Published by: Ingrid King. Last Updated on: February 1, 2023 by Crystal Uys
Can cats get Alzheimer’s and dementia? As cats are living longer, they get diseases that are commonly associated with aging. If your senior cat seems to be a bit forgetful at times, meows loudly or seems anxious for seemingly no reason, or appears to get lost in the house, he may be showing signs of the feline version of dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Can cats get Alzheimer’s?
In 2006, scientists at the University of Edinburgh identified a protein that can build up in cats’ brain nerve cells and cause mental deterioration. “We’ve known for a long time that cats develop dementia, but this study tells us that the cat’s neural system is being compromised in a similar fashion to that we see in human Alzheimer’s sufferers,” says Danielle Gunn-Moore, one of the researchers participating in the study.  “Recent studies suggest that 28 percent of pet cats aged 11-14 years develop at least one old-age related behavior problem, and this increases to more than 50 percent for cats over the age of 15,” adds Gunn-Moore. For more on the study, please read Cats Can Get Alzheimer’s on the Washington Post website.
Symptoms of dementia
The following symptoms can be indicators for feline dementia:
- loud vocalization
- eliminating outside the litter box
- increased anxiety or agitation, especially at night
- lack of interest in grooming
- appearing to be lost in familiar surroundings
- decreased appetite
- increased sleeping time
- disorientation
Since any of these symptoms can also be indicators of a serious illness, an exam by your cat’s veterinarian will the first step in helping you determine whether your cat has dementia.
How is dementia diagnosed?
Diagnosis will involve a thorough veterinary exam, including a full blood panel and urinalysis. If the exam reveals any underlying medical issues, they will need to be addressed.
Treatment options
Once medical issues have been ruled out or addressed, the following treatment options can help your cat with dementia:
– A species-appropriate, grain-free diet
– Anti-oxidant supplements may improve cognitive function and slow down mental decline.
– Omega-3 DHA supplements may protect the brain through neuro-protection and anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress properties.
– A stimulating environment that challenges your cat to think and play. Even though your senior cat may not want to pounce and chase after toys, daily play sessions will engage her brain. Even just batting at a toy will keep her brain active and at the same time, increase the bond between the two of you.
Are you worried that your senior cat is showing signs of dementia? If you have a senior cat, what have you done to make her life easier?
Photo Flickr Creative Commons
About the author
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
My 14 year old cat has just been diagnosed with feline dementia along with hyperthyroidism. She is on meds for the hyperthyroidism, but she is howling and crying all night long and I live in an apartment with neighbors on both sides. I have tried leaving the hood light on, and letting in the light from outside, and she still does it, if not worse. I’m losing sleep because of it and I really need some ideas to help her and I. thank you
You can try calming remedies such as Graceful Aging , possibly combined with Stress Stopper. If they don’t work, I would discuss additional medication with your vet to help her.
I have read all these comments with great interest but they all seem to be about older cats. My beautiful Oliver Twist, rescued from South Dakota in 2008, driven in a VW camper with 2 dogs and 2 children back home to Georgia, moved house to UK 2 years later, moved again to Germany in 2012, is too young to have dementia surely, but is exhibiting all the symptoms except night yowling. We took him to the vets for every test possible when he started to lose weight but in the end the vet just said his weight loss was a mystery. He eats constantly but is now only 2.5 kilos. (our second cat is gaining due to the food increase and has become a whopping 8 kilos!)
Does anyone else have experience of a younger cat with dementia symptoms?
That’s really odd that your vets didn’t find anything. I’m assuming you’ve gotten a second opinion and/or had a veterinary internal medicine specialist review his case? Night yowling and ravenous appetite are common symptoms of hyperthyroidism, but that should have shown up in bloodwork.
Two vets from the same practice did all kinds of tests over a 4 week period, the first one was to check his thyroid, then we had x-rays and ultra-sound scans of his organs and bones – nothing. Apart from extreme thinness and confusion he seems ok, and as long as he’s hungry we’re assuming he still has a reasonable quality of life so we’re just feeding him every couple of hours and talking to him a lot.
