A bit of a lighter random topic,... They say pets are good for dementia and my mother absolutely adores my cats. I care for them but she does get joy out of giving them treats and watching them. It’s the one thing that she really cares about. If out shopping, she wants to return home to the cats etc. However lately I have noticed my cats withdraw away from her. They used to love being in her lap and soaking up the attention. Now if we try, they bounce like a lightning bolt out of her lap. If she tries to hold one, they push away. Makes me sad as they mean so much to her and I can see her upset about it. It’s really strange as she hasn’t done anything that I can think of that might contribute to this. She sometimes acts out but not towards the cats, never. She gets grumpy at me and storms off at times but not with the cats. I’m wondering if the cats sense the dementia and therefore feel uneasy around her, somehow lack trust? Has anyone else noticed anything similar? Unfortunately I also noticed one of them has now started peeing in her room. Nowhere else,... just her wardrobe. Due to incontinence, some of mums clothes can smell a little despite being washed (at least to a pets nose) so I’m wondering if the cat is trying to mark against that. This is actually all very interesting but unfortunate. Just curious if anyone else has noticed something similar.
If dogs can 'sniff out' Alzheimer's, why not cats?
He taught me how to syringe-feed her, with the hope that she would begin to eat again, but she never did. She died two weeks later.
Please keep an eye on things, and if your cats don't want to be around her, don't encourage it.
You might want to consider a stuffed cat.Some are quite life like.