon W. Golomb |
#10
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Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years
clifto wrote: IBen Getiner wrote: Yeah... You 'did this to her' This happened, just like I said it would, after you gave her the needless hysterectomy operation. And just like with human mammals, depression sometimes follows. Of course, no one in here took me seriously when I made this observation about a year ago. Why, I do not know, since every mammal from a shrew to a great blue whale are internally identical in every respect. YOU did it because you just HAD to jump on the politically correct bandwagon and you used your kat to do it. LIVE with it. Just like your kitty now must do every day for the rest of her LIFE. This kind of stuff... needless stuff... makes me ****ing sick. The best thing you could do for your kat would be to give her away. Just make sure that he family you give her to are not Chinese. At least try to use your brain on that one... Hey, Ben? You need about 5 grams of valium and 100 mg of potassium chloride. -- All relevant people are pertinent. All rude people are impertinent. Therefore, no rude people are relevant. -- Solomon W. Golomb Talk your evasive krap all the live-long day but it's just like I said a while back... You arbitrarily remove a female cat's female parts and you get the same problems that female humans get... Depression for starters. Here is another example of what your kind of reasoning has delivered.... ANOTHER SICK CAT (and of course, another befuddled owner). You must be proud! IBen Getiner |
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