My old kitty is sick-UPDATE see the last post

I'm so depressed today. My almost 17 year old cat hasn't been eating and he has been sleeping a lot and not very alert. Mom is taking him to the vet today at 11AM, but I am scared. I have had him since he was a six week old kitten. I picked him out when he was three days old and his eyes were stil closed.

I need some encouragement

I'm soo sorry. At that age, anything is possible. Could be upset stomach, an off day, etc. Try to remain positive. They do slow up on their eats/activity from time to time.

Sending lots of prayers/positive vibes your way.

Aww, I hope everything works out and that the vet finds something minor wrong with kitty ... keep us posted.

Hang in there, I know what you are feeling, they are members of our families of course!!

I'm sorry... I hope everything works out!

lots of hugs to kitty

I am sorry Juliet, I know how you are feeling. Bless her soul for already sharing 17 wonderful years with you. And as Felicia said, they are members of the family. My sweet baby was with us for almost 18 years..
I hope her diagnosis will be positive.

I will say a prayer for your kitty, I went through the same thing 2 years ago, very hard BUT lets think positive and hope for the best, please keep us updated.

I am so sorry to say that.
Our favorite cat ever died at age 15. He got very sick. We did everything we could to keep him around as long as possible. He lost control of his bladder. So, we got him diapers, cut a hole for his tail and we changed him like a baby! But then, it got to the point where he got even worse, and he wouldn't eat anymore. We decided to put him out at that point b/c we knew he was suffering.

That was almost 10 years ago, and I have to admit I still think about him sometimes.

Sorry, I didn't mean to be depressing! Probably didn't help you at all.

Hope your kitty is better in no time at all!!!!

Mom just called me. She came in from the vet's office. She said my cat had horrible TARTAR, and the vet picked some of it off and it came off in chunks. They hydrated him and gave him vitamins. They also took blood.

They are considering bladder infection, kidney infection, or maybe even a problem with his teeth.

I did a search on Google and found a lot of articles mentioning old cats and bad teeth and how the stare at the food but don't eat, BECAUSE IT HURTS!!! This makes sense. Maybe he will perk up and start eating after they clean his teeth.

Thanks for the support. I will keep you all updated!!

to you and kitty.

My mom called the vet to see how the old man is doing. Supposedly they were able to force feed him and he is settling in. I hope he is okay. Maybe it is just something minor like his teeth hurt and we will have to feed him baby food.

I think he tried to bite the vet when they took blood, though, so that is a good sign that he is still his feisty self

i hope for the best for your kitty but if it at all helps, he has lived a long life i know how you feel, i had to put my dog to sleep at 16 yrs old.

Kitty came home and he seems a little better. I went up in his face and he backed up and tried to swat at me, I think he is getting back to normal

He's still a little sluggish and not eating, but he swallows when we force feed him. The vet gave him antibiotics in case he has an infection and he gave him high calorie food and special fluids for hydration

Weird thing though. I came home from being out for a while and I wanted to see my old cat and I couldn't find him anywhere and then something made me look in the bathtub and he was in there, sprawled out. Weird cat!!

I'll keep you all posted. I hope he is on the mend

So my little Grannyman, Tabby (how original I was when I was 11) is home and getting back into his routine. He went to the vet for SubQ Fluid treatment and the vet said he was looking brighter and more alert. He was more resistant to being handled (a good thing). And my mom said when she force fed him this morning, she used a plastic spoon and he actually ate off the spoon (big accomplishment). He also bathed after he ate, which is good sign. I know he is old, but I just feel that there is still some spunk left in him. I guess we just need to see how he mends.

Keep praying for him. He is such a cutie.

I am glad he is doing better. I love animals

As a fellow-cat lover, I am really glad to hear your old guy is on the mend .. hope he keeps improving day by day!!

I am glad he is better!!