We were just at the vet today, actually. In fact we go once a week, which is actually down from three times a week.
Elvis is 17 1/2 years old...so, in short, he's got a really bad case of "old." He's in renal failure, which is the biggest things that nails geriatric cats. He's an on-again-off-again diabetic. He's anemic. And there are signs of pancreatitis.
But, for a cat that old, with these issues, he's actually quite...healthy, for lack of a better word. His eyes are clear, his heart is strong, lungs are good, coat's good, he's cuddly, he runs and plays (as much as he ever did, any way LOL). So yeah, he's got issues, and any number of things can be causing the eating litter thing.
I told the vet about it today and she was shocked. It's so un-catlike. They're normally so finicky and fastidious--if you put a cat's dish even too close to the litter some won't use the box because felines do NOT like to eat too close to where they potty--let alone eat the potty itself.
We've always used a variety of litters; I have my preferred brands but sometimes I have to be more budget conscious so if I'm short on cash we get whatever's cheap and on sale.
The vet had no idea why Elvis would do this. He tries to eat his food, but when I put it down for him, he eats a little, then looks at me like he wants something else...so in general, this is telling me he doesn't feel good, and whatever he's eating isn't getting it, so he's seeking sustenance elsewhere. Our doctor is calling an internal medicine vet to see if *they've* ever heard of such a thing and if they know what we do about it, but in the meantime she's had me switch to Yesterday's News litter, made out of recycled paper, to see if that'll get him to stop eating it, and if it doesn't, hopefully there's less risk of it causing him more problems.
*shakes head* Elvis...
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