Can cats get Alzheimers?

Karate-Kid - Thanks for the link. I'll watch for the other symptons.

Other than the yeowling, she is perfectly healthy at this time. She jumps easily on top of things so I doubt there is any problem with arthritis. My cat Furball had arthritis. When she could no longer jump up on the bed to sleep, my husband built her a staircase!

I'll keep a watch on her and if her symptoms get worse I will get her to the vet.

I work in a hospital. My cat who died a year ago at the age of 20, in the last couple of years of his life, often reminded me of some of my elderly patients. He was the best cat and I still miss him. I dreamed about him last night.

It was many times. :)

LOL Michelle, must have been entertaining to watch.

This is so good to know! Dublin's still only about 3, & so he's still pretty young. It's good to be aware of different issues, though.

SFisher333, what your grandma went through each day is called "sundowners," which is increased confusion towards the time of sunset, & it's characterised most obviously by increased wandering. When I worked as a care aide in a nursing home this was quite something to see, especially in the wing set aside for those with the most active stages of dementia. Several of the residents would start wandering down the hall, & when the doors to their outside yard (fenced in, of course) were open in warmer weather, they'd do a loop around outside & back down the hall. When the doors were closed, there was a lot of pacing up & down the hall. Sometimes it was like a parade, especially if someone would start singing & others would join in. :)

While it isn't Alzheimer's, they can have dementia. Age of onset is typically 9-10 years old. It doesn't affect all cats though. I had brothers and one I nicknamed "Clockwork" because every morning at 6am, he would make this yeowling sound at the top of his lungs. His brother of 19 years never manifested this behaviour. I now have a 16 year old who does it, as does my 10 year old. Both are boys. None of my three girls are subject to it yet...though the oldest just turned 9...and the babies are only 5.

My Vet says that so long as the cats' blood work remains satisfactory, simply go comfort the cat and he or she will calm down.

I'm glad this was brought up. I never knew cats could get it.

Yes they can get dementia....some only get it mildly and others severe. The vet would be able to tell you if it's what she has. Could be something else causing her to do that too...like partial blindness.

Thank you for the link. I had no idea that cats can have dementia. Interesting!

They can get feline dementia. My 20-year old cat had it. I used to work with Alzheimers' patients and the similarities are striking.

vetmedicine.about.com/od/diseasescon
di
tionscat/tp/feline-dementia.htm

As the article is saying, always check with your vet first as those behaviours can have other causes.

Well if dogs can get dementia (like one of mine did), I guess cats can get alzheimers.

I swear my cat Frisky has alzheimers disease. She's 14 years old and healthy, never been sick. Every night at about 6:00 she walks into a room and meows like she's lost or in pain. Other than the meowing, though, she doesn't appear to be in pain. After about 5 minutes she stops, jumps up on the arm of my chair and acts like nothing happens. She will also stop and stare at a spot on the wall for no apparent reason. No bugs, no sparklies, nothing. It's not always the same spot, just where she happens to be.

Oddly, this is similar to the behaviour of my grandmother who had alzheimers. Of course, she didn't meow, but she did get disoriented towards the end of the day. She also would stop mid-sentence for a minute or two and then pick up where she left off.

Can cats get alzheimers?