Older Cat

Taking Care of an Older Cat

Cats are not turtles. Okay, I know what you're thinking, people aren't turtles, either. However, when you really think about it, people are a lot closer to turtles than cats in the sense that turtles, as well as people, can live to be 100 years or more. Not so for cats. In fact, in human terms, a cat who's surpassed twelve years would be applying for their old age pension. Certainly cats can live longer than twelve years and, in fact, thanks to many factors, cats really are living much longer these days.

Dedicated care from their human companions plus advances in veterinary medicine are the main reasons. Most experts consider a cat's "senior years" to begin on her 10th birthday. After this point, the aging process begins to slow in even the most playful feline. Yet, with a little extra attention from her resident human, a cat could enjoy another 5-10 years of life and love.

As with humans, cats often lose the ability to hear as they get older. This often goes unnoticed by their human companion because they think their cat's lack of response is just typical feline aloofness. Unfortunately, without keen hearing and vision, an Older Cat becomes more vulnerable to threats from cars and dogs on the street, so it's probably a good idea to keep an Older Cat indoors. If she loves the fresh air, then make sure you supervise her in a protected area when she is allowed outdoors.

Even the most easygoing cat can become a finicky eater in her later years. As an older cat's senses of smell and taste begin to diminish, she becomes less interested in her food. Try adding moist food and warming her meals to amplify the scent and make her dinner more tantalizing.

Also, it's important to keep fresh water available for your Older Cat, and to monitor her drinking habits. Her natural thirst drive can fade with age, causing her to become dangerously dehydrated rather quickly. Pay attention to about how much water your cat drinks each day. If the amount suddenly drops, and you know she is not getting water from any other source, you should consider contacting your veterinarian.

Common problems people see their older cats develop include difficulties swallowing due to decreased saliva production, less tolerance to extreme heat and/or cold, gum disease and tooth loss, a change in litter habits, and difficulty sleeping well.

Recent studies have uncovered a problem with potassium balance in many older cats. Poor coat condition, loss of appetite and lethargy have been linked to a mild form of hypokalemia, or low blood potassium. Low blood potassium damages the cat's kidneys, which, in an older cat, are already weakening. This leads to a vicious cycle because declining kidney function increases the loss of potassium in the blood, which in turn causes further deterioration of the kidneys.

Arthritis and stiffness is fairly common in older cats as well and as it becomes more difficult to move, a geriatric cat spends more time sleeping. If her diet stays the same, she'll begin to put on a lot of extra weight. This can add to her discomfort which makes her more inclined not to move. Without exercise her muscles will weaken, so it's important to encourage an older cat to take part in some activity every day. Physical movement will help with digestion and bowel function, as well as keep her sharp mentally.

As a cat gets older, it spends less time grooming itself which may result in her hair becoming dry and matted. Regular grooming is required to keep her coat healthy and beautiful, so it's best to schedule daily brushing to remove loose hair that can form uncomfortable hairballs in her stomach.

So, as I said, cats aren't turtles. However, with love and care they can live for fifteen years or more. But remember, just as senior humans require special care, so does your feline friend. Pay attention to their needs and help make them as comfortable as possible.

Glenn Cutforth is a writer, publisher and graphic designer. His website, The Complete Cat at www.thecompletecat.com features The Complete Book of Cats & provides Cat owners a wealth of information and pictures on cats including Cat Care & Training, Cat Breeds, The History of the Cat and much more.

I got a new kitten (Help Name)?
So basically few days ago I lost my cat R.I.P =(, and today I got a new kitten that looks exactly the same :)!!! ..... (Tuxedo cat), So basically my little sister called it panda lmao am not having it its mine so I gets to choose, I want to call it Pepsi and my brother insists it should be called spliff or weed O_O .... Really awesome we thought it's hell quiet and clumsy as she kept tripping and falling of her own tail was funny though then hour later baaam!!! she was something else, kitty from hell hehehehe she started playing ball with my brother and my brother said give me and she actually passed it to him wow Tuxedo cats are known to be intelligent am just fascinated at the similarities of it with my old cat, who was 7 years of age everyone said don't get the same kind as I will be expecting it to be the same and that I'll be disappointed if it weren't but it's my old cat forsho nothing new just it's size am so happy =) Deal with what my cats death?

