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Sorry, too, Susan; my big dog went to 14, with almost no trouble, but deafness, then a stroke.... that they managed to get old helps, but it still hurts. I'm glad you still have one baby left....
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Susan, I am so sorry, it is never easy.
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Susan,
So nice to see you posting today.
I am very sorry about your losing the old guy.
It is never easy to lose our pets, when they have become our family.
Condolences.
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I am down to just my cat now. :-( Lost my dog about 10 days ago. Sure miss the old guy.
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FrequentFlyer-thanks again:)...we took our Callie in (she is also 17 years old) and she does have kidney disease. Thanks to you we caught it early. The vet said that with diet, we should be able to keep it from progressing. So today she starts on Science Diet-wish us luck:)...thank you because of your post we did catch it in the early stage. Other than that she is a very healthy and active cat and hopefully we can keep her that way for awhile longer! Thanks! I have learned so much on this forum and am so grateful for it.
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The sad thing is; we really are! I am amazed at the stuff vets suggest, do - if you don't ask before they do it - and the prices they charge. Years ago I found out you can feed a cat (usually males) tuna. beef, or chicken juice or milk, mixed with warm water 2-3 times in a day or two (about 1/2 c each time) if they get the urine blocking thing (like cystitis), caused by crystals from dry cat foods or mineral water, like we have here. The symptoms are going into the cat box often, not doing much, or anything, and going back in. At some point they may cry when trying to urinate. The vet will hydrate them and charge $150+ and it could have to be done again in 2-4 months. I have managed 3 cats with the juice/warm water therapy instead, and one lived to 16, one 11, and my current one is around 12 so far.... well worth trying if you ever have this problem.
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Well, after the disaster with our elder feral Farrah a few weeks ago, now our 5 year old feral Ebony had to the vet for a huge abcess on her face. Seems he got a puncture wound and it displaced his fang and some other teeth. He swelled up like a golf ball overnight, and hubs found him in the yard, rushed him to the vet and they said he would have died if we had not brought him in. Fever of 105, jailed in the garage for the time being, just got him home,, all sleepy and drunk. And I really don't want to think about the bill hubs charged.. LOL ( not really LOL). So a few more days of detention and we can let him out of the garage. Giving these drugs is fun with a feral, but now all the shots are done. Thank God we don't have any others!! Between the puppy and this I am putting the vets kids through college!
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Veronica - I had that philosophy too until my beloved George got cancer. Then it was a question of finding something that would tempt him to eat at all. After he died, my girl Carmella (also an SPCA cat) fell into a very deep depression, and refused to eat ANYTHING for a MONTH. She was literally wasting away. I kept trying different things until she finally succumbed to the SMELLIEST of fish flavours from Fancy Feast. Eventually (after about 2 or 3 months) she became willing to eat other flavours. But she is still so skinny, I'd prefer to let her be picky than see her refuse to eat.  

So that's how that happens, sometimes.

Young Bruce would eat anything, but I'm still accommodating my girl. She is going to be 14 this year, and lost her lifelong best friend/companion only a year ago (and since mine are indoor cats, it's not like she had any other cat friends).....she's probably earned the right to eat nothing but pate.

Kidney disease - as I've learned from my mom and her kidney disease - can be somewhat managed (or managed for a time) with diet. My mom managed to maintain her kidney function at a static level - and thus avoid dialysis - for 10 extra years just by following the dietician's guidelines to the letter.
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You're right; at 17 I would let him have what he likes...
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Caregiver2020, the jury is still out on the Royal Canin wet food. On round one he liked the "D" favor. I will need to buy some more small cans from the Vet [not a case full] to try round 2 of the experiment to see if we have a winner.

So far he has refused any and all special diet dry food. It's a tough call, as the cat is on the thin side and I rather see him eat whatever he likes then loose weight. The cat is 17 years old, similar to an elder parent, you just give up and let them have ice cream for breakfast :P
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freqflyer, thank you so much for this information on kidney disease in older cats. I suspect our Callie may have this and we are taking her in tomorrow to get her checked. Is Charlie still eating the Royal Canin? Thank You:)
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Mally1, it was Charlie's blood test for his Senior Wellness Exam. The Vet said the test showed an elevation of whatever for his kidneys. Otherwise the only noticeable symptom is when you scoop out the urinary clump from the litter box and the clump is super large, then that is telling us the cat is drinking a lot of water for some reason.

