My cat is acting odd
 

My cat is acting strange, and I am not sure if she is sick, or if I should take her in to see a vet. Sometimes she when she meows, its almost as though she lost her voice, and its a tiny, half a meow. She is usually pretty vocal so its odd for her. Also, she seems to be afraid of me when its happening. She isn't lathargic. She seems to be pretty regular as far as the litter box goes, and she is eating/drinking.
Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

How old is she? Has she been spayed?

Yes she has been spayed. She is about 17-18 years old. It might just be old age, but she has never acted like this before.

Acing afraid may mean she is in pain animals often diplayu fear when they hurt

When was the last time she was at the vet? What's her name by the way ?


Does she meow at unusual times now, or is it just the voice is missing?

Her name is Paco. :) She was at the vet some time within the last year or so. I had her teeth cleaned, and a blood panel done. They said the results were good at that time. I may have to take her in for another panel. I can't tell how or where she is in pain if she is.

And her meow is less than usual. She often acts harrassed when I pick her up, by giving a loud meow to dispute being disturbed. But now its just a tiny little meow.

Seniors should get bloodwork at least annually.

Do you have any pictures you can post of Paco?

[QUOTE=Love4himies;583307]Seniors should get bloodwork at least annually.
[/QUOTE]

Well, actually, ALL cats should ideally have a full bloodwork panel and urinanalysis annually.

[B]SENIORS should have it done TWICE a year.[/B]

[url=http://www.aafponline.org/resources/guidelines/senior/FelineSeniorCareGuidelines_27pages.pdf][b]Here's[/b][/url] some very detailed info on this, including a once-a-month checklist for you to use....maybe there are already things going on that shouldn't be! There's also a very thorough Vet checklist.....

Paco is now (at least) the equivilant of a 78 year-old human...off to the Vet!

Just so you know, my kitty Jake (9 years old) came down with a herpes outbreak and ever since then, his voice has been raspy. It doesn't look like it's going to ever come back. It's a shame, because I loved his voice and he's a vocal boy too, but he's had a full workup, and he's healthy otherwise. :sad: :shrug:

I agree with the others though, Paco might be sick (like Jake was when it happened), and a full workup is a good idea.

Good luck - keep us posted!

[QUOTE=Love4himies;583307]Seniors should get bloodwork at least annually.

Do you have any pictures you can post of Paco?[/QUOTE]

Paco seems to be acting normal again for now. I will take her in for testing ASAP, and keeping a close eye on her. Thanks for the advise everyone!

My avatar is a picture of Paco, but I will see if I can come up with a bigger one!

[QUOTE=RUSTYcat;583628]Well, actually, ALL cats should ideally have a full bloodwork panel and urinanalysis annually.

[B]SENIORS should have it done TWICE a year.[/B]


QUOTE]

I guess if you want to keep your vets in their BMW's, but all the vets that I have taken my cats to, they have only recommended blood work over the age of 8 in [B]healthy[/B] cats, annually, and semi on generic cats that have some health issues.

[QUOTE=Love4himies;584060]...all the vets that I have taken my cats to, they have only recommended blood work over the age of 8 in [B]healthy[/B] cats, annually, and semi on generic cats that have some health issues.[/QUOTE]

Yyyyyyykes!

[B]Love4himies[/B]...those Vets are following the AAFP guidelines (almost*) to a "T".

Six month evaluations (for cats without clinical signs of disease) should comprise "medical and behavioural history, physical exam, weight evaluation & comparisons, and body condition scoring".

So, now, I'm asking myself where I came by what I posted? Hmmmmmmm

A senior monent? ;)


[SIZE="1"]*the only difference might be with the low-age limit of 8...AAFP defines the lower age limit as 7[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Love4himies;584060]I guess if you want to keep your vets in their BMW's, but all the vets that I have taken my cats to, they have only recommended blood work over the age of 8 in [B]healthy[/B] cats, annually, and semi on generic cats that have some health issues.[/QUOTE]

This is a general guideline however I do not know any veterinarian that would not feel that blood testing on a younger patient would not be helpful. Many hospitals are promoting junior wellness and prior to any anesthetic procedures, many hospitals are requiring full blood panels for spays and neuters. Blood testing on healthy appearing younger dogs cats can help establish normal baseline for the patients, be able to monitor trends and to proactively identify some health concerns. :pawprint:

[QUOTE=Dr Lee;585345]...I do not know any veterinarian that would not feel that blood testing on a younger patient would not be helpful...Blood testing on healthy appearing younger dogs cats can help establish normal baseline for the patients, be able to monitor trends and to proactively identify some health concerns. :pawprint:[/QUOTE]
[img]http://bestsmileys.com/cheering/5.gif[/img][img]http://bestsmileys.com/cheering/5.gif[/img][img]http://bestsmileys.com/cheering/5.gif[/img][img]http://bestsmileys.com/cheering/5.gif[/img][img]http://bestsmileys.com/cheering/5.gif[/img][img]http://bestsmileys.com/cheering/5.gif[/img][img]http://bestsmileys.com/cheering/5.gif[/img]

I wish the majority of pet owners were as proactively minded as the pets.ca pet owners are! We would have a lot less of the 'eleventh hour' crises. Much thanks to all the members that help promote routine laboratory tests. :grouphug:

I am sorry to post this But:

7 years ago a blood workup. I assume it was a blood workup, on my old cat cost me $65. 2 years a different vet $75. Last year $235, recently another vet $55. in all cases I got the same printout. he exact same printout. The printout looked like it was made by the same machine. In all cases it was different Vets and different cats.

How can one Vet charge me $55 and another 2 miles away cost me $235?

[QUOTE=Hazmat;585415]How can one Vet charge me $55 and another 2 miles away cost me $235?[/QUOTE]

There can be several explanations. One is that the $235 vet is not in touch with demographics however I would think this is unlikely. What is commonly a problem is certain single line items on the blood test such as thyroid levels (T4,T3, T4 by Equilibrium Dialysis, TSH, etc...) can widely make the difference.

For example there are three common test I send to the lab and the print out will look the same 1) Basic CBC and Chemistry - two page report for $92, 2) same test but add on T4 - $125 and 3) same as the one previous but add on T4 by ED (Equilibrium Dialysis). All tests look the same but have one or two small extra lines on there. Also some of my in house blood tests range from $35 to $108 and can look the same. So if test like Toxoplasmosis, FeLV and FIV were added on the price can go high fast.

I think one of the problems with the testing is whether the people explaining them to you are explaining them as, "yep, look fine, thanks for the $235" or whether they are giving you an in depth analysis and understanding of not only the abnormal values but just as importantly the normal values. It is important to know 1) what the difference is between the $55 and the $235 test and 2) which one does your pet need. Often we give clients the option of different panels. For very healthy pets, often my routine blood tests are less comprehensive than for a sick patient.

I hope that helps. :pawprint: