Expert: Ali - 11/13/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi there,
My cat Nellie has been in the same living conditions for the last 5 years, she
is about 19years old, still "with it", eats, drinks, poops, pees, there are no
major changes in the house, she is on advantage for flea's and gets as much
attention as she wants. She sleeps in a warm bed and gets to prowl around
outside 4 times a week with my supervision. For some reason, she has a
fetish for water in drinking cups, not her drinking cup though next to her
food. The problem, she will not stop meowing, she howls at her cup if it is
empty, i fill it, then comes back in the room and meows more. It's at all hours
of the day and night, which affects my sleep. It is so frustrating. I just ordered  
Feliway Comfort Zone plug in's and hopfully that will help but I am not
counting on it. She is not a vet cat and never has been only to get fixed and
shots when she was a kitten. My roomate is a vet tech and has done all
physical tests, checked eyes ears and NOTHING. Any suggestions?

ANSWER: Iris,

Given your cat's advanced age it might be worth having a vet perform a full physical including blood and urine tests. Has Nellie had a pre-anesthetic blood panel and a urinanalysis done? If not these may provide valuable clues as to what may be happening in terms of Nellie's organ function and these tests would also answer other important questions. The reason that I recommend having a vet examine Nellie and take blood and urine samples is that a vet tech is essentially an animal nurse and the vet is a doctor. While an experienced nurse can spot many conditions sometimes it takes the medical background of a doctor to find health problems that may not necessarily be obvious. Nellie may have some sort of medical issue or she may simply showing signs of dementia, kitty Alzheimer's if you will. Nellie is approximately equivalent to a 92 year old human being. Even though Nellie has led a long and healthy life so far it is possible that at her advanced age there may be some medical issues starting to come up. My family vet is an incredible person and she practices medicine with a holistic approach. I realize that there are a number of practitioners out there who don't have their priorities straight. I have dealt with a number of vets that practice conventional medicine and been less than impressed with their treatment of my pets as well as the sharp blows to the pocket book. I firmly believe that my current vet practices medicine in the best interests of my cats and places their needs ahead of finances. I realize that some vets that practice conventional medicine may not agree with your choice to minimize Nellie's stress levels by not taking her to a vet clinic and I certainly understand your desire to limit your little girl's exposure to pharmaceuticals (drugs, vaccines). In respect to keeping Nellie's exposure to drugs and vaccines to a bare minimum I can honestly say that I understand where you are coming from. In fact there is recent research done by the University of Guelph has shown that prescribed vaccine schedules can contribute to the development of certain types of cancer, auto-immune conditions, renal failure and allergies. I can tell that you love Nellie very much and that you only want the best for her. Based on your philosophy when it comes to veterinary medicine I have a few suggestions. As I mentioned before it is possible that Nellie has got a health issue that wouldn't be readily apparent by performing a physical exam. Given Nellie's advanced age it's quite possible that she has issues with her health that would be picked up on by a blood or urine test. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of Nellie being treated by a conventional vet you may be more comfortable with a vet who has a holistic approach. Holistic vets are trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies such as homeopathy, acupuncture or even massage. Rather than focusing on Nellie's individual symptoms a holistic vet is most likely to focus on her entire well-being rather than treating symptoms with drugs that if used incorrectly can sometimes do more harm than good. I would recommend that you consider having Nellie assessed by a holistic vet. I would strongly suspect that a good holistic vet will recommend that a pre-anesthetic blood panel and a urinanalysis be completed. The blood test that I have recommended will tell the vet quite a bit about how Nellie is doing and how her internal organs are functioning. A urinanalysis can spot low grade bladder infections, crystals in the urinary tract and even things like blood, protein and sugar in the urine all of which could indicate serious health issues. I can only make recommendations based on my experience and what I would do in any given situation. I wouldn't recommend that a wait and see attitude be taken unless you have already had blood work and urine tests done. You can certainly try out using Feliway products which contain synthetic pheromones. It is possible that the synthetic pheromones might help if Nellie is anxious or afraid. If Nellie has a health issue then pheromones aren't likely going to be helpful. If you are uncomfortable with taking Nellie to the vet to have testing done you can try using a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy. The Rescue Remedy will help to calm her if senility is the issue and as far as issues with her health it won't be harmful. Rescue Remedy is used by pet parents and some vets worldwide to treat anxiety and fear in pets that has a range of causes. In Nellie's case I would suggest that you try giving her around 6-7 drops each morning in a bowl of fresh water. I don't recommend that you try giving the Rescue Remedy directly into her mouth because the flower essences are suspended in a grape alcohol solution and cats aren't fond of the smell or taste. You can usually find Rescue Remedy in health food/natural health stores for about $15 CAN. It's worth trying Rescue Remedy and if the issue is psychological or behavioral it will likely work quite well. If Nellie has a medical issue that isn't apparent based on a physical exam then Rescue Remedy most likely won't work either.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: UPDATE. The Remedy has been helping, no "cure" yet just a little comfort. The
Comfort Zone was a lost cause I believe. Thank you for the help. My next step is
holistic Dr's.

Answer
Iris,

Another idea is to provide this kitty with a set routine...Cats are very rigid and naturally territorial- in other words they like to be able to predict what`s next in their day...If you were to try out giving Nellie breakfast at 8 AM, supper at 6 PM, playtime at 6:30 & 9 PM you may see that the clingy and whiny behavior lessens...It`s just a thought that my vet had regarding this issue. Failing that a behaviorist and/or a holistic vet are well worth trying....