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will a vet put a old cat to sleep?

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Why is my brother such a dick?
My brother is 20, and i'm fourteen, he just got back from his trip to utah, I guess he decided to go be a professional bum, and that didn't work out. So he is back, basically bumming our food, attempting to spend as least amount of money as possible. So the other day, i'm laying on the couch, watching tv, and we have this old Civil war sword sheathed on the counter behind the couch(looks better than it sounds). My brother unsheathes the sword, and hold it to my throat, I shove it away, he pushes it back, holding it to my throat. I call him immature, shoving it back once more, he sheathed the sword for a momment. Then next thing I notice, he takes a clump of old cat vomit, shoving it into my face. I flip, calling him a f*cking idiot, take my ceral bowl, and throw it at him. My mom is there, watching it all, basically not giving a rats A*s on what he is doing, up until he put the cat vomit in my face, then she gets mad, when I throw the bowl, she shoved me back, letting my brother have a head start to randomly attack me. I then just walk away, go into my room, then lock my door. I later come out, the next day, my brother apologizes, like he always does, he really doesn't mean it, but he just does it to get on my moms good side. Then my mom goes back to putting him on a pedalstool above everyone else. Whenever i'm just talking with my mom, or someone, if my brother doesn't seem to be intressted in the conversation, he will just interupt me, and start acting like a dick to me. Today is my extremely self centered dads birthday, he doesn't live with us anymore, so my brother and I were going to go have lunch with him. My brother, just basically bums my gift. I'm in the kitchen, on my laptop when my brother comes in with his laptop, and i'm watching a video, that is pretty quiet, he then comes in, and blasts this really loud video, just acting like a complete a*shole to me. He ignores my request to turn it down, then takes my laptop out of my hands, taking the powercord and plugging it into his, still acting like a rude little sh*t. Thats when I basically said i'm done dealing with his crappy attitude, so I went up stairs, and again locked myself in my room. My brother constantly gets away with **** like this, it just really pisses me off. I've asked my mom several times to make him move out, be she refuses. Oh, and int he midst of all of this, my mom doesn't do a damn thing, she actually punishes me, because for some reason, she doesn't want to punish her 20 year old son. I've constantly got the sh*t end of the stick in my family, even my dad took me off to the side once, telling me how much he loves to punish me, then he denied ever saying it when I confronted him. My dad has anger issues, my mom is delusional, and my brother is a spoiled dick. Please tell me any advise on what to do, this has gone too far, I've even considered just leaving, go living with my dad, or basically just running away.

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how do i get my 1year old cat to leave her collar on?
im not sure how or why she take it off but she dose and we want her to keep it on we just go her and we dont want to loss her

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Why did my one year old cat have cardiac arrest during dental cleaning?
My 1yr old cat was adopted by pound and needed a dental cleaning/extraction of several teeth. Picked him up today and they said they had to revive him on the table because he lost consciousness. They dont know why it happened because they neudered him a few months ago and he had no problem with anesthia. WHY DID HE DIE ON THE TABLE? LUCKILY, he came back....but what could cause this? He is a healthy one year old. Could he have heart conditions? If so, what are possibilities? Please help, im upset about this and want to prevent any reason he could drop in near by future.

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Older Cat News

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Hi, my name is Kittles, and I am a domestic short-haired male. I am an older cat, which makes me very wise. I love to play and cuddle on the couch. I prefer to be in a house with no kids around because they tire me out. If you rub my belly, I will purr all day!

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Bogue: Would an old cat enjoy the company of new kittens?

Gary says kittens are pretty rambunctious company and suggests LeeRoy would probably prefer to spend his last years alone with his humans.