I’m a cat lover. I love dogs and horses, too. Ferrets and bunnies are okay as well. Beyond that, well, if the animal is a close relative of these animals or also cute, furry, cuddly-looking, and four-footed, I’m going to at least like it. Sometimes rare, sometimes fried, sometimes named…just depends on the beast.

However, cats are my #1. They’re now the #1 pet in the U.S., too. Which means, more and more households are going to be subjected to -- Alzheimer’s Cat.

Seriously.

In a recent study done in the U.K. -- where, for whatever reason, they study this sort of thing -- it was found that a goodly percentage of the nation’s elderly cats are exhibiting the same behaviors as humans with Alzheimer’s. (http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/studymoreagingcatssufferfromhu )

Apparently, the old cats’ brainwaves are like the old peoples’ brainwaves -- no longer firing on all the cylinders they could be. The researchers have gotten some cures that seem to help the cats, which is great news for humans, because once they get the old cats back to normal function, they can hopefully use the same methods on the older humans. And, for those caring cat owners willing to shell out the extra cash, you can try out the cure on your feline companion.

What really hooked me on this, though, was that they listed the signs of cat dementia. One of my cats is fifteen years old. Going strong, as far as we can tell, but still, really darned old in cat years. She’s also fitting all the signs.

Wakes up shrieking in the middle of the night? Check. I thought it was because she was lonely or just wanted attention. According to the study, she’s wide awake and has no freaking idea where she is.

Suddenly aloof or affectionate, in contrast to former life behavior? Check. She’s been all kinds of needy and cuddly. I just thought it was because I like my other cat more. But apparently, it’s because she’s clinging to the one she remembers. The one who dishes out the wet food, before we get all sentimental. If there is one thing this cat loves, and you can be sure that there is, it’s her food.

So, my cat is no longer merely fat, grumpy and annoying, particularly in the middle of the night. No! She’s…Dementia Kitty! It almost sounds cool, doesn’t it? Like I could put a little cape on her and she could fly out to save the day, get halfway, forget where she was going or why, and head for the nearest Purina factory to wait until they found me and I came to get her. Like I said…almost cool.

Oh, there was one other sign of cat dementia. The forgetfulness of how to use the litter box. And, sadly, she does seem to so forget. Frequently.

I’d say that was a definitive, three out of three, only…

Well, from the time she was a cute little kitten -- so very long ago -- until now, whenever Dementia Kitty’s not happy about something, she makes a conscious choice to ‘share’ her displeasure in a particularly wet and smelly way.

So, either she’s had Alzheimer’s since birth -- and knowing this cat, it’s a possibility -- or I’m just lucky and soon, she’ll exhibit Sign Three even when she’s happy.

The joys of pet ownership are without number.