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Page 1 of 2 Special Needs for Older Cats
Never assume that changes you see in your older cat are simply due to old age.
Weight loss; changes in appetite, food preferences, eating habits, or litter box habits; "accidents" outside the box, changes in behaviour, howling, grouchiness, poor grooming, blood or chronic discharges anywhere, bad smells (even slightly sour smells) or bad breath and of course, increased thirst and urination or odd lumps and bumps all indicate a problem!
Your senior cat may not need a special diet unless a problem that requires dietary modification has been diagnosed. Your cat can eat any high quality adult maintenance diet - just feed both canned and dry, and yes, treats like plain cooked chicken, milk, butter and tuna water are ok! If you do need to change the diet, work with your veterinarian to ensure adequate nutrition. Remember, the most important thing is that your cat eats to maintain weight! You cannot force dietary change on a cat. Especially a cat that won't eat because of pain or nausea. Our assumptions on feline aging and nutrition have been based on other species - not a good idea in cats, and more research is needed. Current feline research indicates that it is not a good idea to restrict calories or proteins in older cats. Avoid dietary supplements unless you are absolutely sure they do not cause toxic problems for your cat.Daily play is essential - the oldest cat can still play like the silliest kitten, even if no longer agile!
Older cats, like older people, do need more frequent check-ups than healthy younger cats. At least have your cat weighed every three to six months, and examined every year. If a problem is diagnosed, you and your cat will become more frequent visitors to the veterinarian. Some problems do require monitoring by blood tests, but others, like high blood pressure, just need frequent blood pressure checks. Your older cat's physical exam and annual check-up is more comprehensive than that for a healthy four-year old cat - in addition to the usual heart, chest and abdomen exam, your veterinarian will want to examine the retina for signs of disease, check blood pressure, and request a thyroid and urine test. Other blood tests may be necessary, depending on the physical exam. We do prefer to pick up diseases like renal (kidney) insufficiency BEFORE they cause problems, and this is best done by the blood tests right now. Your excited older cat can easily hide subtle signs - in the wild state her survival depended on never appearing ill. Healthy, well fed and well cared for cats are living longer. The average age for cats has doubled, and today it is not uncommon for a cat to expect to live over twenty years. Cats, like humans, experience aging in their individual ways. Some cats may begin to feel old around eight years, others show only the slightest signs of ageing at eighteen. Most cats, however, have age-related physical changes by twelve, the most common being mild arthritis. Cats do hide their problems exceptionally well, so you have to watch your friend closely for the subtlest of signs that all is not carefree anymore.
Age is not a disease. It is a natural process. Some diseases are age-related, in that they tend to happen to a specific age group, like hyperthyroidism in middle-aged to older cats. The key to making sure your senior cat has the best quality of life possible is to recognise and reduce factors that may be health risks, detect disease as early as possible, correct or delay the progression of disease, and improve or maintain the
body's systems.
"Even really old cats still like to play...."
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