Cat Senior Care - Everything You Need to Know About Caring for Your Senior Cat

Name: Veterinary Services
Brand: Briar Patch Veterinary Hospital

How will getting older impact the health of my cat?

Aging in cats can result in many changes similar to those in humans. We can see a slowing down, some nutritional changes, and an increased likelihood of disease. Age is not a disease, but as we age, we are more likely to have disease. This makes annual exams and screening tests really important so we can catch things early. Observation and looking for changes are the best ways to help maintain those good years as long as possible.

The diseases we most often see in senior cats are:

Kidney Disease
Liver Disease
Diabetes
Arthritis
Cancer

Cats can also develop an overactive thyroid gland as they get older, which we diagnose with routine blood work. It’s also good to keep in mind that the wear and tear issues a cat can experience as they get older, such as arthritis, often lead to things like mobility, grooming, and possibly litter box issues.

Dr. Katherine Vissio
Briar Patch Veterinary Hospital

How do a cat's nutritional needs change as they age?

The nutritional needs of an aging cat depend on their activity level, body condition, and whether they have any underlying disease processes. It's great that we have nutritional options that we can use to manage disease processes, as cats aren't always the easiest to medicate. It's important to give them that food exclusively so that they can receive its health benefits. Nutrition certainly is the basis of a lot of health issues. If we manage their diet from the beginning as they start to age, we can often keep them healthier longer.

Again, age is not a disease. A senior cat’s nutrition comes down to their health and lifestyle, and then we make choices based on that. So if your cat's showing signs of early diabetes or kidney disease, we might elect to change them to a diet consistent with those diseases’ needs. Or, if we have a cat with grooming issues, we might switch to a hairball diet to support that.

Often, senior cats need a little bit more fat in their diet, especially if they need to help maintain weight as they get older. Many cat food companies are putting things like Omega-3s into senior cat foods and glucosamine and chondroitin to help with joint support management. We don’t necessarily think all cats need to switch to senior cat food. Still, some nutritional requirements may call for that or even a prescription diet if your cat develops something like diabetes or renal disease.

What are some signs and symptoms that my cat may be slowing down?

Signs of slowing down are individual to the cat. Some cats remain extremely active into their senior years, while others are total couch potatoes, just like the rest of us. And so things that can indicate slowing down are if, all of a sudden, our interactions with our cat change. For example, if you have a cat that’s usually a lap cat but spends more time alone, that could indicate something is going on. Outdoor cats may not want to go outside as much. You may notice them hesitating to jump on a counter or a table to look for stuff and investigate.

Cats love to sleep, and that’s a fairly universal thing, but an aging cat will often sleep quite a bit more—especially compared to a kitten.

You may also see more subtle things like inadequate grooming. As cats age, if they start to feel stiffer and have painful arthritis, or maybe they're feeling ill from another underlying condition, they're not too worried about cleaning themselves. So you will start to have matting or clumping of the fur, which is kind of oily.

Weight loss can be another subtle thing that you'll see, where all of a sudden, you might have this nice full cat, not excessively full hopefully, but now you start to see the ribs or spine. Some cats eat less as they get older, although some cats eat a ton more, so appetite is unique to each cat.

Again, it's tricky to answer all possibilities in one question, but it's often those subtle things that you need to be looking for as your cat ages to give you the ability to detect if something is wrong early on. But we'd rather know about any behavioral changes or any other concerns you have as your cat gets older, or really at any age, so we can figure out what's going on sooner rather than later.

Old cat sleeping outside.

What kinds of preventative care can we do to help extend the life and health of my cat?

Preventative care involves annual exams where we check weight, temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, kidneys, intestines, bowel movements, and urination habits. We also discuss food and eating habits. We typically recommend annual blood work for senior cats to catch diseases like kidney disease, diabetes, and liver disease early. This allows us to implement treatment plans before the problem gets too big.

What is the most important thing to know about caring for your senior cat?

The most important thing is observation. You are with your cat all the time and know their behavior. Changes in habits are the most vital information you can provide to help us assist you. Despite the stress of a vet visit, we have ways to minimize stress and make the visit as comfortable as possible for your cat.

If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (607) 272-2828, or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram

Cat Senior Care - FAQs

Dr. Katherine Vissio
Briar Patch Veterinary Hospital

What are some things I can do to make my aging cat more comfortable?

I recommend making sure your cat has a comfortable place to rest. This could be a covered area or a place up high, but it should have a cushion for their elbows and joints as they become more achy or bony with age. Preventing pressure sores is important, especially if they like to sit on hardwood floors or similar surfaces. Creating a pad, like a yoga mat, can be helpful. Additionally, ensure the litter box is easy for them to access. Arthritis can make it difficult for them to get into it, so a shorter entryway can help. Place these areas conveniently so they have choice. Having freedom of choice is crucial for their welfare. If they struggle to move around, place these areas closer together and away from the busiest part of the house, allowing them to remove themselves from activity if they choose.

