Conference misery::feline_v1

    Pansy was pretty close to that age before we lost her.  She liked
    it on the bed so much that we put a footstool on one side, very
    near the footboard.  She managed that quite well.  Just be sure
    it has no-slip feet to avoid accidents.
    
    Gary

    I was going to suggest some way-station for your puss to get
    to the bed also.  I'm sure he'd like to keep sleeping with you.
    How lucky you are to have had him all these years.

    There is an eighteen year old cat (a dignified gentleman, for many
    years the top tom cat of the neighborhood, now an elder statesman)
    who lives two houses away from me.  I have heard of cats living
    well into their twenties, but I don't know how common this is.
        

    I should perhaps mention that the 18 year old cat I mentioned
    disappeared for four days a week or two ago, and was retrieved
    by his owner from a house down the block, where he was camping on
    the doorstep of a female in heat.
    
             

    I was fortunate to have had two Siamese  live to be 20 and 24
    years old. They slowed down as they aged, but I did not
    change their diets and neither needed medication. I did help one
    get onto the bed once in a while but otherwise we carried on as usual. 
    Both of these cats were indoors cats for the latter half of their
    lives and that contributed to their longevity. 
    
    I am so pleased to hear that your cat is doing fine for her age.
    She sounds like  a very contented senior citizen. 
    
    Pat

    My childhood cat, Taffy (RIP), lived to be 19.  As she started getting
    on in the years, my mom would bring her to the vets frequently to
    have her heart, kidneys, etc., checked and each time, the vet reassured
    her that Taffy was fine and had some good years ahead of her.  Apart
    from loosing weight and a bit of mild arthritis, Taffy lived out
    all of her nine lives like a real trooper.
    
    You should be very proud that your kitty has had such a wonderful
    life.  Very few cats are fortunate enough to live that long.  Here's
    hoping that your baby has more happy and healthy years ahead of
    him.
    
    
    /Roberta
    

    This morning I went to give Mo his morning medicine. He is usually
    found asleep on the carpet in my daughter's bed room (where she
    has piled some old blankets for him. But today we couldn't find
    him anywhere. Since he can't climb stairs and no longer goes
    outside we started to get worried. We finally found him under the
    sofa. Apparently he has started associating me with his medication
    and hid under the sofa when I came down stairs. I guess I'll have
    to make even more of a special effort to let him know how special
    he is so he won't avoid me.
    
    I did notice today that his fur looks much better groomed, so the
    medication is definitely improving his well being.
    
    By the way, the guiness record for age in a cat is 38! Given how
    elderly Mo is now, I find that really amazing.
    
    Thanks for all the nice replies.
    
    Bonnie

    Bonnie,

	 My (family's) first cat lived to be 19 1/2.  As he got older, he
     started losing his hearing.  However, his eyesight was always keen.
     We  had  to  keep  my sister's parakeet on a bookcase that was more
     than  4  feet away from anything Tiger might try to climb on.  Many
     times  we  would  catch  him on the spiral staircase trying to very
     carefully  plan  a  leap  to the top of the bookcase where the bird
     was.   We  then  found  another  resting place for the cage - on an
     isolated bookcase.

	 As Tiger got older, we found his tastes changed.  He started to
     prefer  ice  cubes  to milk and/or plain water.  He also started to
     lick  the  bathtub dry.  About a year before he died, he started to
     prefer  blueberry  yogurt  to  his  cat food.  So every day, my mom
     would give him a spoonful.  

	 Tiger was  able  to  jump short distances up until the last few
     months.   I  crocheted a small quilt that my mom put on the sofa on
     the  spot that Tiger liked to sleep.  It kept the sofa from getting
     *too* hairy.  We did tend to keep an eye out for him because he got
     a  little  wobbly  on  his  pegs and we'd carry him up and down the
     spiral  stairs  between the first and second floors.  He started to
     develop  a need to be touching people (sleeping against their laps,
     but  not  on them, or on the bed between your legs), or at least be
     in the same room with them.

	 The last  week  that  Tiger  was  alive,  he stayed pretty much
     within  4  feet  of  the  litter  box.   We  tried  to  keep him as
     comfortable as possible with soft warm things to sleep on.

	 It's wonderful  that  Mo has led such a long life.  I only hope
     that my Josh and Becky are the same.


		kathy

    Maybe you could give Mo a treat after his medicine, like some tidbit
    and lots of cuddling.  He'll probably still hide at medicine-time,
    but it will be more pleasant for him.
    

