Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [123]
In most cases, she says veterinarians will place a tube device either down the throat or directly into the stomach through the cat’s side. That is combined with fluid therapy to keep the cat well hydrated. “Sometimes it just becomes a wait-it-out phenomenon,” she says. “You just have to keep the cat supported long enough for the pancreatic inflammation to subside.”
Nurse Alert!
When a cat refuses to eat due to pancreatitis, your veterinarian may need to surgically implant a feeding tube to keep her fed so she’ll recover from the condition. This may go down the cat’s throat, or through her side directly into the stomach. Often, cats improve more quickly and do better at home than in the veterinary hospital, so you may be asked to tube feed your cat. You’ll be shown exactly how to do this—it’s really quite simple.
Usually a semi-liquid soft therapeutic diet is provided. It should be slightly warmed to prevent cold food upsetting the stomach. A large syringe (without the needle) is often used to draw up the right amount, and this is squirted through the stomach tube to feed the cat.
Keep the end of the tube clean and protected when you aren’t feeding the cat. A small bandage may be provided to keep it covered when not in use.
Some cats won’t bother the tube at all. Others are intent on either cleaning it or trying to remove it. Monitor your cat, and if necessary, provide a collar restraint that keeps her from doing damage to the tube or herself.
SENILITY
As they age, cats can develop signs of senility, or cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). “CDS basically represents a loss of memory and learning, or a reduction in learning memory,” says Benjamin Hart, DVM, a behaviorist at University of California-Davis. The syndrome has long been recognized in elderly dogs, and cats also are affected.
“Cats age much more gracefully than dogs,” says Dr. Hart, and because they live much longer, the age when they develop symptoms is therefore much later.
“You’re more likely to see it in 15-year-old and older cats,” says Gary Landsberg, DVM, a behaviorist in Thornhill, Ontario. He authored one of the first research papers on cats that concluded, in part, that as many as 80 percent of cats he sees that are over the age of 16 show signs of senility. “Some of the brain changes in [these cats] are similar to those seen in the early stages of human Alzheimer’s,” he says. Like the affected humans, cats with cognitive dysfunction also have deposits of amyloid material in the brain.
Senior Symptoms
Signs of feline cognitive dysfunction can be vague and confusing, and mimic other disease conditions. Look for:
Disorientation: wanders aimlessly, acts lost and confused, may not recognize family members or other familiar people or places, gets “stuck” in corners or lost in the house
· Interaction changes: no longer greets family members, dislikes or avoids petting, not as interested in getting attention, interaction changes with other pets
· Sleep changes: is awake and active at night, sleep cycles are disrupted or reversed
· Housetraining is forgotten
· Anxiety or compulsive behaviors: tremors, yowling and crying, repetitive pacing, floor or object licking
In the past, these symptoms would have been brushed off as a normal part of feline aging, says Susan Little, DVM, a feline specialist in Ottawa, Canada. Today, there are treatments available that can help. “It actually should be recognized as a specific health issue of a geriatric cat.” Affected cats typically seem to forget how to do normal cat activities. For example, they are unable to find the litter box, or simply sit in the middle of the room and cry.
Often, dog studies have been based on tests used to help diagnose human Alzheimer’s patients. Fewer studies have been conducted in cats, and these