My 15-year-old cat is always in bed. Is this a health issue?

Moxie is such a handsome boy! While older cats do slow down as they age and sleep more, it can also be an indication of an illness. The best thing to do is have him checked out by a vet, and I would take him into the vet this week for a check up. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Baybee. Cats, by nature, hide signs of illness well. So any change in behavior can be significant. I think it is worth having her evaluated by a veterinarian. She may be painful somewhere or have an internal disease starting. The veterinarian will examine her and may recommend testing such as bloodwork. Based on these results, treatment can be started if necessary. I hope this information helps!

I would have Carmen checked out by a vet. Whenever there is a behavior change, it's a good idea to have a health check done by a vet. It may not be that she is at the end of her life, it could be she has an illness that may be able to be treated. I wouldn't make an assumptions about her reaching the end of her life without having her seen by a vet. Give your vet a call today to make an appointment. Best of luck.

Older cats do tend to sleep more than younger cats, but if this is a sudden increase in lethargy, then I would recommend that you have Smokey checked out by a vet. After a thorough physical exam, the vet will probably recommend bloodwork to check for internal medical illness, such as diabetes, infection, kidney disease, etc. If the bloodwork is normal, they may discuss changes that have occurred around the house, or may recommend a trial of pain medications in case Smokey is painful from arthritis.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is normal for cats to slow down as they age. If you are concerned about your cats activity, I recommend having her seen by a vet to make sure she doesn’t have an underlying medical issue. You should also make sure your cat has not lost weight recently, as that is a common symptom of illness. A respiratory rate of 25 is relatively normal for cats, but if you think she is having trouble breathing, she should be seen by a vet immediately. I hope all is well and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Certainly as cats age - and at 10 years old Jack is considered a "senior" cat - they start to sleep more. However, cats often give us almost no real signs that they are experiencing illness other than an increase in the amount of time they are asleep. So it's easy to write off what is truly "lethargy" as just more sleeping. It may sound like an unimportant distinction, but in a species that is so difficult to interpret, I'd always default to getting a checkup before just assuming that this is a normal change associated with aging.

He may be in pain from arthritis and therefore prefers not to move much. Old cats sleep a lot as well. You may want to take him to a feline veterinarian and ask about arthritis in cats, and have him checked for it. A feline vet will be more likely to prescribe a particular NSAID (off-label) for your cat if there is pain than a "regular" vet.