I think the special diet promotes the cat to drink even more water. The secret of more water is to place numerous water bowls around the house.
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FF, just curious; why is your Charlie (I have a "Charlie", too) having to be on prescription food? What were his symptoms? I have a reason for asking....
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Cats that refuse food in my house tend to get a little hungry. When we had the farm and several cats everyone gulped their dish down before someone else took it. No leaving some for later. My current cat has never refused anything either, guess that comes from spending time in the SPCA.
Kidney failure is very common in older cats in fact my Vet daughter says most get it sooner or later.
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Oh FF, that's going to be tricky. Poor Charlie.  That's the problem with the kidneys, is they have to go low protein....which is probably why wet food is out.   Tricky for cats, too, since they are obligate carnivores.  The only other option is probably to make his meals yourself....which is a lot of work!

My best guy friend faithfully feeds Royal Canin from the time they are kittens. His cats now are only 4 (siblings), so it's too soon to tell.....but the two he had before them lived to 19 and 21, respectively. I'm skeptical of prescription diets, but there must be something good in the Royal Canin! That is, if Charlie will eat it......

Edit:  I have a bunch of canned food my cats have done the exact same thing with!  I was thinking I would take them to the SPCA next week, along with the 2 lovely, soft, not-so-cheap beds I bought just before I brought Bruce home, that neither of them will use.  Or I might take them to the pet food bank....they just opened up last year.  You might have a pet food bank in your area, too.  Or even the regular food banks will accept and distribute pet food.  (I think you call them food pantries in the US?) 
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Well, this is going to be interesting, "Charlie" really needs to be on a special kidney diet. Oh great, I remember trying special diet prescription with him last year and he would try to cover it up... yep, that was his opinion of THAT food.

Yesterday the Vet gave me Royal Canin to try as I hadn't tried that brand before. Say what? Charlie was actually eating the wet food. I hope tomorrow he does the same thing... you know how cats can be.... you find something they like to eat, order a case of it, and they totally ignore the 2nd can.... [sign].
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I have a 2 yr old female that NEVER makes a sound (unless her brother has her in a headlock, tho it's usually the other way 'round), and a deaf from birth white female who never meows, but will shriek while she plays by herself (at night; sure is a jolt from a sound sleep!). Sometimes the shriek turns to a noise like she's afraid; I think she suddenly feels lost or alone, because if I turn on the light, she quits. She's 12 1/2 now, still looks like a kitten, and such a character! People who don't like cats have no idea....
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You know what's funny....I don't actively encourage my cats to talk. George, the feline love of my life, hardly ever spoke a "word," and when he did, it was a short, sharp "MEH," usually blasted in complaint of being picked up or something. And I adored him for his silence - he talked to me with his eyes and his body language and his rumbling purr, and that worked for me! Carmella became a pretty quiet girl along the way, too.

Now Bruce, he may be a talker. He has a few sounds....the cutest one is the "chirp." Which he uses when he's feeling kittenish and lovey-dovey and is about to jump on me. I am not sure if I want to encourage this, though.

I dated this guy once....it lasted MAYBE two months. And his cats....they never, ever, EVER shut up! After it was over, I realized they were a product of his way of being....because HE never, ever, EVER shut up either! Drove me mad! It was like he constantly had to fill up any peaceful, silent space with the noise of his own voice.  Even when we weren't hanging out together, he'd be texting me all day. (I was working on a friend's ranch then, and didn't have free hands for that nonsense, never mind time to stop and reply. "Don't you have work to do?" I'd eventually text. "I'm doing it!" he'd text back from the comfort of his desk.) (Yeah, that was never gonna work out.)

My point....I realized my cats' silence is a product of my own lifestyle, which is to enjoy a lot of quiet time at home. (As a musician, I like to be able to hear the music in my head.) So I dunno if Bruce will ever become a chatty fellow.

I read somewhere that cats are actually pretty silent creatures once they become adults (except for their mating rituals), and that they developed their vocalizations solely for the purpose of communicating with humans, rather than other cats!  Which is kind of neat!
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Dorianne, if Bruce can make a variety of different sounds, instead of the normal "meow" sounds that most cats make, you may have a talker on your hands.

