# cat has become grumpy over the last week or so..



## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

grumpy and aggressive! coudl this be age?


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## biohazard156 (Nov 11, 2007)

How old is he? Neutered?


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

he is we guess maybe... 12 - 13...

we got him as a stray 10 year or so ago.
so 13 or older. i guess
and neutured.
he has attacked my brother 3 tiomes in 2 weeks, and my dada and me.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Ooh, Gina - that's a tough one.

I would have said that if he's never shown aggression, then given his age, he must have a problem. It's very probable that he could be in pain - you know how grumpy we are when we have a nagging constant pain. What was happening when he 'attacked' - presumably he was being handled, in which case then it could be something going on inside that is causing him pain when he is handled.

Is he eating? Have you checked his mouth? It could be a tooth problem at that age. Other than the aggression is all his other behaviour just as it used to be. Is he drinking more? Could be his kidneys.

The problem with cats compared to a lot of other animals is that they compensate very quickly. In other words if they have a problem they very quickly compensate to help to deal with that problem and often they've done that before you notice there is anything wrong with them.

There are a lot of things with a cat of that age that could be going on. I would say observe him closely to see if you can see any changes in behaviour and other than that, I would suggest a check-up at the vets just to be sure there isn't a physical reason for the aggression.


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## quizicalkat (Jul 7, 2007)

feorag said:


> Ooh, Gina - that's a tough one.
> 
> I would have said that if he's never shown aggression, then given his age, he must have a problem. It's very probable that he could be in pain - you know how grumpy we are when we have a nagging constant pain. What was happening when he 'attacked' - presumably he was being handled, in which case then it could be something going on inside that is causing him pain when he is handled.
> 
> ...


I'll second that - sound advice!


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

he only has one tooth left. 
he came to us, and has had ever since really bad teeth , gingervitis (sp) and really bad.. errr dunno what it was...
but when the vet scrapped the teeth - huge lumps of hard stuff came off..
it isnt when he is handled, well we wont go near him at the moe.
its if you move, if he is sitting near you and you move, or if you walk past him..
he is still eating. and drinking - i have to admit i have seen him drink which is a first - i never see him drink.. only from the pond in the summer.
he has had artheritus in his legs since we got him too. but the vet said he has to deal with it basically - he just a lil stiff..


hmm


help.


feorag said:


> Ooh, Gina - that's a tough one.
> 
> I would have said that if he's never shown aggression, then given his age, he must have a problem. It's very probable that he could be in pain - you know how grumpy we are when we have a nagging constant pain. What was happening when he 'attacked' - presumably he was being handled, in which case then it could be something going on inside that is causing him pain when he is handled.
> 
> ...


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## loobylou (Nov 18, 2007)

I would suggest a visit to the vet. Excessive drinking can be a sign of kidney disease which is very common in older cats.
Also with regards to his arthritis, he shouldnt just have to 'deal with it', you should push your vet for some treatment as he almost certainly will have some degree of discomfort. There isnt much out there for treating cats but you could try a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (metacam),tho not if kidney problems or a supplement of glucosamine/ chondroitin (cosequin).
As for his attacking, pain is high on the suspicious list. Have you noticed any deterioration with his vision? Or could just be 'senile' behaviour in a cat of his age!


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

he isnt drinking loads, .. my old old old old old old 23 year old cat died from kidney failure and she drunk LOADS. and the artheritis.. about 10 yrs ago - it started he had special medien cost LOADS - amd didnt help - so the vet said there is nout that they an do.
he seems fine. his normal self, just grumpy.
really grumpy.
my brother looks liek e has been attacked with a knife!! but its the cat!
hm..

*
having said all that - just wen tin and he was drinking again, i moveed his bowl to get to oven he would normally run away but he carried ond drinking... which is very odd....
if it is kidneys, anythgin you can do about it??*




loobylou said:


> I would suggest a visit to the vet. Excessive drinking can be a sign of kidney disease which is very common in older cats.
> Also with regards to his arthritis, he shouldnt just have to 'deal with it', you should push your vet for some treatment as he almost certainly will have some degree of discomfort. There isnt much out there for treating cats but you could try a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (metacam),tho not if kidney problems or a supplement of glucosamine/ chondroitin (cosequin).
> As for his attacking, pain is high on the suspicious list. Have you noticed any deterioration with his vision? Or could just be 'senile' behaviour in a cat of his age!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Yes, there's a new wonder drug called Fortikor that does good stuff with cat's kidneys. It was originally prescribed to dogs with heart conditions, but they noticed an improvement in kidney function, so it was licensed for cats a few years ago.

You do know, of course, that you don't have to buy your treatment drugs from the vet. You can now ask him for a prescription and then look online for the best purchase price and get your drugs a lot cheaper?

Other than that, it could be his vision.