How do I know if my senior cat's in pain?

Cats display pain in many different ways. It's not always obvious, but signs can include licking an area excessively, limping, or changes in behavior. Cats may not vocalize pain, especially with chronic or slowly developing conditions like arthritis. If they struggle to use the litter box or choose different areas in the house, or their mood changes, these could indicate pain. A physical exam and palpating the areas of the body is usually the best way to tell.

Does my senior cat need to be vaccinated?

We strongly recommend keeping your pets vaccinated or at least ensuring that their antibodies are at protective levels. Age is not a disease, but with aging comes an increased risk of disease. Vaccinations can protect against severe life-threatening diseases. We use the safest vaccines and offer vaccine titers. If your pet has been regularly vaccinated, you can check their titers to see if they still have the necessary protective levels of antibodies.

How do I know if my senior cat has a good quality of life?

Good quality of life is about knowing your cat and their behaviors. If they stop doing things they normally enjoy, like watching birds from the window or climbing their cat tree, it's something to pay attention to. Cats with a poor quality of life may retreat, become less interactive, or hide. This is individually tailored to your pet and should be discussed with your vet.

Why does my senior cat sometimes yowl at night?

Yowling could be a part of your cat's personality, but it can also indicate other issues like cognitive dysfunction, vision problems, or disease processes like hyperthyroidism which can increase vocalization. It's crucial to have them evaluated to determine what is normal behavior and what is not.

What are some health complications or diseases commonly experienced by senior cats?

We see kidney disease as the most significant one beyond arthritis and mobility issues. We can see kidney disease at any age, but the onset is typically in the senior years.

The typical ways kidney disease manifests are:

Weight loss
Vomiting
An increase in urine output due to the cat drinking more

But we also see issues with the thyroid gland in which it becomes overactive, which manifests as a ravenous appetite. Sometimes they'll start acting almost hyperactive, and we could see vomiting and weight loss. So kidney disease and thyroid issues are the two biggest things we watch for in senior cats, although arthritis is common with any elderly pet. And we may see something like trouble getting around, issues jumping, and other mobility problems stemming from this arthritis. Unfortunately, there is also the possibility that your senior cat may get diabetes or cancer. We can treat these with much more success when you catch them early, so remember to see your veterinarian if you have any concerns about behavior changes in your senior cat.

What kinds of preventive care can help extend the life and health of my cat?

Preventive care is a multi-pronged thing. You can do many things at home to keep your cat healthy, including ensuring they don't have to work too hard to get to their litter box or food and water. If your cat has always had to go downstairs to use the litter box, we may need to consider moving a litter box or adding a litter box to the main floor or whichever floor they spend the most time on. The same goes for food—if they usually eat on a counter, we may either need to help them up to the counter or consider putting their food on the floor.

Another thing to keep in mind is senior cats still need to be stimulated. Exercise and enrichment remain essential, so we need to keep their brains active. Just as in people, the more we use it, the less we lose it.

It's also critical to feed your cat a high-quality diet and perhaps a prescription diet if your veterinarian has expressed that this would help with an existing condition.

And then, on the veterinary end of things, it's our job to help you monitor and detect diseases early, especially in senior cats. We will do that by doing more frequent exams, so we like to see them every six months as they get older. But we also may recommend yearly blood work as they get older to start screening for things like kidney or thyroid disease before they become an issue. And then we keep up with age-appropriate and lifestyle-appropriate vaccines as well.

Another big part is taking care of senior cats’ teeth. As cats age, we get more aggressive with their dental management. So it might mean that they need to come in every year, or every couple of years, to have their teeth cleaned by us to avoid painful dental disease.

And then the last thing is going to be joint management and joint care because of arthritis, and we want to make sure we're keeping them as comfortable as possible. Many veterinarians will give something like Chondroprotec to help manage your cat’s arthritis and help keep their joints nice and healthy.

What is the most important thing to know about caring for a senior cat?

The most important thing to remember is that you're their best advocate, and you know them best. Cats can be challenging to diagnose at times because they're secretive creatures. And so the better you know them as their pet parent, the more you’ll know when something's off. As veterinarians, we are trained on what to look for, but having that intimate knowledge of your cat's personality and normal activities makes a huge difference. So if you notice any changes in their interactions, routines, appetites, or litter box habits, we want to see them.

Senior cats are also going to require a little bit more care. Not only will you need to bring them in for wellness exams and dental care more often than when they were adult cats, but they’ll also need things like steps or assistance if you keep their food or water elevated. Sometimes you have to adjust their litter boxes if they have trouble stepping into a higher-walled litter box.