Problems in older cats

I was asked this question by Nettie in the Senior Pet Club;

Question;

My older cat Spats has recently started vomiting undigested food after he eats. He is 9 but seems to have dementia my vet doesn´t seem interested. I know that sounds bad but when I asked for something to supplement his joints, as he was having trouble jumping etc, She gave me Seraquin but basically said he wasn´t old enough to have problems. The thing is he was missing for three years and only returned when he was badly hurt. Now he is neutered and doesn´t go out through choice. I don´t know what he´s been through. The vet knows all this but they didn´t test for anything. They just weighed him and gave antibiotics for the abscesses he had. What do you think? I don´t want to annoy my vet but I feel like I´m hitting the wall on this one.

Answer;

Hi Nettie,

There are obviously several things that are concerning you with Spats, I will try to tackle them one by one;

Firstly, vomiting straight after eating is not all that uncommon in cats, it usually occurs after they have eaten their food too quickly and in those cases they will often eat it again straight away! However, I would start to get concerned if that was happening more that 2 times per week. The first thing to do is to worm him (and all your other cats as well) as worms can make them sick. I also think he should be reexamined by the vet, especially if the vomiting is frequent.

Dementia and senile changes do occur in cats, but it would be very unusual to see it in one which is only 9 years old, are you sure of his age?. Why do you think he has the problem? Have you noticed behavioural changes? Cats with senility often appear confused, may lose their toilet training, and vocalise inappropriately.

It is entirely possible that Spats has problems with his joints, especially if he went missing and was potentially injured. Fractured pelvis´s very commonly occur when a cat is hit by a car and these will often heal on their own with rest, but generally become arthritic as the cat ages. Seraquin is an excellent joint supplement and there are other, stronger, medications you can try. Talk to your vet again about your concerns. It may be a good idea for Spats to have some xrays taken so the vets can see if any arthritic change is present and also how bad it is.

Cat