Expert: Dear Tabbi - 12/26/2008

Question
my cat is 22 years old, he has started running through the house at night screaming that siamese yowl , hes healthy if skinny for an old guy, do you think hes senile? he has food, water etc etc. hes driving my husband insane. please advise

Answer
Letitia,

Wow! Did you know that your cat is approximately 110 years old in human years? Be glad that he IS running around and driving you insane!

More than likely he has gone deaf and possibly blind. When that happens they rely on vibrations to tell them where their people are. When no one is awake there aren't any vibrations and they get scared and confused. Pain also makes them behave like that.

Cats do get a form of 'kitty Alzheimer's' and can behave in a bizarre manner.

I would suggest taking him to a vet that specializes in geriatric cat care and conditions....not all vets do. And it's especially important at his age that he goes to a vet that knows what he is doing. He should have an "older cat checkup" to check the function of his thyroid, kidneys, and liver, and be checked for arthritis and/or pain. If he has any pain he can be given medication to make him comfortable thereby improving his quality of life.

If it were me, I would keep him locked in the bedroom with you at night. His behavior and how he feels is confusing to him too, and now he needs your love, understanding and reassurance more than ever.

Being prepared and knowledgeable about elderly cats will make things easier for the cat and for you. I am including some very good links about elderly cats. Copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar:

http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html

http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm

http://www.2ndchance.info/oldcat.htm

And if you do need to put poor kitty to sleep at some point here, or lose him, here is an EXCELLENT site for emotional support, and where you can have a memorial for your kitty:
http://rainbowsbridge.com/hello.htm

I hope this helps.

Tabbi