Why is my senior cat wheezing, wobbly, not eating, and incontinent?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. The falling over may be due to weakness or possibly neurological disease. That can also be why she is sleeping more. Urinating in unusual places is almost always due to a urinary tract condition such as an infection, stones, among other possibilities. I recommend that you have Sophie 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 great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery! 


I'm sorry to hear that Midnight is doing so poorly. As Dr. Darvishian mentioned, breathing changes are a medical emergency and should be addressed by an emergency vet right away. It's possible that Midnight's breathing changes, coughing, weight loss, weakness, appetite and drinking changes, and lethargy could be due to congestive heart failure, asthma, cancer, or many other issues. She's likely experiencing restlessness and a loss of appetite because she can't breathe well enough to comfortably lay down or swallow. I strongly recommend taking Midnight to an emergency vet right away. This is not a situation that can be managed at home. I hope that everything goes well.

Poor Bob! He could be walking wobbly and sideways due to pain. It could be he's suffering from arthritis, and it hurts for him to walk. While it's good that he's drinking and eating, it is concerning you haven't seen him urinate. That's could be another cause of him suddenly walking funny, there could be a potential he has a blocked bladder. That would explain why you haven't seen him urinate. I would watch him very closely. If the wobbliness continues or gets worse, you see him try to urinate but nothing comes out, he strains to urinate, he cries in pain when trying to urinate, he starts vomiting, or he becomes very lethargic, you will need to take him into a vet immediately. I hope this helps!

Your kitty obviously is having a health problem and needs to be seen by a vet. Being wobbly is a sign either of neurological origin or weakness or serious hip pain caused by arthritis. Please take her to a veterinarian for a geriatric wellness exam today.

Your kitty needs to be seen by a vet. These are concerning symptoms in an older cat. They can become dehydrated very easily. Not eating can be caused by numerous things including things with the gi tract itself and diseases of any other organ system (kidneys, liver, etc). Your vet can perform an exam and then likely will recommend starting with bloodwork +/- xrays. This is the best plan to figure out what is going on and to get your kitty feeling better. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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

Sounds like your cat has something affecting her nervous system and it is pretty severe. He nerves innervate the eyes, influence her stance, her gait and also her mentation (ability to be aware of her surroundings). Several things can affect the nervous system including toxins, chemicals, liver shunts, primary brain stem lesions and tumors, and severe liver disease. I would highly recommend taking her in to your vet for baseline bloodwork and radiographs to start. Her lab work findings will help them pinpoint what is going on with her internally so that you can best help your furry friend. There really isn't much you can do for her at home until you know exactly what is going on with her and then get the vet to prescribe medications to help her condition. I hope she feels better soon.