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

Frontline Spot On for Cats
i was given that link for somthign else a while back..
maybe ill check on there. is there anyway of actually knowing whats wong as in, if we did take himto the vets would thy be able to tell is there was a problem with his kidneys?


feorag said:


> Yes, there's a new wonder drug called Fortikor that does good stuff with cat's kidneys. It was originally prescribed to dogs with heart conditions, but they noticed an improvement in kidney function, so it was licensed for cats a few years ago.
> 
> You do know, of course, that you don't have to buy your treatment drugs from the vet. You can now ask him for a prescription and then look online for the best purchase price and get your drugs a lot cheaper?
> 
> Other than that, it could be his vision.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Yes, a simple blood test will tell them if the kidney function is OK. It would be an advantage to take a urine sample so they can check for protein in the urine, but if he won't go pee in front of you, then you've little chance of getting that.

That's a good website, but there are loads more now. If you want a specific drug, then do a search for that drug and see what sites come up.

This is another good one:

Welcome To VetMedic.co.uk


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

thank you very much, will have to do that then, thankyou!! and he wont wee near me!! lol


feorag said:


> Yes, a simple blood test will tell them if the kidney function is OK. It would be an advantage to take a urine sample so they can check for protein in the urine, but if he won't go pee in front of you, then you've little chance of getting that.
> 
> That's a good website, but there are loads more now. If you want a specific drug, then do a search for that drug and see what sites come up.
> 
> ...


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## loobylou (Nov 18, 2007)

If it is his kidneys then although there are things you can do to help, the damage already done cannot be reversed. Fortekor helps by lowering the systemic blood pressure and the protein levels excreted thus decreasing the workload on the kidney. It can also increase the appetite. If he also has high blood pressure then this could be damaging his retinas so his vision may have a part to play.
If you've only just begun to notice him drinking from his bowl then chances are he has excessive thirst. Its sometimes useful to measure water intake over 24 hrs though this usually proves impossible in cats as most prefer to drink from dirty puddles outside!!


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## Kimmy173 (Aug 2, 2007)

to me sounds like it could be a problem with his sight. If he's not seeing properly and you move suddenly it'd startle him and if he can't see shapes as good as he used to he could be frightened and fight in self defence. Does he make a noise when he attacks? Does he raise his heckles or anything aggressive. Flattening his ears? or is it really quick and almost a reaction to your movements? 

I'd deffo say a trip to the vets though for a check up. An older animal needs a check up now and again for problems.


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

Kimmy173 said:


> to me sounds like it could be a problem with his sight. If he's not seeing properly and you move suddenly it'd startle him and if he can't see shapes as good as he used to he could be frightened and fight in self defence. Does he make a noise when he attacks? Does he raise his heckles or anything aggressive. Flattening his ears? or is it really quick and almost a reaction to your movements?
> 
> I'd deffo say a trip to the vets though for a check up. An older animal needs a check up now and again for problems.



he hisses and makes that growling scarey noise..
he went in agust time for his teeth, and about 2 years before that for a check up for his artheritus and bleeding from his ''penis''... he was kicked.. GR
his eyes are a lil cloudy, but have been liek that for a while...


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## Kimmy173 (Aug 2, 2007)

It's a reflexive thing then I'd say. The scary noise is a don't come near me because I'm strong noise, If he was the one attacking out of anger or spite he wouldn't make the noise first. It's a warning, cats often use it if another cat comes onto their patch. A warning like: im here so back off. If his eyes are cloudy then I'd deffo see a vet because could be cataracts or some other form of eye problem. But I'm almost 100% convinced it's in his eyes. Could be his kidneys as well but just my opinion. Have you made an appointment to see the vet?


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

thank you very much 
havent yet as dad isnt home and i need him to take me, vet is too far to walk/no buses that way. but he will be going this week or early next week, maybe monday  than you everypone.


Kimmy173 said:


> It's a reflexive thing then I'd say. The scary noise is a don't come near me because I'm strong noise, If he was the one attacking out of anger or spite he wouldn't make the noise first. It's a warning, cats often use it if another cat comes onto their patch. A warning like: im here so back off. If his eyes are cloudy then I'd deffo see a vet because could be cataracts or some other form of eye problem. But I'm almost 100% convinced it's in his eyes. Could be his kidneys as well but just my opinion. Have you made an appointment to see the vet?


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

he iss going to the vets on monday 
i am also gettign them to have a look at his chin.. recently its been loosing hair..
and i just had a look - its hard to get close to a scarey grumpy cat = 
but its all fat and puffy - a lil infected maybe.. with big fat white boils/spots?...with some bloddy patches too.. hmm..
poor thing, everythign is goign wrong for him!!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

freekygeeky said:


> i am also gettign them to have a look at his chin.. recently its been loosing hair..
> and i just had a look - its hard to get close to a scarey grumpy cat =
> but its all fat and puffy - a lil infected maybe.. with big fat white boils/spots?...with some bloddy patches too.. hmm..
> poor thing, everythign is goign wrong for him!!


Sounds like a bad case of feline acne. You can wash that with a medicated soap or Biactol and that'll help, although it doesn't sound like he's conducive to close attention!!!:whistling2:, so he'll probably not let you do that. You can also squeeze the mattery spots and blackheads too if you want


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