Why is my senior cat suddenly inactive, hiding, and not eating well?

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)

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.

Poor Nelson! From your description, I would say that something is definitely wrong. 13 or 14 years is really not overly old for a cat, certainly not old enough to cause these symptoms due to "old age." Some common causes of weight loss, decreased appetite, and acting lethargic along with peeing in odd places and difficulty walking would include diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or chronic kidney disease. I would recommend having Nelson examined by a vet as soon as you are able to - he/she can do basic blood work and a urinalysis to check for these problems and help determine what is causing his symptoms. In many cases, these illnesses are quite treatable once a diagnosis is made, so there's a good chance that your vet will be able to help.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite and diarrhea can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Otto evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a good night! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. It sounds like your kitty is very ill. I would recommend taking him to an emergency clinic (or his regular clinic tomorrow if an emergency clinic is not possible) for an exam and labwork. This could be something treatable (or at least manageable, if not curable) or it may not be. I would be worried about kidney disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, cancer, and liver disease - it could definitely be other things too, but these are at the top of my list. Good luck with your kitty. Let me know if this was helpful advice or setup a consultation if you need further help.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear that Kitty is not feeling very well. With the description and blood results, I worry about a condition known as hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) or triaditis (inflammation of the pancreas, liver and small intestines). For fatty liver disease, a feeding tube is generally recommended to help bring cats out of this condition as nutritional support is key and extremely important in these cases. I would recommend an abdominal ultrasound as the next diagnostic step to help better determine what the cause could be. If Kitty is still not wanting to eat, you need to consider hospitalization and feeding tube placement to help her get through this. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Older cats are prone to many diseases, including kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, infections, cancer, etc. He should be examined by a vet for a work-up with blood-work and a urinalysis to help diagnose and then determine the best way to treat and manage his problems.