It's a dark, rainy day.
I knew it would be that way when I took a picture of that ugly, ominous thundercloud above us. Sure enough, a few minutes later, really loud thunder began occurring, the kind of thunder that makes the whole house shake.
Didn't seem to bother Little Baby at all---she sleeps right through it.
But it definitely bothers Leonard, as you can see from him peeking out from his hidee-hole below.
Hey, I have a question that's been worrying me. It's about Little Baby. She's approximately 17 years old, and she's starting to lose her eyesight, her teeth can't take dry catfood anymore, she can't quite make it to the litterbox, stairs are painful for her and she limps up one step at a time, and she gets lost in the dark (especially when she's in the basement.)
She's been yowling more and more this last year. She has a certain loud "wah-wah" sound when she's about to throw up a hairball.
But she has other types of yowling (a slightly different sound) when she's lost (especially at night when she can't find us), when she's confused, or when Blaine leaves for work.
But what really worries me is that she yowls loudly in her sleep sometimes. I wonder if she's having a bad dream because she's definitely asleep when she's doing it. Whenever it happens, I always go over to her and stroke her lightly, saying "It's alright, Little Baby, you're safe and sound", until she wakes up and looks oriented and she's calm again. It happens a lot these days.
And it tears my heart out.
Does anybody know what that means when a cat yowls loudly in her sleep? Is she having nightmares of the couple of weeks she lay starving in that bush I rescued her from? It was in an area deep in gang territory, in the days when I worked the highly dangerous east side of Kansas City, years ago when I was working as a Road Nurse here in Kansas. At one of my patients' house a feral, stray cat had had a litter of kittens in a bush---and they were starving and neglected. So I plucked Little Baby out, put her in my pocket, and took her home. She was only about 2 weeks old and Blaine and I weren't sure she'd live....
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14 comments:
I think it's probably a symptom of senile dementia, just like in humans. She may be dreaming, or semi-awake and confused, when she yowls like that. Not much you can do except what you've been doing, which is probably the best remedy -- touch her, talk to her, calm her down, just like you'd do with a human. You're a good cat mom!
Thank you very much, Miranda!
Hi Bo. Have you had her hearing tested? Some cats get more vocal as they loose their hearing when they get old.
Thank you, Anonoymous---that sounds like a great idea. Because she definitely has gotten more vocal in the last year.
Miranda has it right, and the comment about her hearing too.
I would not have her hearing tested though she is too old and fragile for anything invasive or frightening like that.
I have had several kitties with little-kitty-alzheimers. It is sad and hard to deal with for both of you. Patience and compassion is about all you can offer. As for the yowling, she could be in pain with arthritis but I'm guessing it is dementia. Seventeen is a pretty darn good age for a cat especially one who had such a tough start.
She will "tell" you when she is done and it is time to send her on, that is if she does not go in her sleep.
When you start feeling like you have had enough and start questioning if she has had enough ask her flat out to tell you and you will probably have a gut feeling/answer to your question from her. It sounds wierd I know but there have been sooooo many animals here, so many who were a little off or handicapped in some way and they have all let me know when it was time. In fact I have often held on to them longer than I should have. Sometimes and I am not saying Little Baby is there yet but sometimes the dementia can become so frightening for them it is better to let them go. It is often the last best thing we can do for our friends.
You are doing the right thing comforting her and letting her hear your voice and feel your touch,
Loves,
Maren
Thank you, Maren. I cried when I read your comment because all those end-of-life issues have been weighing heavily on my mind. I know you're right. And so I will do as you suggest and really watch her and try to connect, so that I know if things get to that point of it being better to let her go---because the last thing I want her to do is to suffer. I couldn't bear to think of her suffering. And besides, I know that when she goes, she will be waiting for me at Rainbow Bridge....
When I read the description of your cats behavior, it sounded very similar to my neighbor's dog. He is very old, and she says he sometimes seems to forget who he is. Once she found him standing in the corner of a room in the middle of the night, and he also howls in his sleep. The dog is very old and she was torn between maintaining a good quality of life and letting him go at the right time. He has his good and bad days, but is content most of the time, isn't in any pain, eats well, and loves being near his mom.
I told her that the dog will let her know when he is ready. All animals seem to know when it's time, and they don't seem to have the struggle with it that we do, emotionally anyway. They will stop eating and drinking, and want to go to a dark corner. I agree that you can pick up a lot of communication from your cat if you are open to it. Body language alone can tell you a lot, but there are more subtle forms of communication, too.
Vivian
Thank you very much, Vivian. I really appreciate the advice and it's going to greatly help me know what to watch for.
Bo, I think all the previous comments covered your situation well. In my 62 years of life I have had to let many furry companions cross the Rainbow Bridge. Most of them told me when it was time, although there were times when I didn't want to hear the message. My Tigger Cat told me in no uncertain terms. He refused to eat, even his favorite homemade chicken broth. You will know when the time comes as I can sense through your written that you are sensitive to such things.
Thank you so much, Gramma Phyllis. I really appreciate your comment---especially the part about Rainbow Bridge---it comforted me.
Dear Bo,
We lost two cats in the previous year. One was 20 and one was 19. Both showed signs of aging, such as loss of litter box control, inability to jump where they used to go easily, confusion. They also started sleeping more and more. Fortunately they both passed away in their sleep without us having to make that last hard decision. We did have to limit access areas for the 19 year old, and just cleaned up the additional messes. We chose not to upset them with vet care - long term prognosis would not have been good and they did not need more stress. Sounds like Little Baby may be approaching that point, and you are doing everything you can. Love her and scratch her for as long as you can, and if you have to let her go (as we have with several others), the vet should let you hold her as the last shot is given. Prepay, be brave and soothe her throughout, then go to the bathroom and collapse. I have several Rainbow Bridge writings that have helped me if you want them. And yes, it still hurts - but it would hurt worst if they outlived us, because at least we will not keep looking for them on this plane. aj
Oh, aj, thank you so much. I agree with you---I think Little Baby is approaching the signs you described. She definitely is sleeping more, eating less (but still asks for it), can't jump anymore, etc. Blaine said it's likely that she could pass away at any time this year or the next. Since I'm home every day, it would be me that found her. I discussed putting her down when she gets worse and it's obvious that she's suffering but he can't talk about that right now. I don't think she's suffering at this point, but I am watching her closely. I don't want her to suffer. And I never though of what you said--that I could hold her when the vet did put her down (if necessary). She always seems to calm down & get more oriented when I pet her and stroke her fur whenever she has bad moments or bad dreams. Thank you for your kind words---and I definitely think she'll be waiting for me at Rainbow Bridge....
the disorientation and peeing outside the box could also be signs of diabetes and/or early kidney failure which are both very common in older cats. blood sugar swings can cause dementia-like symptoms and can be treated if you and she are up for it (daily shots of insulin into muscle) we did this for the better part of a year before our oldest kitty had a stroke.
letting go of an aging kitty is very hard and there's no one right answer about how much medical intervention and when to let her go.
i am sorry this is happening, but you have given her such a good life and I know you will give her the best care and love now
Thank you very much, Anonymous.
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