My cat suffers from dementia.

You wouldn’t think her head could do a 360 would you?

Or she’s possessed.  It’s an either/or I think.

We were all lazing about during the Christmas holidays – comfy and cozy in the family room – in front of the fireplace, and Minuit – the most crotchety of our beasts – went cuckoo bananas.

Not the most sociable of cats, Minuit routinely growls when the doorbell rings before waddling away to hide. This was different.  Nobody at the door.  No loud noises.  She wasn’t startled by anything.  She’s sitting there – eyebrows pitched in an evil tilt – growling… at… Lola.  Younger black feline Lola, is not a new addition to our household.  She’s been here over 2 years now.  But there was Minuit – growling – her fur standing up on her neck. And then Lola, worried that she might get attacked – got her back up.  Deeper growling – yowls – our aged Minuit had morphed into the vocal equivalent of two tom cats marking their territory.  Deep, throaty, ANGRY growls – now at Steve, who wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

So?  What do we need here?  A cat whisperer or an exorcist?

And if it IS dementia – how do we properly deal with her new condition? ‘Cause your gut impulse is to say, “Minuit, get a grip!  It’s your sister Lola… Don’t you remember her? (In a louder clear voice)  It’s LOLA AND STEVE… YOU KNOW… LOLA AND STEVE…”  Which is possibly the worst thing that you can say to a dementia sufferer.  If they don’t remember at that precise moment, they DON’T remember – calling them on it will only confuse them and make them more anxious.  (It’s kind of like saying “No, Nana – you’re losing your memory, but I’ll badger you about it so that I’LL feel better.)

Not to anthropomorphize Minuit, but she does have a brain – so the next time that she loses it – maybe proper introductions are in order?  Spray the other cats with positive feline pheromones?  Suggestions?