My cat is 7.5 and stares for long periods, clearly doesn’t recognize me etc. I’ve had every test known and thankfully he is healthy. Including a 3500 ct scat. I’m not sure what to do! Any help?!
I’m in desperate need of advice. I have an almost 20 year old orange tabby who was very sensitive to noise and touch all his life. I raised him from a feral kitten, but now, in his old age, has decided he can’t live without me being right next to him all the time. He yells at me constantly with a very loud meow, wants to be fed dozens of times a day, howls when disoriented, has stopped using his litter box, insists on sleeping with his little face on mine (and purrs very loudly which makes it impossible to sleep), and walks over my lap back and forth hundreds of times a day. I love him and realize that he needs increased care from me, but I can’t sleep or work anymore with his constant demands. I need strategies to calm him, while at the same time making my life manageable.
If you’re open to holistic remedies, try Spirit Essences Graceful Aging http://www.spiritessences.com/product-p/graceful-aging.htm&Click=4413. You can also try Feliway diffusers http://amzn.to/2ar53ZF. You may also want to discuss medication options with your vet.
I feel for you, I am going thru nearly the same thing with a 16 year old female. She at least doesn’t keep me up all night, but can be very annoying during the day. She has always been my buddy, has to be in the same room as me. But now the constant demanding attention has increased so much. She is also CKD and impossible to pill. I am about at my wits end as now she is deficating and urinating all over the house. We’ve closed off rooms as best we can but it’s not enough. I’m trying to be patient and not get mad at her, I just clean it up. But I have always had a house full of cats and no one ever did this. We keep the litter boxes spotless so I think it’s part of the dementia. When I saw this thread I did try Bach’s Rescue Remedy and it has helped her to stay calmer during the day. I put 2-3 drops in her food so I am sure she is getting it, then she has a calmer day and sleeps better at night too.
Like many of the other writers, feline dementia is new to me as well. I rescued a beautiful, gentle cat last year and she has exhibited many of the signs identified. Reading these posts has been helpful and I believe I have some precious options to follow up. Thank you so much!
Hello, My Chi-Chi Roma will be 17 April 29, 2015, and in the past 2 weeks started to vocalizes loudly at night, I have noticed other things too, but not until i did research on Cats with Dementia, did i realize that it just might be what she has, She is also going to the refrigerator for her food a lot, even when she has just eaten, she will walk away and turn right back around and go to the refrigerator again for more food (she has been checked for bad thyroids) , She is sleeping all day long, I thought it was because of her age, but now I’m not so sure. I can deal with every thing she is doing, but I live in a Apartment complex building and I’m worried that the other tenants will eventually report her night meows to the manager. I just don’t know what to do, I don’t want to have to PTS her, I have had her since since was 5 weeks old. If I could just get the Night Meows under control I think, Me and her can make it through this. Any Suggestion Please. Thank you.
I’m not sure there’s much you can do to stop her vocalizing, Tenna. I would try to stimulate her during the day, trying to entice her to play (which, at her age, may be challenging), providing “entertainment” for her by placing birdfeeders outside your window if you’re on a lower floor, or getting one of those DVD’s made especially for cats to see if that’ll keep her interested. The idea is to prevent her from sleeping all day long so she’ll be more tired at night.
K, thank you so much, Last night i left the Kitchen light on and she sleep through the night :), that was a good thing. I will check into the DVD for kitties, Can’t have a bird feed on our windows where i live. I have been for the past couple days waking her up about every 2 hrs and making her stay awake for a couple hrs each time. But last night was peaceful for both of us. thanks for the information on the DVD.
My Vera has been more vocal than usually n she seems to forget within an hour or less that I just fed her. She’s about 15 yrs old n seem a little underweight. But constantly wants to eat. She get can Soulistic n no seafood ones. She is also hangs around me more but I don’t mind it. I was wandering if she is experience early signs of Alz?
