i was commenting to a friend - i feel like i’m the kitty hospice nurse. i imagine that could be an actual profession!? i honestly don’t know if the cat i’m sitting now remembers me each time he sees me. he has a blank stare. it’s quite sad. it’s hard to witness this behavior in animals and humans.
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the sit is about one week long. and the cat is eating wet food but not a lot. he mainly licks up the juice/ sauce.
That actually sounds typical for a lot of older cats! I would check in on your updates with information about that or even ask: “Is this usual for _____?” The cat could well be nearing the end of its life, but the cat might be stable and the owner might have some tricks they didn’t mention to help encourage eating.
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It is an actual profession! A city where I lived a few years ago had a “pet hospice” / palliative care service that would come to pet’s homes. They were amazing and wonderful. Just like human hospice, they helped pets stay comfortable and loved near the end of their days.
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@joanofbark Why not try mashing up the wet cat food as that makes it easier for the cat to lick up? I’ve done that with my own previous elderly cats plus a number I have looked after with great success.
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If the cat mainly licks up the juice/sauce and is not eating much, it sounds like kidney disease to me. We had 3 geriatric cats who all passed away of kidney disease, but we took them to the veterinarian regularly, gave them sub-cutaneous fluids and for the last cat, we cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts for him and mixed it with cooked brown rice, rather than feeding him commercial cat food.
We cooked the chicken in water, then gave him the chicken flavored water to drink, which he really liked. He lived another 3 years after being diagnosed with kidney disease and passed away at the ripe age of 22!
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While factually I don’t disagree with anything in your assessment re:older cats, I expect what the OP hopes to accomplish with a vet visit is peace of mind.
@joanofbark: I expect if you did a Sitter poll, “host’s pet dies on my watch” would be at the top of the list of “Worst things that could happen during my pet sit.” Add in the stress/perceived guilt over whether there’s something you think you could have done to intervene, and I can totally empathize with your anxiety.
My suggestion is to have an honest phone or video conversation with the owner about your concerns. If they already know the situation/have been to the vet & that it’s just the circle of life, that’s one thing. If these are newer symptoms but they’re not in a position to pay for a vet visit, that’s another thing. (My daughter’s 18yo skin & bones cat has dementia…but they discovered she’d ALSO developed a chicken allergy — something they were told wasn’t uncommon in older cats. Goodbye chicken, & now she’s doing much better, but still on the thin side, & she still has dementia.)
Are you a premium member? I’ve not used it myself as yet, but I understand there is a vet emergency line you can also try for advice.
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Had a similar situation on my 2nd dog sit; the owner thought he was just getting a bit finicky about food preferences in his old age. However, after we talked over my observations from the first 3 days, we agreed I should take him to the vet. The follow-up visit upon the owner’s return revealed cancer.
We were all absolutely heartbroken, but at least they finally knew & could focus on making his last weeks as comfortable & loving as possible.
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my hope is that HO would take the steps that you state here so as to improve quality of life for this poor cat. i may mention it to HO but it’s a sensitive subject…
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I think the Vet advice line is for all members, not Premium only. The line can be found on your dashboard.
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Oh, great…even better, thanks for adding that. For some reason I thought it was one of the premium benefits. 
It is a sensitive subject but there is a good chance the homeowner has incorporating some stuff without even being consciously aware of it so you can ask questions like: When is only interested in licking up the juice, what steps can I take to encourage eating? What do you have around that might find more enticing? Would it make sense to offer some food later if ___ isn’t interested at the regular time? etc.
I’ve found with older cats trying later if they aren’t hungry at the time, feeding smaller portions that they are more likely to finish, adding water to make everything a little soupy, all help.
I think i just accidently discovered how to bold!
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