Peeky the cat

Summary

• Peeky is a 17 year old medium-haired tabby
• Arthritis
• Gradual weight loss over the years, rapid loss in early 2020 (1 lb. in 6 months)
• Increased appetite & water intake in 2020
• Unknown injury to left foreleg in February 2020, maybe a fall?
• Rear legs are cow hocked, inflexible; loss of muscle mass at rear
• Generally stiff, seems uncomfortable when changing position; spine bent laterally; left foreleg sometimes sticks out at odd angles
• Unkempt appearance
• We’ve been giving her 15 mg gabapentin 3X/day for the past few months.

Photos and videos of Peeky, mid 2020

General Health & History

• She was the neighborhood stray cat and we adopted her when she was about a year old.
• She was an indoor-outdoor cat up until February of 2020; indoor-only at night
• No major health problems until recently
  • A few flesh wounds over the years, mostly due to fights with other cats
    • One injury required surgery to her left flank
  • Had moderate to severe periodontal disease many years ago, removed small front teeth in 2011.
  • No broken bones or illnesses
  • Lost weight over the years, lost a bunch this year
    • 8.8 lb. in 2011
    • 7.5 lb. in February 2020
    • 6.5 lb. August 25, 2020
    • 6.8 lb. September 21, 2020
    • 6.7 lb. October 3, 2020
    • 6.6 lb. November 6, 2020
    • 6.7 lb. December 21, 2020
    • 7.1 lb. February 27, 2021
    • 7.0 lb. March 19, 2021
    • 7.1 lb. April 13, 2021
• Eats well and regularly
  • Mostly wet food, mostly fish, 3-4 times a day.
  • Has kibble available
  • Gets a small serving of cat treats once a day
  • We’ve been giving her half a Dasuquin pill sprinkled on her wet food twice a day since March.
• About ten years ago she was missing for a month
  • She got in the neighbor’s minivan unnoticed and hopped out at a school a mile from home. Idiot neighbors didn’t bother to tell us until we knocked on their door a day later when searching for Peeky.
  • We put up posters near the school; eventually she turned up in someone’s garage and they called us
  • She was unhurt, but dehydrated and had lost weight
  • After we got her back she was always somewhat cranky compared to her formerly sweet disposition
• We’ve had two other cats for a decade but Peeky still refuses to be in the same room with them for more than a few minutes. No fighting, but Peeky hisses if they come near.

Habits and Demeanor

• Pretty active in her youth
  • Liked to hunt, often brought home birds or lizards
  • Chased toys around the house
  • Wandered the neighborhood, climbed onto roofs occasionally
  • Was never a big jumper
• Spends much of her time sleeping now
• Seems to drink more water than in the past
• Isn’t allowed outside without supervision
  • And when she does she doesn’t generally try to go anywhere
• Sill likes to chase string occasionally
  • Not for very long
  • Pretty slow for a cat
• Has better and worse days
  • Occasionally runs for short distances when she’s feeling good
• Still enjoys food and scritches, likes her lap time

Current Issues

• Unknown injury to left foreleg February 2020
  • Came home and saw that she was limping and in pain
  • Pain got worse over the next few hours until we took her to Adobe at night
  • Doctor couldn’t find any clear indication of the problem, noted thickening and inflammation in left elbow
  • Prescribed gabapentin
  • Peeky improved over the next week or two, but continued to limp on that leg.
  • A month or so later she squirmed out of my arms and fell on the floor, which hurt her foreleg again. She recovered after a couple days.
• Left foreleg is weak and less functional
  • She puts less weight on it when standing & sitting
  • Sometimes the elbow & wrist will stick out at odd angles
• Cow hocked / rear leg arthritis
  • Didn’t notice it when she was young
  • As she got older she was increasingly unwilling/unable to jump
  • Walking started to get stiff in the past couple of years
  • Her rear legs are very inflexible now
  • Seems to have lost muscle mass in her hips & lower back
  • Cracking noise from joints
• Doesn’t groom herself as much, looks a bit disheveled
• Has trouble getting comfortable when laying down, generally stiff
• Possible mild cognitive issues
  • Could also be explained by hearing loss and/or vision problems
  • She seems less sharp than in the past
  • More restless at night; pacing in the bedroom
  • Occasionally yowls or meows loudly about nothing
  • Occasional mild confusion about where the food bowl is
  • Sometimes slips when navigating slippery or complex areas (may be due to arthritis)
  • One side of her mouth seems to slump a bit?

Goals

• Make Peeky more comfortable
• Improve leg function & walking
• Avoid further weight loss & frailty