OUR AGING PETS
Feline Forgetfulness and Doggie Dementia
They share similarities to humans with Alzheimer disease
The antics of our seventeen-year old cat, Harpo, once had me wondering whether our companion animals suffer from age-related dementia. Harpo had aged gracefully into an elderly reticent, mannerly gentleman.
His neat white fur was trimmed elegantly in black, and his modest unassuming manner made me think of what writer Shelby Foote might have looked like and acted if he’d been born a cat.
Over time we noticed some gradual changes in Harpo. He wasn’t as neat with his grooming as he used to be; more often than not he seemed to forget the litter box is available not just for a full bladder but for the other, too.
But most striking was his behavior regarding food. He became food crazed. If anyone even approached the kitchen he jumped upon the counter and began yowling in a fevered, agitated manner. It made no difference if he’d just recently eaten or not.
In the evening when we doled out the contents of their wet food for their nightly dining pleasure, Harpo was all over the place. We literally had to peel him off the counter so that we could dish it up.