I’d take Vera to your vet as soon as possible. The weight loss, ravenous appetite and the vocalization could be an indicator of a number of health issues.
It’s weird. My cats have been yeowling at night for years now. Armani, my tux, just turned 13 in April. Nothing had really changed. Anyone have this experience? A lot of yeowling for many years starting when they were very young?
I have to cali his name out ~ loudly ~ to get him to stop. He does so immediately.
What do you think?
My elderly cat with dementia use to howl at night until I left a light on. He doesn’t venture upstairs anymore so leaving the hallway light on that shines in to all the downstairs rooms has helped tremendously and he no no longer howls
Thank you for sharing this – what a great suggestion.
I use to do the same. I had (and still do) the small plug in lights during the night and in the basement, one lamp was on all night for him. It did wonders.
Hi, our 17 year old cat has recently started to do the same as your cat – screaming, getting lost and she has now stopped going outside to go to the toilet, leading us to buy her a litter tray. We are intrigued to know how life threatening cat dementia can be, before we seek any professional advice.
Hello. Our 17 year old cat has recently shown signs of dementia such as screeming, getting very confused and stopped going outside to go to the toilet, leading us to buy her a litter tray. It would be great if we could get advice from you before going to seek the vets advice. Thanks A lot!
It’s important to rule out medical issues, Eloise. Some of the signs of dementia can also be signs of other illnesses. Please consult with your vet.
Thank you for a very quick reply. kind regards Eloise
I have an almost 19 year old Persian cat who I found on the street just about 3 years ago. She’s the sweetest darling and is definitely in the throws of dementia although it comes and goes. She’s become more feral and it’s hard to get her to stay indoors for longer than her feeding and to pet and love her which I do as much as she allows, She experiences confusion and I have felt for a while now that she’s living out fears from her past before I met her and she will often run away from me. It is heartbreaking. As she is mostly outdoors and sleeps out there in little dens or pukas as we call them in Hawaii, and comes in either the late afternoon or evenings I cannot get her to the vet without keeping her indoors, which means one very distressed cat all night and no sleep for me. She is otherwise extremely healthy and eating well yet she seems thinner than she used to be. What I started doing that seemed to calm her and bring her into the home for longer, was to send love to her, the feeling of love along with a picture of her lying relaxed in the house and I sent the feeling of relaxation along with that. I am going to try some suggestions given such as the coconut oil. I have rescue remedy and I have been giving her Omega 3 in her food for a while now. She only eats wet food as she has no teeth. I buy her a better food but it is commercial and processed so we know about that. I’m interested in the more natural supplements if they can be effective here and I’ve jotted down what has worked for others but I’m open to more success suggestions. I wish I could keep her in yet her very independent nature I think has helped her be in as good shape as she is. Her meows are much louder than she used to be and have a different sound to them. I’d so love to help her and give her very comfortable last years feeling safe and happy. She deserves it. Thankful for any suggestions.
It sounds like you’re doing everything you can to keep your kitty comfortable, Libby. I think you’re right that for her, the stress of bringing her inside would negatively affect her quality of life.
I have an outdoor feral cat that is 13 years old. I often worry about what will happen to her as she gets older….she stays nearby all day on the porch or in her house but she barely lets us pet her even after all these years. I dread her just disappearing from dementia…I feel for your situation. It is so hard to deal with feral cats when they get ill. You are doing all you can, rest assured.
My cat Tia has changed in the last 3 months she is very aggressive and cries a lot in her sleep. The biggest problem being is she is a Persian and will not let me brush her without hissing and swiping at me she is 13. It has been a great help reading your page and that there are a lot of other people in the same position.
Has she had a check up recently, Hazel? Sometimes, aggression in older cats can be a reaction to pain.
