17 Year old Cat

[Stormycat]

I have a 17 year old female spaded cat that is still very active. My concern is that she is very thin. She has never been very heavy. She isn't in any pain. She has trouble keeping down dryfood. I have tried several different brands of wet food and she seems to be able to handle Whiskas. She doesn't eat seafood - Tuna, salmon etc. She is basically an indoor cat. I feed her about 6 times a day but two tablespoons at a time. She seems to be hungry all the time, even after she just ate. Any advice would be great.

[Shaykeija]

Wow 17 at that age just let her eat.....anything she wants. Have you taken her to the vet for a check up recently?

[chico2]

Stormycat,IMO she should have her Thyroid checked,it's just a simple bloodtest.

[sugarcatmom]

Your cat needs a check-up at the vets with a full senior blood panel and urinalysis. There are a few health issues that elderly cats are prone too which could have the symptoms you're describing, most of which are entirely treatable.

Good luck, and do give us an update after the vet appointment.

[floortje]

Hello,

Your story about your cat exactly fits on my own cat. Only I have a male cat of 17 years old. He is also very active and very thin. As a young cat he was pretty heavy but during all the passing years he became thinner and thinner. According to my vet he is in no pain, but his kidneys donot work properly anymore. This caused constant vomitting of his food in the morning but also on other times of the day. He also seems always hungry so I give him what he wants to eat. My vet prescribed Fortekor for his kidneys and it seems he does not vomit any more. Perhaps this is also the case with your cat.
Hopefully you can do something with this information.
Good luck anyway!

[pamha]

I also have a 17yo female cat who, while she`s always been small, has become very thin in the last year. We just had blood tests done on her & found that she`s in the early stages of kidney failure. The vet prescribed low-protein wet food for her. I`ve been increasing the amount of wet food she gets now to about 1/2 one of the large cans three times a day, but basicly when she wants them. There`s a long stickied thread here under "Senior cats" that has a detailed story of one member`s experience that I intend to spend some time reading.

[marko]

17 is a ripe age for a cat but she could still have a few good years left in her.

Dr. Lee and i had a conversation last year and for him, there's no reason why indoor cats that have good genes can't live to 20.

Obviously ALL bodies (human/feline etc.) will start to fail at some point and some bodies will fail sooner and faster than others....but a vet visit may be able to identify and solve problems related to your older cat to make her sunset years easier.

Good luck!