    I'm storing up all this advice on how to help older cats.  Bumpy
    is now 11 and altho she's still got all the energy and agility
    of a young cat, I know that I've got to start planning for the
    day when she or Mao (now 9) start to slow down a bit.  
     Thanks.
       Nancy DC
    

    My mom's cat will be 17 this March and he's doing pretty well. 
    He has lost some weight and has a growing calcium deposit above
    his right shoulder (or whatever) area.  His eyes are real clear
    and his hearing is good.  Last year my mom brought him in to the
    vet for a geriatric checkup and it almost destroyed Sam.  He was
    put on medicine which he hated so my mom ended up taking him off
    of it and she swears he's better being off.  He has slowed down
    a bit but now and then you'll see him run across the back yard as
    though he were still a kitten with lots of pep.  He loves to be
    brushed, loves his turkey breast that mom buys for him (yes, he's
    spoiled), and loves to bother my mom whenever she's on the phone
    (because he's not getting all the attention).  All in all, Sam is
    a wonderful cat who has lived a real good life.  Anyone who has
    their "children" this long is lucky.  (But then again, we're all
    lucky to be owned by our furry friends :) ).
    
    Mary
    

    Hi Bonnie,
    
    My Tiga is now 16 years old! Her hearing and eyesight are still
    great but she shows her age when she yawns and exposes 2 lower
    fangs and no other teeth. She's healthy for a petite 7.7 lbs. 
    I sometimes think she's getting a little Alzhimer's (sp?) because
    she goes barreling around the house like a wild cat. I think she
    think she's a kitten again.
               Now that she's older she likes to sleep under the covers
    with me. Or, she sleeps near the woodstove. I also have a little
    box with an electric warming pad and blanket in it that she loves.
               She still gets cheese, liver, and milk (in moderation)
    treats aside from her low ash cat food and crunchy hard food. It's
    so cute watching her gum away at her food!
               Hope you have many more years with your friend Mo.
    
    Tina
    
    

    Sheba is 18 1/2 now. She's a bluepoint Siamese that is the image
    of the January cat in the calendar that hangs in front of me in
    my office. Her one concession to her advancing age is a slowing
    down caused by a little stiffness in her back legs. Last night she
    enjoyed her usual game of "helping" to make the bed. She was enjoying
    playing like a kitten so much that I brought out one of the peacock
    feathers (a gift for her from the last cat show) and it would be
    difficult for an onlooker to tell her from the mischievous kitten
    she was so many years ago....
    
    About a year and a half ago I added Iams to her diet (along with
    the variety of canned and fresh food she has been getting all her
    life). There was a definite improvement in her. She gained the weight
    she had lost and her coat took on a wonderful shine and texture.
    The manufacturer suggested giving an "elderly" cat the kitten food,
    but Sheba prefers the regular and has no difficluty in chewing it.
    Sity, her 16 1/2 year old sealpoint daughter, has taken on more
    of a shine also ....and shows NO concession to old age!
    
    There is a wonderful article in the recent issue of Cats magazine
    where the author discusses his ongoing relationship with his elderly
    cat. While reading the article last night, tears came to my eyes
    as I remembered how my old TiJai (Sheba's brother who passed on
    at the ripe old age of 20) and I fought against the odds for so
    many years ....and salvaged so many happy memories.  Now it's Sheba
    and Sity's turn to play out these years to their fullest.
                              
    Older cats, like the other "elderly" in our lives, have the extra
    affection that is earned by having experienced their own "history".
            
    ...and now life has taking a different twist with the addition
    of the two Birman kittens. Already they have established their own
    places in my heart ...and I can only hope we have as many years to
    add to the joy they have already brought.
                      

    
    
    	My "Popeye" lived till 16 yrs. and probably would still be with
    	us if the neighbors dog hadn't got him while he was napping
    	under our apple trees.  The only change in him was that he 
    	did slow down abit and his teeth got worn down.  He eat
    	well, slept wherever he liked and overall had a pretty good
    	old age.                                            

    Our family cat (who we got when I was 8) lived to be 19 3/4 years
    old.  He was totally deaf and somewhat arthritic (which caused
    a few accidents around the house since his "box" was in the basement)
    but other than that he was fine.  In fact, during his last summer,
    he brought home a baby rabbit one night.  (I tried to save it but
    the darn cat was faster than I was.)
    
    Friends of ours had a cat who lived to age 25 with no serious
    ailments--just a little lack of grooming on his part.
    
    And, you know, we didn't do anything special in the way of care
    other than tons of love.  Muffy ate regular canned cat food,
    Tender Vittles and people food all his life plus he was an outdoor
    cat--which my current 3 are not!  He never had leukemia shots or
    anything other than rabies and distemper.  When I think of all the
    special things I do now for my "babies" I wonder how Muff ever
    survived!
    
    Barbara

    You know, one thing that older dogs and cats don't have that humans
    do, is this idea of appropriate behavior for an older individual.
    Older cats and dogs think it perfectly ok to frisk around like a
    kitten or puppy!  I think they've got the right idea.  They certainly
    seem to enjoy life alot more.....
       Nancy DC
    

    Well, we had to take Mo back to the vet again on Monday. One eye
    was completely clear and his breathing was fine, but the other
    eye was still pussy and the cornea was bulging. The vet was afraid
    that it would rupture. He sewed the third eye lid shut. Mo is now
    getting a different ointment and atropine three times a day in the
    affected eye. If we aren't able to cure it he will lose the eye.
    