I bought rescue remedy in the last few months of my cat’s life to help calm him at nighttime. I found it worked well. You may need to look online to see who carries it in your area.
Thank you, I am going to try Rescue Remedy for my 16 year old indoor cat. She has CKD also but is exhibiting all the symptoms of dementia as well. She cries so incessantly at me sometimes and I can’t figure out what she wants….but she doesn’t seem to be in pain. The vet comes to the house and gives her steroid shots which has kept her appetite up and she’s put a little weight back on.
Great, that’s good news. I’ll try it + will take him to vet’s clinic for check-up.
Thanks for quick reply!
Hello.
I’ve just started reading up on feline senility & came across this site.
I live in Belgium & info on the subject seems to be scarce here.
I’ve 2 cats (brothers) aged 16. One is still his usual self but the other has all the dementia symptoms, yowling several times a night every night, and waking me up as well.
One the posts mentioned Bach’s Rescue Remedy. We can get this here too. Is the one for humans safe for cats or is there a special one for them??
I checked out your Graceful ageing herbal essences link & it’s very interesting. But it would take 2-4 weeks to ship, and apart from worrying about my cat’s health, I’mm sleep deprived.
Best wishes
There is a version of Rescue Remedy that is labeled for pets, Mel, at least here in the US. As far as I know, the ingredients are the same as the human formula. I have used the human version for my cats for decades, as does my vet!
FYI: Human version has alcohol in it
i have a 17 year old cat and she is showing many of these signs now that i believe she has this do you believe its time to put her down. I dont take her to the vet any more because all they every told me was she was getting old . What would you do
I don’t think dementia is a reason to euthanize a cat. This article may help you determine if and when it’s time: https://consciouscat.net/2011/08/22/euthanasia-the-loneliest-decision/
Liberty was never especially close to me – never a lap cat. She had a “silent purr.” She had spent 18 months of her first 2 years in a shelter when I adopted her 11.5 years ago — she’s 13.5 years old now and her behavior changes of late are strange. She goes to the hall to yowl every now and then, and I talk back to her. She is occasionally jumping in my lap or on the back of my chair; when I lean my head back against her she purrs.She has started to sleep longer and fit herself against me when we sleep –but if I have to get up for any reason, she doesn’t budge, where she used to leap from the bed and go elsewhere. She has become more social with me and actually seems to be smarter than she used to be. She saw the vet not long ago and lost 4 back teeth, but was otherwise declared healthy as can be. Perhaps she was dealing with dental pain and is acting better for that reason, but I also changed her food to one that is more natural and high in animal protein. Hard to tell what is going on in that Tuxedo head…This is great information for dealing with Liberty — I want to keep her as long as possible, and the way she is going with GOOD weird behavior changes, that may be a long long time. Thank you for this.
I hope you have many more years with Liberty, Smokey!
The only remaining cat I have from my mother, who died in 2007, is Frito. He is an orange tabby cat who is at least 15 years old. He was wolfing down his food so quickly he would immediately throw it all up, so we started giving him two bowls; first only a spoonful then the rest in the second bowl. This seems to help. He has always been a loud kitty, but recently his cries could peel the paint off the walls. When he is meowing in the kitchen I pick him up and put his nose into his food or his saucer of milk. (Lactaid or other lactose-free milk – regular milk gives cats very bad diarrhea.) I need to do this about every 10 minutes. I was saying jokingly I was certain he had feline Alzheimers, then lo and behold, I found your post. He still uses the litter box, drinks a lot of water and cuddles up with me at night, but he is getting very skinny. We want to keep him as long as we can, and hopefully this plateau he is on won’t lead to a decline too soon.
Have you had Frito checked for hyperthyroidism, Gigi?
My “baby” is now l8 (last December) and originally the vet thought she had behavioral problems because she quit using her litter box. She recommended Feliway. I tried that for a month and it did no good. Because of the litter box issue, I had to keep Kodak in the crate I use for our Great Dane. The odd thing is that Kodak seems to like it there. She would come out only to sit in front of it all day. She uses the litter box I kept in the crate, but she also sleep in it from time to time.
