What are some things I can do to make my aging cat more comfortable?
There are a few things that you can do to help your aging cat feel more comfortable. Minor things such as giving them a nice bed and sometimes giving them a little heating blanket can all be great, but they should also be kind of attending to their individual needs. If they're acting painful or if they seem to be slowing down, taking them to the veterinarian to make sure they don't have signs of arthritis or mouth pain or something like that can be really beneficial, but just kind of helping support them, baby them a little bit. They're kept creatures, and we're going to keep them that way, especially as they get older.
How do I know if my senior cat is in pain?
Pain in cats can be really, really difficult to assess. Sometimes really minor changes, such as a rough hair coat, can be indicative of arthritis because they don't want to actually bend around and groom themselves. Sometimes a rough hair coat can actually be mouth pain as well because they don't want to physically groom themselves. However, maybe they're grooming just fine, but they don't want to jump up on the couch or jump off of the couch like they used to. All those things can be signs of pain, so just watching for what we used to do and what we do now can really determine if there is pain, and if there is pain, where the pain might be.
Does my senior cat need to be vaccinated?
There are several vaccines that we have for cats. We recommend vaccines, though, but it depends on which vaccines we need. If we're going to be strictly indoors and we're not interacting with other cats, well, then those vaccines are going to be different from if we're outdoors and we're still interacting with other cats.
How do I know if my senior cat has a good quality of life?
You're going to know if your senior cat has a good quality of life just by watching, just to see how they are, right? Are they doing the basics? Are they eating? Are they drinking? Are they maintaining weight? Do they seem to be having bouts of playfulness? Now, they're not going to be playing all day like a kitten would, however, do they have moments where they act like a kitten? Those are going to be really important ways to determine if they have a good quality of life.
Why does my senior cat sometimes yowl at night?
Senior cats can yowl at night for several different reasons. If they start to get older, and when they start to get older, sometimes they lose their vision and their hearing. If they lose those senses, sometimes they can get confused at night and they just start howling. Sometimes they're scared as well. I mean, if you can't see as well or hear as well, sometimes the world's a scary place at nighttime. However, sometimes they're also painful. I mean, arthritis, if that flares up and it's at nighttime, they're going to yowl for you. So those are all the reasons why a cat can yowl at night.
How do a cat's nutritional needs change as they age?
The cat's nutritional needs are going to stay mostly the same in the sense that a cat is a true carnivore, meaning that over 51% of its diet needs to be protein. However, they may or may not need as many carbohydrates and fats because they're not going to be playing around and not trying to maintain the muscle mass that they did before. However, they are still true carnivores and need to make sure the majority of their diet is protein.
What are some signs and symptoms that my cat may be slowing down?
The signs and symptoms in cats, and I've said this before in other videos, is that subtle changes are big things in kitty cats. If you start to notice that they don't seem to be playing as much or seem to be sleeping a little bit more, that may mean that they're starting to slow down. However, other changes such as mild weight loss can be significant, indicating that they're slowing down as well.
What are some health complications or diseases that are commonly experienced by senior cats?
Senior cats can get a lot of different common diseases. Some of the most common ones we see are dental diseases, such as resorptive lesions, which are essentially like really bad cavities that cats can get. Many cats also get kidney disease as they get older. Sometimes we'll see liver disease, and unfortunately, as cats get older, cancer becomes more prevalent as well.
What kind of preventative care can help extend the life and health of my cat?
One of the best things that you can do for preventative care is seeing your veterinarian twice a year at a minimum with your senior cats. Veterinarians look for those really minor changes that can mean a lot of different things in cats. We also recommend blood work to check the internal organ function.
Why are wellness exams and regular checkups important for senior cats?
Wellness exams are very important because we're looking for really mild changes. We're going to be weighing them, checking for any weight changes, and listening to the heart to see if they developed a heart murmur. Also, doing blood work to catch changes in the kidneys and other internal organs early is crucial as they get older.
What tests might a senior cat need?
The big one that I keep mentioning is blood work. The reason for that is kidney disease is so prevalent in cats as they get older. The kidneys are really good at doing their job, but once we start to see changes on the blood work, the sooner we catch it, the better chance we have of prolonging the cat's life.
What is the most important thing to know about caring for a senior cat?
When it comes to caring for a senior cat, supporting them in the way they need to be supported is the most important thing. If they're maintaining weight, that's great. However, if they don't seem to be eating as much, consider getting them checked out by their veterinarian to ensure they don't have a dental problem. If their coat looks a little rough, it might be time to get them checked out because they may have signs of arthritis or something else like that.
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