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Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 19th 06, 11:32 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default 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.

  #2  
Old February 19th 06, 11:55 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default 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?

  #3  
Old February 19th 06, 11:57 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default 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

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  #5  
Old February 20th 06, 02:58 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default 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

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  #7  
Old February 20th 06, 08:06 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Depression in Old Cat After 1st Vet Visit in Years


wrote:
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.


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...


IBen

  #8  
Old February 21st 06, 01:15 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default 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.

  #9  
Old February 22nd 06, 08:26 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default 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  
Old February 22nd 06, 10:22 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Posts: n/a
Default 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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