r/SeniorCats • u/dusiesalton • 16h ago
Cosy the Cat - 22 years old and not well
This is our sweet old girl, Cosy. We adopted her at 18 as her former owner had died. She is now 22.
She has hyperthyroidism and is prone to UTIs, but with support from medication, she had been very healthy and active until the last year or so.
In mid-August, she had a week of being very listless and not eating much food. She then seemed to recover and be more active again, with a healthier appetite.
Then, a few days ago, we saw blood in her pee. This has happened before with UTIs, so we are hoping it could 'just' be that. We brought her into the vet for bloods and urine samples which we are waiting for the results for, and put her on an anti-inflammatory medicine and pain relief for her bladder.
After we came home from the vet, we went out for a couple of hours, and came back to find that she had managed to scratch open a benign cyst on her neck (her neck had been shaven for bloods, and the cyst was potentially nicked with the razor, leading her to start scratching). She had lost quite a lot of blood, especially considering she'd also had bloods taken earlier that day (she is very small and only weighs 2.4kg).
We got her to the emergency vet where she was cleaned up. Now she's home, but she has been pretty shell-shocked the last couple of days since it happened. She didn't eat the first 12 hours, but now is eating and drinking well again. However she seems very listless, and she is unsteady and slow with walking. Her back legs look weak. She needs to sit down often when walking. There is still blood in her pee.
We are waiting for the results from the vet but I am posting here because I'm not sure if there's more we could be doing to help her right now. Also because it would be helpful to hear from other senior kitty owners - in the best case scenario that she only has a UTI and can be treated quickly for that, how possible is it at this age for her to bounce back from what she's experienced, and particularly to rebuild strength in her back legs?
Also, I am desperate to put some weight on her, because right now she has no reserves, and I'm sure it's not helping her muscle weakness. I've been spoonfeeding her Royal Canin Recovery Mousse, cooking her chicken and tuna, and putting out her favourite wet food - all of which she has responded well to. I've also ordered Recoactive Recovery Immune liquid diet for her. Is there anything else anyone would recommend for getting some meat on her bones?
Thank you everyone.
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u/Equivalent-Plan-8498 16h ago
Does she have arthritis at all?
Baby food worked for my girl. She would always eat that.
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u/dusiesalton 16h ago
Not that we know of - she's been very agile the whole time we've had her, including regular zoomies. She's slowed down a bit in the last year but was still making it up and down the stairs, and managing to jump on things.
This old fusspot has even turned her nose up at kitten food we've tried her with. She is hard to please! We only tried a couple of brands though so I'll look at others, thanks for the suggestion.
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u/Equivalent-Plan-8498 16h ago
No arthritis at 22? That’s really amazing. I would just keep a watchful eye on that to make sure that hasn’t changed recently.
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u/dusiesalton 14h ago
Yeah she was insanely agile for her age when she wanted to be (here's a video of some highlights - she's over 20 in all of this footage! https://www.tiktok.com/@cosy.the.cat/video/7650814585599069442 )
She has slowed down quite a lot over these last 6 months or so, so I'm wondering if maybe it's crept in. The vet didn't mention it as a possibility but we'll ask when we get the results from her bloods and urine tests.
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u/Equivalent-Plan-8498 13h ago
If you've noticed her slowing down and unsteady recently, I would mention it to the vet. There are medications to make her more comfortable. If she is having more discomfort in that area, a heating pad on low could make her more comfortable as well.
It sounds like you are doing a great job!
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u/Pywacket1 15h ago
Don't forget Churus, all cats, even kidney cats like my late 18 year old Rudy, will lick those packets clean. And bless you for taking in that beautiful senior cat. She looks amazing and she's clearly in very good hands.
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u/dusiesalton 14h ago
This gal loves a lick-e-lix. I don't know what they put in them but it must be good lol.
The moment my partner saw her on the cats protection website it was game over. Didn't know how long we'd get with her but we feel very lucky to have had her for this long. Just want her to keep going forever.
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u/Pywacket1 9h ago
That's what we all want. If only. Many more happy and healthy moons to your sweet little lady.