Back in the 1970's I had a Siamese mix "Alex" that had a variety of sounds, so I tried word association with him. Just a couple of words to see if he would parrot them and understand the word usage. I used the "one word" only technique as that was easier. Like the words "Mom", "Out", "No", etc.

Eventually Alex surprised me with one sentence "I want out" in cat accent. It was clear enough sounding that when we had friends over to visit, both of them said "did that cat say what I think he said 'I want out'?" Then we started talking about it, ignoring the cat, Alex was losing patience so he then said "I want out NOW !!" Oh my gosh, we were rolling on the floor laughing, and yes, Alex went outside.

So I have been doing the word association with Charlie for the past 17 years. He has an interesting vocabulary.  Charlie would be upstairs and I would be downstairs calling for him. I start laughing whenever he would say "what?" like he is annoyed.

Cats can be so interesting :))
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Hah, ff! I was in the back collecting Bruce's blankets when the thermometer incident happened. I had my back turned away from him, but he was only 6 feet away.  He YOWLED, and I swear he was saying, "JEEZ, mom, did you see that? Did you SEE what they just DID to me????" When the ladies handed him back, he grabbed onto my shoulder with all his claws and was not letting go, ever!

Bruce does NOT like the vet's office.

The up side is I'm the one who took him out of there after the thermometer incident, so he was extra lovey-dovey when we got back here, and still is. I think I'm his hero now!

Edit:  the funny thing is, everyone at the vet's office adores Bruce.  We are kind of in the "poorer" side of town.  The vet's office does a brisk business in doggies....but I think they mostly see cats when they're sick and/or at the end of life.  So even the vet himself giggles when he sees fluffy, shiny, healthy, curious Kitten-Bruce. 
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LOL.... my cat doesn't mind going to the Vet... I think he enjoys having all those young pretty girls having their hands all over him. It's just when he is taken to the back room and I am not there with him, he is yelling "Mom" [yes, he actually says that word with a cat accent]. The Vet and her helping will eventually bring Charlie back, smiling and giggling. Oh dear, I wonder what else he was saying. So far he doesn't parrot any bad words.
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Everyone knows that the temperature rectally may be one degree higher, just make the appropriate adjustments if you do go ff.

Since chocolate is poisonous for pets, just don't expect to come home with a chocolate treat from the vet.
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I dunno though....the vet takes your temperature via your bottom!

Bruce did NOT like that one little bit.
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FF I think you should go to the Vet. You will probably get better treatment and come out with some treats
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I have to chuckle, my cat got a postcard in the mail from his Vet. It is time for his "Senior Wellness Exam". It came at the same time my own doctor sent me a similar post card :)
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So....Bruce seems just fine and dandy. I got him a new feather fishing pole toy - the one that has a fishing lure weight to make it really seem to fly! These are the best ones. Anyway, I wish you guys could have seen him running and JUMPING on the weekend! You would NEVER have known he was ever sick!

He is better than any cat I've had about taking his medicine, too. Of course, I made them give me the liquid antibiotics, but still. Carmella would fight me every step of the way if it were her! And I'd definitely come out bleeding. But Bruce just accepts his fate, lol.

I think I might be a little under the weather now, though. Maybe I stressed myself out too much. When the vet first said licorice could kill a cat, I just about lost my s***! But yeah, it wasn't the licorice, and if I hadn't caught him with the licorice, this pancreatitis mightn't have been caught in time!

He doesn't seem TOO put out about the loss of people food. He always wants Temptations though....just giving him fewer.
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My husband was really bad about feeding my dog people food. He would make her a bologna sandwich cutting it up in small pieces while I was at work. He gave her other unhealthy things too. She became sick, vomiting, diarrhea, fever. She had mild pancreatitis. I had to feed her boiled chicken with rice and cottage cheese as well as give her meds. She recovered and is fine. Please be careful what you feed your pets.
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I always tell the vet what our chi eats.. she has an egg almost every day at our house, but we have cut off her bacon connection (mom). The vet told me at the last visit she has never seen a 9 yr old chi as slim and petite as Bella.. then told me NO People food because it can cause pancreatitis Now I have read in 2 dog magizines that eggs are great for dogs, high in protein and good things? So she is still getting her scrambled egg.. But we try to remember "no part of the hog is good for the dog".. We laughed over that one but it's easy to remember! Chloe the Chug has just discovered people food,, OMG she is an awful beggar! We need to use treats for her potty training...
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