    Bonnie

    Glad to hear he's doing well.  Thanks for the update!
    Good news is always welcome.
      Nancy DC

    Is your vet a feline opthamologist?  If not, you might want to consider
    taking Mo to one at this point.  They are able to do amazing things.
    I know that Mary Tamir went to a good opthamologist when Chauncey
    was having problems, maybe she could give you his name.
    
    I hope all goes well with the eye and that Mo is feeling better
    soon.
    
    Jo

    There is a Dr. Bachrach in Lincoln, Mass that is THE BEST.
    
    Hmm.  Maybe a vist there could be in order!  
    
    E.T.

    Please keep us informed about Mo.
    

    Thanks everyone :-). He ate a good dinner tonite tho he
    (quite reasonably) can't get used to the fact that he
    can't see out of his right eye. 
    
    And we live way out in the wilds of western Mass (Royalston
    if you have ever heard of it) so I intend to go with the local
    talent. Any of the fancy vets are a good hour and a half or 
    two hour drive.
    
    With the inner lid sewed shut, the swelling is down. 
    
    Bonnie

    update on Mo,
    
    Well we have been back twice more to the vets, with Mo complaining
    all the way there and back in the car. I finally bought a cardboard
    cat carrier. He tears at the box when he is put in one, and screams,
    but it is better than him climbing on my lap for attention when
    I am driving! (Thankfully this is all on back country roads.)
    
    The eye is still opaque. There is very little active infection,
    tho we continute to medicate night and morning. The vet recommended
    that we rotate medications...i.e. each time we run out of one
    type of opthalmic ointment switch to another. They still don't
    know exactly why his eye has acted this way. However, they are
    chosing a fairly non agressive treatment because of his age. For
    example the two vets at the practice are strongly against enucleation
    (removing the eye ball) or other surgery, because it could cause
    him to die from kidney or respiratory failure at his age.
    
    He is now well adjusted to the loss of sight in the one eye. Further
    the morning and evening treatment with the ointment is almost routine.
    He complains only a very little. 
    
    The whole eye is almost completely over grown on the corneal surface.
    But his other eye is clear, and bright.
    
    and his fur is sleak and he has been gaining weight..
    
    sounds like mostly a plus.
    
    Bonnie

	My first cat, Pandora, had one eye removed at the age of 19 years.
	This was because of glaucoma;  the eye was very swollen, causing
	her some discomfort, if not actual pain; it was not responding to
	ointments or drops and probably would, eventually, have burst.

	The vet tried all possible treatment, and said that I had three
	choices:

	1.  To continue the treatment and try to prevent the condition
	    worsening;
	2.  To have the eye removed, in which case Pandora would have a
	    fifty-fifty chance of surviving the surgery.  She was pretty
	    fit for her age;
	3.  To put her down.

	I opted for the surgery.  She survived it, and had one more happy
	year before finally going to sleep for the last time.

	Having only one eye did not seem to bother her one bit.  She must
	have been blind in the bad eye for some time before I noticed
	anything, and removing the eye just took away her discomfort.

        Take your vet's advice, but in the end the decision will have to be
        yours.

	Have courage, but remember that nothing can live for ever, and Mo
	has had a good run.  You'll know what's the best thing to do when
	the time comes.

	Pandora has gone now. It was a blow after 20 years, but not
	unexpected.  Once in a while, I take my new cat, Milady, down to
	the spot in the garden where Pandora is buried.  It sort of gives
	me a sense of the continuity of things.

	Good luck,

	Delia

    Well we had to make the third choice mentioned in .22 this Saturday.
    Mo's eye ruptured during the previous night. Our vet talked to me
    about the possible courses of action and I felt the best choice
    was to have him put down. I held him (with tears running down my
    face) while she gave him the shot of phenobarbitol. We weren't able
    to bury him (because the ground is frozen) so we made a carn of
    stones over his body near one of our stone walls.
    
    Bonnie

    Bonnie, I am very sorry about Mo.  I don't know what else to say.
    Having just been through this myself, I know how hard it is for
    you.
    
    Take care of yourself.
    
    Jo

    I'm sorry to hear about Mo.  This is such a difficult thing to deal
    with.  Our thoughts are with you.
    
    Jan, Bailey and Amelia

    I'm also very sorry to hear about Mo.  18 years is a good
    long life!  I'm sure it was full of joy and love.  I'll add
    Mo to our memorial for this quarter.
      Nancy DC

    Thank you everyone for your kind wishes.
    
    Bonnie

    
    
    Mo will rest in peace.  OUr thoughts and prayers are with you.
    
    Roslyn, Escho and Brandy

My sincere, heartfelt sympathys to you Bonnie.  You are a very special person.
Just think, though.  Mo is no longer in pain.  He's with all of our other
wonderful furry friends in animal heaven.

Holly