My senior cat is breathing heavy, weak, and not eating. What's wrong?

Cassie sounds very ill at the moment, and at her age, there are a number of things that could be causing her symptoms such as heart disease, kidney failure, liver disease, or cancer to name a few. I think she needs veterinary care now. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Mecia is having trouble breathing, she should be seen by a vet immediately as she may require stabilization such as fluids or supplemental oxygen to make her more comfortable. A vet may recommend euthanasia, but no vet will euthanize Mecia without your consent.

Oh dear! Poor Prince. I'm afraid these are very concerning symptoms. This does sound like a life-threatening problem, so I would recommend taking him to an emergency vet tonight to be seen. If this isn't possible, then he needs to see your regular veterinarian first thing in the morning. He will likely need blood work and x-rays to help diagnose the problem and see what can be done to help.

These signs are probably not due to old age alone and there is likely something going on with Shadoe. Unfortunately, without a full physical exam and diagnostic testing, it is not possible to determine what could be causing these signs. However, lethargy and eating and drinking very little along with weight loss are very concerning signs that warrant a visit to the veterinarian. Here are some resources that will hopefully help you afford a vet for Shadoe: 1) You can see if your vet accepts payment plans. 2) Look for a low cost clinic in your area 3) Try to apply for Care Credit online (www.carecredit.com) 4) There is an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants (redrover.org) 5) Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website (bestfriends.org)

Nini sounds very ill at them moment, and I would consider his symptoms a medical emergency. He could be suffering from diabetes, kidney failure, liver failure, heart disease, or even cancer among others causing his symptoms. Being this weak as well as not eating and drinking requires an immediate vet visit. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck!

I am so sorry to hear about Charlie, it sounds as though she is doing quite poorly. Unfortunately at this age there are many possible causes for her symptoms including kidney disease, thyroid disease, dental disease, cancers, and more. She is not going to improve without medical intervention if she is as you describe. If you are unable to afford diagnostics/treatment, I would recommend considering humanely euthanizing her, as it sounds as though she is suffering. If you want to look into resources for helpin affording vet bills you can look at https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care

Poor Garfield. At age 17 that is an awful lot going on and I'd be worried there is an underlying issue such as kidney or organ failure, disease, etc. Since he's so old and is having so many symptoms, it's best to bring him to your vet ASAP. They will likely want to run a few tests such as bloodwork or an X-ray to check his organ function, etc. If you can, bringing in urine or stool samples can also help with any testing and help streamline the process. Until you can get the vet, keeping him as comfortable as possible and keeping his eyes and nose clear with a clean washcloth can help. Some cats also do better eating if they can smell the food, so warming up his food or adding some boiled chicken that is smelly may encourage him to eat a little until you can be seen.