This is a personal experience share. For any health concerns or questions about lab results, always consult your veterinarian!
My 18-year-old cat recently went through a health crisis that nearly broke me — pancreatitis combined with multiple critical lab values.
For the past few months, she’d been eating a little less than usual. I assumed the other cat (my hyperthyroid orange cat) was stealing her food, so I didn’t think too much of it. She was also moving around less, sleeping more, sleeping deeper — I just told myself “senior cats are like this.” Then one day she vomited four times — yellow-white liquid — and completely ignored her dinner. That’s when I knew something was seriously wrong.
The next morning just after 6 AM, I rushed her to a 24-hour animal hospital. She was already very weak by the time we arrived. The vet palpated her abdomen and immediately ran bloodwork. When the results came back, I was stunned: kidney values, liver values, the pancreatitis marker (fPLI), and the inflammation marker (SAA) were all critically elevated. The vet said her stomach was completely empty — she’d likely missed several meals. Her body was in pain and she felt terrible.
Because pancreatitis requires nutritional support but she had absolutely no appetite, the vet strongly recommended a nasogastric tube and hospitalization for IV fluids and forced feeding. I was resistant to the NG tube at first, but knowing I couldn’t be there 24/7 with work, I ultimately agreed to hospitalization.
The biggest lesson from this experience: Eating less, moving less, and sleeping a lot in a senior cat is absolutely NOT normal aging — please get them checked as soon as possible.
Micords Daily Tracking Reminder
Senior cats’ changes can be very subtle. Recommended daily records:
- Appetite and amount eaten
- Water intake and urine output
- Weight (especially important)
- Vomiting and bowel movement status
- Activity level and sleep patterns