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Senior Cat Health Care

My senior cat becomes very distressed when we try to medicate her. Should we keep trying when it upsets her so much?
This is something you should discuss with your veterinarian. There is no simple answer to this question; it depends on whether the treatment may lead to a cure, or whether it

Suggested Treatment

Spice of Life (Senior Formula)

is aimed at controlling clinical signs. It also depends on how ill the cat is, and on how serious the disease for which it is being treated. Older cats are often poorly tolerant of excessive physical handling or environmental change, so while veterinary medicine may be able to offer complex therapeutic options, it is important that each case be assessed individually. Treatment should not be attempted where it will be poorly tolerated for medical or temperamental reasons. Once the patient’s quality of life can no longer be maintained it is important that euthanasia is performed as compassionately as possible, in order to prevent the cat from suffering.

What diseases do senior cats commonly get?
The major diseases seen in older cats are hormonal disorders (such as Old Cat Health Care Image

hyperthyroidism and diabetes mellitus), kidney disease, neoplasia (cancer), infections (e.g. feline immunodeficiency virus [FIV]), periodontal disease and arthritis.

It is important to remember that while young cats usually have only one disorder at a time, this is often not so in older patients, where diagnosis and treatment may be complicated by the concurrence of multiple interacting disease processes.

While it is true to say that "old age is not a disease", it does merit special attention. This is important so that if your cat develops disease, we can recognize and treat it as early as possible, thereby maintaining its quality of life for as long as possible.

What can I do to make my senior cat as happy as possible?
Most cats age gracefully and require few changes to their general regimen. Since older cats do not generally respond well to change, it is important that any changes are introduced slowly.

Elderly cats should have easy access to a warm bed, situated where the cat can sleep safely without fear of disturbance.

It is strongly recommended that you feed your older cat a senior diet. They should always have easy access to fresh drinking water.

As cats’ age, some will experience a reduced ability to control urination and defecation. To reduce the risk of “accidents”, it may be necessary to allow access to multiple litter boxes.

Senior cats should have regular health checks with their veterinarian every six months.

My veterinarian mentioned a Senior Care Program; what does this entail?
The aim of any senior care program is to maintain the quality of the patient’s life and to slow the progression of age-related disease. Programs usually include a thorough physical examination, blood screening and testing for feline leukemia virus infection (FeLV). Body weight should be recorded regularly and booster vaccinations should be given annually. We will provide you with additional details about our senior care programs upon request.

Senior Cat Health Care - (Previous)

Any information contained on this site relating to various medical, health and fitness conditions of pets and their treatment is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own veterinarian.