How Do You Know When a Cat Has Dementia
Does Your Cat Have Dementia?
Some years back, my friends and I rescued an old Maine Coon from a freezing befouled in Iowa later a blizzard. We took him home, named him Grolsch (my friend was Dutch and liked beer, what could I say?), and he quickly adapted to indoor living. Information technology was difficult to ascertain his historic period since years of barn-cat living took their toll on his teeth(which tends to exist the best style to age a stray true cat), but our all-time judge was around viii or 9.
About three years after, something foreign began to happen: when the lights went off at night before bedtime, Grolsch would start bellowing like an injured seal… and nosotros had no earthly idea why. Subsequently a petty trial-and-error investigation, I deduced that it was the loss of light itself that was the issue; Grolsch had lost all sense of orientation in the nighttime, and this made him exceedingly anxious. He would calm considerably after following my voice to the bedroom, only between the moment of "lights out," and finding my bed, he was… lost.
Way back then, we didn't consider dementia (CDS: Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome) a viable diagnosis. Instead, information technology was suggested to me that Grolsch was losing vision. Sure, his visual acuity had declined through the years and his hearing wasn't as sharp, but vet exams validated my suspicions most that theory. Likewise, Grolsch lived in the aforementioned place with me for those years, and knew as well every bit I did where every stick of article of furniture was, how to go around them, and what the general layout of the house was. From my observation and just general emotional connectedness with him, I felt that his "seal bellow" was a reflection of primal fearfulness bordering on mortification. It was his very connexion with territory that was threatened. And that's when I realized for certain information technology was more than just "loss of vision" going on. In any prey animal in full general—and cats in particular—loss of that territorial mojo turns into panic in a heartbeat.
Today, age-related dementia in cats and dogs is a widely accepted reality. If you take suspicions about the state of your senior cat, there are things to be on the lookout man for. Besides a general brandish of disorientation or anxiety, other symptoms of dementia may include:
- Pooping or peeing outside the box, often in unusual places
- Excessive licking or complete lack of grooming
- Notable changes in typical sleep bike
- Loss of appetite
- Uncharacteristic behavior: staring at walls, strange interactions with fellow cats, randomly crying out, etc.
If any of these symptoms sound like something your elderly true cat might be experiencing, hither is a plan of action:
1. Accept Your Cat to the Vet: Your showtime guild of business organization volition be to rule out any other medical issues that may be contributing to these symptoms, and see if a CDS diagnosis is likely. If so, proceed with the following suggestions:
ii. Calorie-free it Up: Run a string of LED lights forth the baseboards of your abode.(We used 10-mas lights because, hey, why not go far festive?) This manner, when the house lights go out, your cat withal has enough secondary low-cal to get effectually.(Strategically placed dark-lights tin offer a similar outcome.)
3. Spread it Around: Add extra water sources, food bowls, and litter boxes to the home territory. You'll want to brand "the basics" more than accessible than ever, and provide a series of territorial "signposts" to remind your cat of their home-ownership.
4. Optimize the Nutrition: Now is the time to switch to the highest quality cat food you can find. Look for a brand that has generous amounts of those nutrients known to support cognitive function, such every bit: antioxidants, Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C and E, beta carotene, flavonoids, and selenium.
5. Stabilize their Scent Sources: Speaking of territorial signposts, "Scent soakers" similar beds, scratchers, litter boxes, and soft fabric toys are an important part of a cat's dwelling house terrain considering they retain your cat's odor, and the more than a place smells like them, the more stable and secure your cat will experience in their territory. This is a notion that will at present exist fifty-fifty more important, given the decline in their other senses like sight and hearing. So in add-on to having enough of scent soakers around, take care non to wash bedding too often or throw abroad onetime scratchers. The more the merrier for your true cat's ongoing mojo.
As always, this is a very basic overview of a sometimes very complicated result. For more cat tips and advice, and insight into cat behavior—bank check out my latest book,Total True cat Mojo.
Hint: for more on related topics, run into
- Why You Shouldn't Toilet Train Your Cat
- The Benefits of Natural Litter
- You're Setting-up Your Litter Box All Wrong
Source: https://www.jacksongalaxy.com/blog/does-your-cat-have-dementia/
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