It’s been two months and she will finally come out into other rooms of the house now and even be friendly to some of the family. She seems to be mimicking my Mother-In-Law who lives here bed fast with Alzheimers.
She hasn’t vocalized during the night, and I’m thankful for that. But she does at about 6:30 every morning like clockwork.
She’s also lost weight and we’ve started feeding her wet cat food in addition to her dry she’s she’s been eating all along.
It’s hard to watch a cat decline like this, Jan. It sounds like she’s still comfortable and enjoying life, though.
My 19year old cat Twitchy vocalizes loudly at night. She lost her hearing about a year ago, and is now exhibiting symptoms of dementia. Her appetite is anomalous, though. She seems ravenous, and we feed her a spoonful of high quality wet food every 2 hours throughout the day. When she howls at night, we feed her then too. And she has a bowl full of dry food to nibble as she pleases. We set up a bed for her right near her food and water dish. She still pees in the littler box, but occasionally poops elsewhere. I can see that she is fading, but is not quite ready to give up. We try to make her comfortable as possible. Sometimes she sits in front of a large floor mirror we have and waits for it to open like a door. it’s very sad to see her decline. It’s the extremely loud vocalizing that worries me, as we live in an apartment building and our neighbors can hear her. Her aging resembles what is happening to my mother and mother in law, both in advanced old age and exhibiting many of the same symptoms! A trip to the vet would be too stressful for her but I want to make sure nothing hurts her. Have not been successful at finding a house call vet. Any ideas?
I urge you to find a house call vet, Lori. You may want to ask your regular vet whether they would consider making a house call, some vets will do that for existing clients. They combination of ravenous appetite and howling could be symptomatic of hyperthyroidism.
I have a 17 year old male. We are treating for a UTI right now with Baytril. However, he meows very loud at night and does seem confused at times. He looks around like he’s not sure where he is. This is mostly at night. He has been through alot. We lost our two girls last summer (one month apart). Just two weeks after the second one passed, I took in a stray. Fluffy wasn’t to fond of that. My dearest friend passed away in December. She had 2 male cats and she asked me to take care of them for her. So now I have 4. 3 males, one female. My children also married and moved out and we remodeled the upstairs. So much has happened that I attributed his actions to all this. Now I am wondering if it is dementia. If I go to pick him up, he sometimes growls at me (so I thought maybe arthritis?). He has had all blood work done with a clean bill of health except the UTI. Does this sound like dementia?
You sure have had a lot of loss recently, Nancy – I’m so sorry. Based on your description of your 17-year-old cat’s behavior, it does sound like he could have dementia. The fact that he growls when you pick him up definitely makes me think there’s pain present. I would talk to your vet about pain control options, if you haven’t already done so.
Ingrid, Thank you. I started Rescue Remedy in Fluffy’s water and for two nights now, he has slept during the night well. He only cried out at 5 a.m. and that was to eat. Maybe the RR calms him down somewhat. I put about 4 drops in his water. I made an appt. with a vet who specializes in geriatric cats. The appt. is set for 9/11 at 4:40. If this is dementia, I am hoping we can slow down the process. Thank you for your reply and I’ll let you know how the appt. goes on Wednesday.
I’m glad the RR is helping, Nancy. You may also want to look at Graceful Aging from Spirit Essences: http://bit.ly/1cOLOiV
My cat is 12 and receives sub-Q fluids for kidney disease. She has been fine on this for over four years now, but in the last six weeks she has begun showing signs of dementia: avoiding all the places that used to be her very favorites to lie in, not responding to morning greetings or meal-time announcements, strangely trotting to and from the litter box as if frightened, seeming to forget to eat and then wolfing down food when it’s placed in front of her, getting uncharacteristically aggressive before sub-Q treatments, no longer approaching us for pets, hiding under beds, occasionally yowling, and just generally displaying a flat affect. I feel like she slipped away from me before I realized what was happening, and that the cat I love is already gone. I feel such grief…
I’m so sorry about your kitty, Ann. It’s hard to watch this happen, my heart goes out to you.
