IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A CAT TO HAVE DEMENTIA ???

They absolutely can have dementia. I would google it and see if you think your boy has some of the other common symptoms and then get him in for an exam and discussion with your vet. I've never heard of the symptom you describe above, but that doesn't mean it isn't a symptom esp. since your boy is an inside/outside cat. Edited to say that I think most articles address issues that apply to an indoor cat only and that I believe an outdoor kitty with dementia can definitely forget how to get back home.

Good luck.

I have seen it in many dogs, never a cat but I'm sure it can happen. I know my dog is a little senile, she forgets she just ate and wants to eat again. She has to be walked because of her bad back but she gets really nervous and can't figure out where we are and gets confused.

My neighbors dog had it really bad. They moved a couple of streets over and every morning I would see her come back early to the old house and lay on the porch. I usually took her home but she kept coming back. It was very sad. It's weird she remembered where she lived but would not go home on her own and she had to cross a busy intersection everyday.

Hopefully someone is feeding your cat and they are aware he belongs to you. I would keep him in your house for safety reasons from now on if that is the case.

I'm sorry you're having these problems with your little "free spirit"! We thought my 16 year old catwho has had kidney disease for 3 years was developing dementia. Some of the symptoms can be looking around as though they're seeing things that you don't see, confusion, seeming to be scared or anxious in normally familiar surroundings. They can also become vocal, lose their appetite. We put mine on a med called Selegeline, which does help a lot of cats (it's mostly been used for dogs but is now used for cats) but now we think it caused worse problems and I wound up taking her to the vet hospital one weekend. They thought her problems then could possibly have been a reaction to that medication.

After a roller coaster ride for 3 months, another hospital emergency visit, etc., my vet discovered that she has had a kidney infection, which was treated, but also has high blood pressure, which is fairly common in cats with kidney disease. When the vet took her blood pressure and found it was very high, she was displaying some of the same symptoms she had in the beginning, when we thought it was dementia. If the high blood pressure is not treated, it can cause blindness. So now she's on a blood pressure med and doing much better.

The vet said that the symptoms of blood pressure spikes can resemble the symptoms of dementia. So I guess, what I'm suggesting is that you get your cat examined, have blood work done to rule out other problems, and if your vet can do it, check his blood pressure as well. Vets don't commonly do that, but it can be done. Mine only charged me $34.00 to do the blood pressure check--they do it on their tail!

There are other problems in which the symptoms can mimic dementia, but so many things are treatable now, you really should get him a very thorough check up. As luvmyteddy said, maybe you should keep him inside at least until you can get him checked. Please come back and keep us updated on how he's doing!

kittymomNC, thanks for posting your experience with your kitties, esp the blood pressure information. I've never heard that before, but I will remember now. Thanks again.

I am sure it can and does happen. Perhaps it is time to make him a 100% indoor cat. You could put up little kitty perches so he can spend time watching the world from the safety of his home. That is what I would do. Good luck.

Thank you all SO much for your input ...... since cats sleep so much, we are going to closely observe him for at least a few days and see what "symptoms" he has. No point in going to the Vet and not having specific things they can check and do a lot of tests for nothing.

We got Tom when he was almost two years old, and he was very set in his ways. He WILL NOT use a litterbox; he wants to go out the doggie door and do his business outside.

Also, he WILL NOT stay in the house, like a prisoner .... twice that was tried, and he ripped up a considerable amount of carpeting because he was left inside!

What also complicates this is that he REFUSES to wear a collar .... we've tried many times and he practically hangs himself trying to get out of it. Suffice it to say, he dances to the beat of a distant drum ...

There is one thing .... about 18 months ago, Tom started spending time on the next block. Well, we didn't know that ... just that suddenly he would go out, and not come home for days. As it turned out, a retired couple on the next street started feeding him, thinking he was homeless. One of their neighbors said his temperament was that of a well-cared for cat, but they said no, he must be homeless. Tom got attached to them and, meanwhile, we drove around for weeks trying to find him.

One day I spotted him, and after some disagreement with the man (who insisted if the cat came over, he WOULD continue to feed him!) I finally got them to back off and stop "distracting" Tom from coming home.

These people have moved but that is where I found Tom. No one was feeding him, but would he stay in a familiar place if the people weren't there? When I found him and brought him home, he was very thin .... and hungry.

Maybe it's really the heat .... he seemed good yesterday, but is a bit listless today .... and sleepy. However, since cats sleep so much, I'm not sure if this is significant, or not.

If anything comes to mind, please share ..... and I'll keep you informed. We'll definitely take him to the vet, but I need to see what's consistently unusual .... he might just be in a bad mood. LOL

Thanks again for your help .... I'm hoping maybe 12 is too young for dementia ... maybe he just needs vitamins.

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A CAT TO HAVE DEMENTIA ???

Yes. We've been owned by well over 30+ felines for as many about 35 years now. One of our tabby cats had some type of nerve damage as she got older that effected a part of her brain. I don't know if it is officially called "dementia", but the symptoms seem similar to me. She was not in any pain but there were certain things she could not do, even if she remembered them.

I had to help her use the litter box and at times hold her head up when she drank water or tried to eat. Though she was not in any physical pain she got to the point where she was struggling to do about everything. That was too much pain for her mentally and we decided she was not living a life she could enjoy. That decision has never come easy for us but we do what we feel is best for our furry family members.

Glad you will keep an eye on him and see what other symptoms he presents, that will be helpful. I know that if you call your vet, they will probably say come in so we can do tests. If you are not ready for this, you can call a veterinary school and talk to someone at no charge is you just want to bounce some ideas off of a vet. I can highly recommend University of California, Davis, they have helped me in the past or you can try Tufts University (Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine) in Grafton, Mass. They publish a great magazine for cat owners called "Catnip".

Re the litter box, you can try putting in some of the dirt he uses outside with an unscented litter and also put in some of his outside poop into the box. Of course, the litter box won't matter so much if you have no way to contain him.

If you have a fenced yard, you can attach a cat fence to the top of your fence. I've mostly heard of people using Purrfect Fence, but there are others. I realize a fence may not work for your since I don't know the other escape routes there may be even if the yard is fenced.

You could also look into a catio for him with indoor/outdoor access. You can google this since there are endless varieties and ideas. This would allow him to go outside when he wants, but keep him contained in a way that would keep him happy.

It's no surprise he would go back to where he found food before. Since he won't wear a collar, can you get him microchipped? That way if he is picked up by animal control or someone who brings him to a vet, you will be notified.

Another thing you can do is notify the neighborhood of your cat's propensity to roam and ask that they notify you if they see him hanging out somewhere that he doesn't belong, but you may not want to do that if you don't know your neighbors well because someone may think you aren't taking proper care of him. You know your neighbors so you can make that decision.

Lastly there is a really good website run by Cat Fancy called catchannel.com. It might have some really good advice for you. Also, alleycat.com is a website about feral/outdoor cats and you might be able to get advice there as well.

Good luck to you and your little guy. I hope it is something that is easily resolved. (by the way, in humans, a b vitamin deficiency can mimic dementia - uncommon, but it happens, don't know if that is true in cats and besides your kitty is probably eating just fine)

Thanks SO much ... you guys are really a wealth of knowledge for the children with paws!