Understanding Dying Cat Stages: Is Your Cat Dying?

The short answer for how to know if your cat is dying is to watch for changes in its behavior and appearance. Some are subtle; others are apparent.

“My cat is dying – how long will it take?” is a common question among owners who don’t want their pet to suffer. Depending on the disease, the process may take between a few hours and several months.

The owner’s moral responsibility is to create a comfortable environment for their furry friend to spend the last days.

Lack of Interest in Eating & Drinking

Changes in appetite and thirst levels are always a worrying sign indicating that something isn’t right with a cat’s physical or mental health. Everyone knows sick cats either refrain from eating or start eating more than usual.

When a cat is dying, it also loses interest in food and water. Many cats don’t eat or drink anything for days until they pass away, regardless of the owner’s efforts.

Some dying cats sit near the food or water bowl for hours without eating or drinking. They may appear disoriented or depressed.

It’s important to note that if your cat doesn’t want to eat, it isn’t necessarily dying but may need help. A cat that hasn’t eaten for over 24 hours should be taken to a veterinarian for a check-up.

Furthermore, cats have a high thirst threshold and can refrain from drinking water for long if they don’t like its freshness or flavor or find the bowl uncomfortable. Either way, no interest in water and food is not to be taken lightly.

Weight Loss

Weight loss despite a normal appetite is a common sign that your cat could be dying. Moderate weight loss is natural in senior cats because as a cat gets older, its body less efficiently digests food and converts it into nutrients.

Additionally, senior cats become less active and start losing muscle mass. Over time, the weight loss becomes extreme – some senior cats are so thin that you can easily see their spine and ribs protruding through the skin.

Weight loss in felines occurs for many reasons – due to thyroid excess or deficiency, kidney diseases, intestinal parasites, cancer, diabetes, and numerous other medical conditions. The older a cat, the greater the risk of health issue development.

Sometimes, owners can make a senior cat gain weight by changing its diet.

Old cats can’t always process two servings of food daily like young adult cats, so the food should be more nutritious. They need easier-to-digest protein and more minerals.

Prolonged Lethargy & Weakness

Felines become less active as they age; that’s normal. Many people also lose interest in sports and shift to a calmer lifestyle as they age. However, a healthy senior cat shouldn’t be immobile and disinterested in life.

Even if a senior cat is suffering from arthritis or other medical conditions hindering its movement, it should still show interest in toys that wiggle next to its face or new people in the house.

In contrast, a dying cat may appear lethargic and depressed, not caring about novelties and not appreciating the enrichment the owner strives to incorporate into its life.

Dying cats become weak, sometimes unable to jump on the couch or walk straight. Weakness in senior cats is usually progressive, so many owners don’t notice it until their cat cannot get in and out of the litter box.

To help your cat, ensure that all the necessities like food, water, bed, and litter box are within easy reach.

Personality Changes

When cats are dying, they can display a variety of behavioral changes. Some cats become anxious, depressed, aggressive, or overly affectionate.

The changes aren’t always predictable – sometimes, a cat acquires an entirely different personality before death.

Many senior cats suffer from cognitive dysfunction disorder, the feline equivalent of dementia.

Cats with this disease may wander around the house at night, meowing loudly, crash into furniture, and appear lost in a familiar environment.

Your cat may suddenly develop a dislike for petting, although it used to be affectionate before, or become less social, spending more time away from the family.

Lower Body Temperature

If your cat’s body temperature is low, it may be nearing death. Usually, sick cats have increased body temperature because their immune system fights the disease.

But senior cats often have trouble regulating body temperature and may have low temperature even in a warm environment.

The signs of low body temperature in cats are shivering, lethargy, and no interest in food. A cat’s coat may become puffy to warm the body.

In moderate to severe cases, a cat’s gums become bluish or white, the heartbeat becomes slow, and the breath is shallow. If you notice these signs, check your cat’s temperature.

If the temperature falls below 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the cat doesn’t restore its core temperature within several hours, it may fall into a coma and die.

Changes in Appearance & Smell

If your cat’s coat looks dull and lifeless, sheds excessively, and overall appears unkempt, the chances are that your pet needs urgent veterinary help. Unfortunately, treatment doesn’t always help senior cats, and their appearance only worsens.

Old and sick cats don’t have enough energy to groom themselves. Obesity and arthritis only worsen the situation, preventing a cat from reaching some areas of its body.

In addition, excessive shedding leads to mat formation due to dead hair stuck in the fur. If a cat is extremely weak, it may not go to the litter box but urinate on itself and develop a foul coat odor.

Not the coat look alone gives out that a cat is dying. The eyes of a severely sick cat may be dilated or glazed over. The cat may have trouble seeing and not blink often enough.

The skin of senior cats becomes dry and loses its elasticity. Consequently, it becomes more prone to injuries and skin conditions.

However, coat quality depends on many factors, and sometimes, senior cats who shed excessively simply need a better diet or grooming.

Treatment Doesn’t Help Against Health Conditions

Most feline medical conditions, even chronic ones, can be either cured or effectively controlled with medications for a long time without negatively affecting a cat’s quality of life.

However, when a cat is dying, its body may require higher doses of medications. Over time, the cat stops responding to treatment entirely, and its condition only worsens day after day.

The reason for this is the weakening immune system and body cells that are slowly breaking down and are unable to utilize medications as intended.

Many senior cats have wounds that aren’t healing, although they may not be deep. Unhealing wounds in cats often become infected, which only worsens the situation.

With age, a cat’s body loses its ability to regenerate. For this reason, senior cats can die even from a seemingly minor health issue.

Seizures

Some cats start having seizures when nearing death, even if they have never had them before. A cat experiencing a seizure may yowl, throw its head backward, or arch its back in an uncomfortable position.

The worst thing is that some cats experience multiple seizures in a row until death takes them. The only way for owners to stop their pet’s suffering, in this case, is euthanasia.

A dying cat twitching is not to be confused with seizures. Muscle spasms typically occur after death, but a cat having seizures may live from several hours to days afterward.

Abnormal Breathing

Feline lungs are controlled by nerves and muscles, so when a cat is dying, it may have difficulty breathing.

A cat’s respiratory rate may be slowing down or speeding up randomly, and some cats even stop breathing entirely for short periods.

Hiding

Hiding isn’t as an apparent sign of a dying cat as weight loss or weakness because many perfectly healthy cats love to hide. However, you know your cat best and can likely notice when your pet starts hiding more than usual.

Feral cats know when they are dying and hide from other animals in safe places to avoid attacks. Indoor cats have inherited this trait from their wild ancestors and seek cool, dark areas to rest.

You may notice your cat spending more and more time in the cellar or under your bed. A dying cat may not even come out of its hiding spot when the owner calls it or use the litter box.

For owners that let their cats walk outside, this instinct can cause problems. Many cats prefer to die away from their owners and seek shaded, uncrowded areas under bushes, vehicles, or in wild meadows.

So, if your cat has been displaying other worrying signs and has suddenly disappeared for longer than usual, it may not come back.

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