Very Upset about my Cat, Anyone have any advice??

This is such a long story but i'll make it pretty short. My beautiful Kitten grew up in our house...I got her in 1991 and she is still alive. She used to be an indoor cat and was taken regularly to the vet and cared for, etc. My father passed away in 1997 and after he was gone, she literally changed her personality and refused to come into the house from then on. She became very aggressive and nasty and would hiss and bite if anyone attempted to pick her up or go near her although she continued to linger around the house for feedings. She will occasionally sneak into the garage to sleep but that's about it. We feed her and once in a blue moon, if she's "IN THE MOOD" she'll let one of us pet for for a moment.

So, my dilemma is that now after all these years she is so old and disheveled, my heart literally breaks when I look at her. Previously, she used to hear and if you yelled for her that dinner was coming out, she would come running. Now she will only come if she sees you and she obviously can't hear any longer. Her fur is all a mess and I hear her sad meow and it makes me cry. I can't get her to the vet because if I try to pick her up she attacks.

Has anyone ever had a strange situation like this? I feel so bad for her. Any advice?

Re: Very Upset about my Cat, Anyone have any advice??

You can try to trap her to bring her to the vet if you want. That could be really stressful for her but it might be worth it to find out about her health.

Re: Very Upset about my Cat, Anyone have any advice??

Yea I didn't want to stress her out because she's so old, she seems to want to be left alone. Poor thing.

Re: Very Upset about my Cat, Anyone have any advice??

Poor baby. I would just try to make her life as pleasant as possible at this point. Maybe set up a little bed for her in the garage so she has somewhere soft to sleep?

Re: Very Upset about my Cat, Anyone have any advice??

Yes, we did that. We keep her as part of the family, as much as she allows. She gets fed twice a day and has a water bowl, bed in the garage (when she chooses to come home) and I was thinking the same thing....just leave her alone at this point. I just felt so mean, I don't want to neglect her. I should have rephrased my post to say....should I drag her to the vet and put her through the trauma or just leave her alone. Thank you so much for your advice.