Aged cats

Such a hard decision, absent, will think of you tomorrow. It is so sad to see our friends getting older and weaker. I am down to only one cat now, having lost my poor old boy last year.

And petallus I wouldn't worry too much about what you feed them, the only difference between the cheap and the expensive foods is marketing. Iams is tested on animals anyway, and not in a good way, so not very ethical.

Think I'll try to wean Heidi off Iams. It won't be easy because she can be very stubborn about any change to her diet. She won't eat chicken, ham or anything else you would expect to be a treat.

absent good luck for tomorrow.

Are those injections available for humans absent? I was thinking of MrDog. I'd like him to be less confused but not sure about the Perrier bit?

Dam this iPad! Perkier .....not Perrier!

Fingers crossed for Fishpaste

Thanks for all the crossed fingers. Nanadog I don't know whether they'd work for MrDog – and as for perkier, the cat in question had been neutered, so it was a relative term.

Will be thinking of you and Fishpaste tomorrow Absent, all the best.

All the best for you and fishpaste tomorrow absent

hope tomorrow is kind to you which ever route you have to take

Absent (((hugs))) for tomorrow.

Will be thinking about you and Fishpaste tomorrow, Absent.

Thank you everyone who sent supportive messages and good vibes to Fishpaste and me – they seem to have worked. Our vets are very good and today we saw the nice woman vet who addressed my lovely cat as "Fishy", while gently stroking her and probing her poor old skinny body. She reckons Fishpaste is not in pain (good news) but she is now completely blind (we thought that was happening). We all agreed that there wasn't really any point checking her liver, kidneys, whether she was diabetic and so on and so on because not much can be done at her age. We all decided to try steroid injections, so one that is effective for 7–10 days was given. We have an appointment for 10 days' time. If this one is good, she can have a 21-day injection so it's less disruptive for her.

All this happened between 4 and 4.30 this afternoon. This evening, while chopping shallots, chillies and chicken for tonight's Thai curry, I watched Fishpaste moving around while Mr absent was getting the cats' supper organised. She isn't skating with her back legs and no longer has a balancing tail like a beaver. I feel very optimistic about the next few months. Of course, you cannot turn back the clock, but perhaps she has a few more comfortable weeks/months ahead of her. Bless her dear furry face.

Great news absent hope she goes on for a good while longer.

Good news, pleased to hear it.

Bless!

So pleased for you, absent. They do become part of our lives don't they? My late ginger cat went completely blind but adapted very well and lasted several more years, also with hyperthyroidism. He could find his way around the house and garden very successfully - always able to negotiate any obstacles (including the cat flap) when he heard the tin-opener in use.

thats good news absent and you can like you say enjoy fishpaste for a while yet

Thanks everyone. Today has been a bit mad chez nous as we have had plumbers flushing through the central heating system – very noisy and workmen walking around and up and downstairs for several hours (anathema to cats). However, Fishpaste has jumped down from the sofas without any difficulty and veritably skipped up the stairs more than once. Even the little puddles of pee see to be a few less. She's also had so many cuddles with Mr absent I am beginning to feel slightly envious.

Oh absent , that is good to hear! (That she is moving easily, I mean)

Such good news absent I hoped there wouldn't be anything obviously terminal. It's always good to know that you've got a little longer and with luck the little longer can stretch for quiite a while!

Hi i'm also new to this, i hope your vet can help you it must be awful for your cat and yourself to listen to howling, going back to them drinking water from the tap, cat's just like to be different, i have a full bowl of water down all day because i also have dog's but my 8 year old Bobby likes to drink water from my pond instead which i found very strange, he doesn't drink water at all from indoors.
Anyway wishing you the best at the vets.

Fishpaste has had her 21-day jab now and is looking so much better. In fact, so lively has she suddenly become that she has taken to hurling herself through the banister. All the cats have been known to take a short cut when coming downstairs, but my old lady doesn't know how high up she is when she jumps through. In order to prevent her from breaking her neck, Mr absent has woven some off-cuts of hardboard in and out of the balusters to prevent her from doing this.

It's so glamorous in this house now with ladders and pots of paint on every level, peed on stair carpet (which will be replaced when the redecoration is finished) and instead of Christmas garlands, hardboard woven up the stairs. Deck the halls …

That is good news absent. How wonderful to see Fishpaste having a new lease of life, even though your house has to be adapted for her needs.

In my case it was the dining room carpet that bore the brunt. It's amazing what we put up with for our animal friends. I still get the odd waft of cat pee in there, even though the carpet and the cat are long gone. Ah nostalgia

Spray silver paint on it absent

We had a house with ranch type railings on the landing which were very tempting for the boys, aged one and three, so Dh put HUGE pieces of hardboard all the way along 'temporarily' while we decided what to do on a more permanent basis. When we moved 3 years later they were still there, but I expect you guessed that