She was really a part of our family. I sure hope all turns out well!

That is if she makes it. This is SO SAD, I cannot tell you.

Poor thing is terrified and pins herself to my body whenever she has the chance which is something she has never done before.

She no longer purrs nor meows. It is beyond weird.



One vet I took her to spent 2 hrs. examining her and he said he'd put her down but required a post-mortem autopsy. No damn way am I letting someone chop up my sweet girl!

Thanks for your good vibes. They are badly needed in this very SAD household.

I hope you find something that helps.

Have you heard of Canna-pet? I ordered some a couple months ago and my cats eat it mixed into with their crunchies (with slow introduction, and one cat was more suspicious than the other)

Canna-pet.com

Their fur was noticeably softer within a week, and they seem friskier and getting along a little better.

Best of luck with your kitty!

She is getting so very thin. She is not eating much at all. However, she was playing (yes playing!) with me last night hide and go seek for a bit.

This however is the saddest thing I've ever run up against in my 50+ years of having cats around.

Thank you for the help. Anything at all might help being no one seems to know the problem is.

my kitty is 19 years old. she does the same circling behavior. i think it is because she is blind and loosing her hearing. i've watched her and she seems to have a pattern of circling to figure out where she is in the house - to get to her water, or food or the litter box.

my kitty goes sideways after sleeping for long hours and not having any water. she requires a warm sleeping area and easily dehydrates after sleeping 12 hours.

i try not to watch her doing this because it is very repetitive and it is upsetting. if it goes on for too long i will interrupt her by petting her and speaking calmly - she cannot hear me - but she does respond.

my kitty lost all of her teeth a couple of years ago and it took me awhile to realize she could not chew her kibble. we have gone through many trials with various wet foods she can eat and does not have to chew. right now, she is favoring an "extra gravy" wet food with small enough meat chunks she can eat/swallow.

by the way, it is recommended cats without teeth still be given some dry kibble because it keeps their gums toughened up.

hugs to you and your kitty. my chloe is my sweetest companion.

She fell violently ill Friday night and had to be put down as she was vomiting non-stop and it looked like blood. She had grown weak and was maybe 7 lbs. at the most.

I'm a mess needless to say for she had been with me through thick and thin, bedridden ---> recovery.

I'll never know if I did enough, did the right thing, did the wrong thing or what.

I think I found the name of what was ailing poor sweet Julie - vestibular disease which is found in both cats and dogs.

This vestibular disease is horrific, like something out of a bad nightmare.

>>What causes it?

We do not fully understand why feline vestibular disease occurs in many cases. Conditions such as middle- and inner-ear infections are common causes of the disease. Tumors are a less common cause but must be considered, especially in older cats. Exposure to certain toxins or drugs can also cause symptoms that mimic feline vestibular disease. The vast majority of cases are diagnosed as idiopathic, meaning the exact cause isn't known.

The cause of feline vestibular disease is not fully understood.

Siamese and Burmese breeds have been associated with an inherited or congenital form of the disease. Many affected cats are also deaf.

Note: Julie was a stray domestic short haired cat, certainly not a Siamese nor a Burmese but this is interesting info. in any event.

and ...

>>The signs of vestibular disease in cats can be quite alarming to owners, who often believe their feline friend is having a stroke. These signs include:

Vocalizations that may sound anguished
Rolling around on the floor
*A head tilt to one side
Nystagmus, or eyes that oscillate back and forth
*Leaning against walls or furniture in order to walk
*Falling down
*Vomiting
*Seeming "out of it"

* = symptoms Julie had that make me think she had vestibular disease

Sometimes, if both ears are affected, the head may not be tilted much and the kitty may not want to move at all. Affected cats are most certainly as puzzled by these sudden occurrences as we are.

My poor girl was scared to death and my other two cats that are brothers began to groom her and lick her head as they knew she was very ill. They do not understand where she went and are still crying for her. Otherwise the silence around here is deafening.

Note: Julie came to me from the local shelter and was very sick and managed to conceal it. I got home with her and that first night she was vomiting up some sort of large parasite and was sneezing. She was so excited about being adopted that she attempted to hide these problems from me but I figured it out pretty fast after that first night.

The shelter told me to bring her back and pick out another kitten. I told them no way as I knew they'd put her down if I were to take her back there. I isolated her from the other two cats I had at that time and they managed to contract the respiratory illness but did recover from it fortunately. That was 10 years ago almost. I stuck it out with her and it seems she had some sort of unidentifiable parasite living inside of her and after months of treatments, it was finally a broad spectrum wormer used on cattle and horses that killed the mysterious parasite.

She grew up to be a fine, beautiful cat, a tuxedo tabby is what she was. She had delicate white paws and a white tuxedo for a chest. She was a loving sweet cat that used to talk to you and chirp. When she was ultra-happy, she used to whistle at you believe it or not.

I miss her so and feel very alone and rather desperate I must admit.

Thanks for the comments/ideas and help. I do appreciate it.

i am very sorry for your loss. thank you for your info on vestibular disease - my kitty has all of the symptoms except that she is not vomiting, presently. the vocalizations are very loud and occur after eating, and when she cannot find me.

our kitties - so loved. i hope you will continue to feel your julie's presence and comforting.

It does sound like the same thing. Towards the end, Julie was at my feet at all times and seemingly afraid to be alone.

It was so very very sad. One of my other cats (as I mentioned two of them and they are brothers) saw me carrying her into the other room. He cocked his head and had a baffled look on his face for he had no idea what was wrong with her either. Julie herself seemed to have difficulty seeing it was noted and one vet I took her too told me she had no sensation in her spine for some odd reason (??).

Being my other two cats are also feral cats from the same shelter, I am surprised as to how very loving and caring they were toward Julie the last couple of months she was alive.

I'd post a picture of them but I'm too tired to figure out photobucket again at the moment.

It's been a very trying several months of sheer hell but I am glad I was there for her. Most people would have put her down long before I did but I couldn't find it in myself to do it until it really got that awful.

I hope you find out what is ailing your cat but wow, 20 years is a long life indeed for a cat!

Take care and thanks again.

not miss her too much more.

thank you for sharing more about your lovies. chloe was rescued from outside a theater in phoenix. it was 120 degrees and she was eating pork rinds out of a bag tossed on the sidewalk. she was about 6 months old.

she does not like to be carried or held - but she does like to be petted and brushed and snuggled with. yes, she has lots and lots of stories and adventures in her - a lots of sweetness, too.

i thought i was going to have to take her to the vet and say good bye a couple of months ago because the circling had increased and the yowing vocalizations had me thinking she was in pain. my daughter talked me out of it - she runs a pet rescue organization and is a real cat whisperer.

i was relieved because my mother had just passed away and i was already grieving. if she was suffering, i would not hesitate.

i was always a dog person and i love dogs - but now, i love cats, too. i believe our pawed companions are our angels on this part of the journey. good night

Same to you ...

P.S. Sorry to read about the loss of your mother.

It's never easy no matter how much we try to prepare.