Ann, Are you giving anything else for the kidney disease besides fluids? I treated my girl for 10 years with this disease. She passed on 5/11/12 from congestive heart failure. With treatment, we gave her 10 extra years to her life and in those 10 years she blessed our souls with her presence! I’ve learned so very much about CRF, Anemia, Phosphorus and so on. If you have any questions, maybe I can help. Take care and hugs to your little one.
I am so sorry about the dementia. I just finished reading your first post (which I should have done in the beginning). Dementia frightens me more than the kidney disease. I think we have to learn about it and do the best we can. I’m so sorry for what you are going through. I think my boy has dementia starting too. However, there are meds for it and I currently have Fluffy on Rescue Remedy (4 drops in his water) and he seems to be relaxing better at night now. So you may want to give that a try. It won’t cause any side effects and is good with the CRF.
My 14 year old cat, Simon, was diagnosed with feline dementia 2 weeks ago. But he has been showing symptoms for about 2 months. The night yeowling is the most distressing. It is disrupting sleep for my entire family. The vet prescribed Valium, but it is not very effective. I find myself contemplating euthanasia every night. I just don’t know how much longer I can put my family through this. I am heart-broken and guilt-wracked.
I’m so sorry about Simon, Loretha. I know it’s distressing. There may be other drug options if the Valium isn’t working – talk to your vet.
I too have a cat who’s clearly on the decline neurologically. I know how frustrating it is to be awoken at night with the yowling…unfortunately in my case my cat is so attached to me that he does not leave my side all night and decides to paw and meow in my face while I am sleeping about every 2-3 hours all throughout the night. My kitty is 15 years old and is also diabetic, which has also taken a toll on him in the last few years. If your kitty is otherwise healthy I would talk to your vet about possibly starting on amino acid or other supplements in kitties diet to help slow the progression, additionally there are pheromone plug ins that you can also buy according to my vet that can help lessen kitties anxiety. I know it’s rough trust me, hope this helps.
I have cats but my elderly dog shows signs of dementia. She was waking up several times in the middle of the night barking in fear. We tried the sedatives but she habituated to them and I didn’t want to increase dosage. We began using herbal Tranquility Drops. They work wonderfully. It has calmed her and allows her to sleep all night. She is less anxious during the day,
I’m glad the blend is working for your dog, Becky. I’m not familiar with the product, and would like to caution cat guardians to be careful with herbal remedies, as not all herbs are safe for cats.
Loretha, I just found your post from 2013. So sorry about Simon. My 16 year old cat, Roxie is also keeping me awake from 2:00 am on. I too think about euthanasia. She seems pretty good during the day, but the nightime meowing is terrible. My vet is having a hard time understanding why I’m talking about euthanasia of a cat that is healthy otherwise. Interrupted sleep is literally torture and I can barely function even though my cat seems fine with it. It’s a terrible dilemma. Just wanted to know how you resolved your issue with Simon.
My cat tessa has dementia the vet prescribed Amitriyline and for a miinth it seemed to help but now the refuses to eat, and I’m afraid I’ll have to euthanize her it breaks my heart. I am so worried I can’t eat or sleep well. I promised her I wouldn’t force fees her. I but I can’t let go even as I write this I’m abouts to break down. But she has made the decision I think Shea tired of the drama. She lives to be wrapped up in her orange blanket and sleep on MT shoulder or chest.I wish I could do more.