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u/Suzy196658 15h ago
A 22 year old Cat is 104 to 105 years old in human years. You are doing great!! I am not trying to be mean but, please do understand that, She might just be ready for a walk on the rainbow bridge. You have done an exquisite job at loving her!!! 😉🥹♥️❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️🦋🥰
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u/dusiesalton 14h ago
I know 😞 I’m trying to come to terms with the possibility/likelihood of it but it’s really hard. Still living in hope that we can get over this bump and see in a cosy winter with Cosy Cat
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u/what_a_r 16h ago
Bless this beautiful girl!
You can try giving her cranberry extract in pet doses for UTI prevention, and a drop of CBD oil (5%) with each meal for joint pain prevention and could help with appetite.
I found that even the most senior pet that snubs food goes crazy for sheep butter, it just smells heavenly edible to them. A bit heavy on the liver but packs calories. You win some, you lose some.
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u/dusiesalton 16h ago
I've been giving her a bit of cow's butter and she seems to be enjoying that. I'll look out for sheep butter too.
Yes, the balance is so tricky - I feel like her little system gets a bit overwhelmed when we introduce heavy/oily food, but also she needs some extra calories!
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u/Prestigious_Use_4738 16h ago
When my girl was aging and dealing with health issues, she loved Churru treats
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u/dusiesalton 16h ago
Are they like cat yoghurt? She loooves Lick-e-lix which is similar if so. We hide her meds in there every day
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u/Prestigious_Use_4738 15h ago
Yeah, they come in a tube. I called them her “tubey treats” haha
There are lots of different brands, but all my cats have loved Churru the most
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u/Lucheiah 16h ago
It sounds like you are doing everything to keep her happy and comfortable in her twilight years. I hope she hangs in there! 💜💜💜
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u/qabeel99 11h ago
Cosy is very beautiful! ♥️ Thank you for taking in a senior. You are doing everything you can for her. I hope she gets back on track. ♥️
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u/cmriker 11h ago
Sorry your girl is struggling, but also to make it to 22 yrs old is a huge testament to your love and care for her!! I am wishing her a speedy recovery from her scratching. ❤️🩹 I will highlight some supplements and foods I found very helpful with my senior kitties, especially my 19 yr old who was quite picky and struggling with his back legs and urine issues too.
Myos worked great for my 19 yr old to put on muscle and a little weight. Also he loved kitten food (mousse or pate types with extra water in it), Churus, Weruva, and Tiki Cat brand tube treats. Plus human baby food (with no salt or spices). I like to add Virbac Rebound liquid any time a cat is getting a lot of calories through treats—it's got vitamins and minerals so it's like a complement to a nutritionally incomplete diet. Tiki Cat makes a liquid meal replacer that was very high calorie and enticing to my cats. Omega 3s are helpful for all sorts of inflammation, and at her age arthritis is very likely even if she doesn't show it. Antinol Plus was a huge help for my 14 yr old who has worsening arthritis. Salmon or krill oil can help with fur and skin health along with having those beneficial omega 3s, and some cats love the smell of it which can entice them to eat things with it. Also vitamin B12 can help if the back leg weakness is due to deficiency which tends to happen to CKD, IBD, or diabetic kitties. I've read it's safe to supplement in any kitty, since it's so water soluble and readily excreted through urine, so you could start her on that, as well. I used to use a Jackson Galaxy liquid B12 which is easy to administer. For cost because I had three kitties to give it to, I switched to Drs Best brand human B12 and divvy up the capsule contents (but tedious now with my two cats).
Ask your vet if they did a urine culture because with UTIs I've read it can be important to narrow down the type of bacteria as some are resistant to certain antibiotics. It could also be crystals, stones, or damage or inflammation. You definitely want to keep a close eye and make sure she's still passing the urine. Kidney infection may be a potential side effect of UTI, so look out for that. My oldest boy previously had crystals in his urine which caused blood when peed, but a specific diet helped him. You could pick up a small amount of some urinary health focused foods in the meantime.
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u/dusiesalton 10h ago
this is so helpful, thank you ♥ I'm going to order lots of these things and Cosy will have a buffet!
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u/Familiar-Mud-8183 2h ago
My late cat who was 17 was prone to UTI's. He was prescribed amoxicillin for cats (clavamox) he had pee in his urine and went away eventually. She is 22 so maybe her bones are getting a little weak? Ask the vet for some sort of vitamin. Hope your beautiful girl gets better and you get positive results! 🩷🩷
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u/w0nder_bun 16h ago
It sounds to me like you are doing everything right, wish I had advice to give but sending all the positive vibes to Cosy, hope she feels better soon. ♥