I’m so sorry about Tessa, Barbara. It’s such an awful decision to have to make. Maybe this article will help you: https://consciouscat.net/2011/08/22/euthanasia-the-loneliest-decision/
My 17 and a half year old cat has started exhibiting symptoms of dementia. Yowling, loss of appetite, lethargy, chronic constipation, increased anxiety at night, and increased sleeping time. All of the symptoms except for yowling and constipation have come on suddenly. She has had a vet checkup with a complete blood count. Everything came back normal. I have done some research online and found a natural supplement called Cholodin-Fel. It is supposed to help if not reverse the symptoms of this sad condition. It has received good reviews. I am anxious to get this and start trying it on her. I will post follow up results.
There are some studies on the human side that show that choline may help prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia, so it could potentially help cats as well. I’ll look forward to hearing how it’s working for your cat, Tami.
Hi Tami,
Thank you for the information. I am so glad I found this site. My kitty (age unknown) but estimated to be between 15 and 16 started to have the symptoms of dementia. I took Maya to the vet and jokingly mentioned that she is behaving as though she has Alzheimer’s. I had no idea that it was possible. She had a rapid onset and the condition has progressed rapidly. She keeps me up most nights with the incessant yowling. I am so sleep deprived. I will try the Cholodin-Fel and possibly the B12. This is the first and only cat that I have ever had with this condition. I have had many cats over a 30 year period and all were old when they developed what we would consider human illnesses. Cancer, arthritis, heart disease, thyroid and kidney. I want Maya to be as well as possible under the circumstances.
All my best to Maya as you help her through this phase of her life, Danielle.
Our Kira at almost 16 does have some signs of dementia, notably yowling for no apparent reason. She’ll stand in the hall and just meow loudly a few times. When I go to her she’ll follow me back to my office, but often will go back and yowl again! We’re also pretty sure her sight is dimming and that she has some arthritis. We make sure she can get to her favorite sleeping places and also up on the bed to sleep with us at night, plus we’ve placed phone books under her food and water dishes so she doesn’t have to lean down as far. She plays less and for less time, but seems to enjoy it when she does. So she’s old but still perking along, and we’re happy to have her still come to greet us when we’ve been out even if it was only for a trip to the grocery store!
Awesome post Ingrid about a topic which isn’t often brought up but should be.
Thanks, Moki!
As always, I traded notes and symptoms between my cats and my mother as I watched them all grow older. Most of my geriatric cats stayed as sharp as nails even up to the last days, only a few showed any signs of dementia in the last few months, and I think part of what I saw had to do with failing hearing and eyesight and related disorientation. But the environmental stimulation is so very important–my mother benefited from activities and constant conversation in personal care, and my older cats have always had me and other cats around to keep them moving with a lot of touching and routine.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Bernadette.
Peaches (knock on wood) isn’t showing any of these signs either…..well, there WAS that time she peed on my favorite work shoes….but she was mad at me for letting Monkey move in. lol Peaches is my smartest cat, undisputably among the most intelligent cats I’ve ever lived with. But she IS getting up there, so I saw this link and felt I should check. Great subject, thanks a lot for posting on it.
I’m glad Peaches is not showing any signs, Lynn.
Liquid Vitamin B-12 shots really help with this. My cat began to show signs of dementia at the very end of his life. He was already on all of the other recommended supplements and diet, but when we introduced the B-12 we saw a marked and almost miraculous improvement. It also aids greatly in intestinal health in older cats. They are given subcutaneously, so it’s easy to do at home without hurting your cat, and after an initial build-up, you only need one shot per month. Plus, it’s very inexpensive.
That’s interesting about the B12 injectins. I had heard of a connection between B12 and dementia in humans, but had not heard of anyone using this for cats for this indication. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing. My cat, Armani, is a big bruiser and is yeolwing at night and just started doing this in the morning as well. I will look into B12 shots. I cannot think of any more I can do!!
Great post! I was actually just looking this up today. My oldest is 13 but (knock on wood) I don’t think he has any of the signs.
I’m glad it was such good timing for you, Julia – and even happier that your oldest is not showing any signs of dementia.