7 Important Things To Remember While Taking Care of Senior Cats
Just as humans in their old age need your love and care, our senior fur babies also want the same care and attention. Hence, you must remember a few things to make your old cat feel comfortable and safe.
Caring for senior cats is complicated, but we are here to make that easy for you with some essential things to remember. Read on!
1. Schedule Regular Vet Visits
As cats age, even though they may seem healthy, they can encounter several problems. Therefore, you must visit the vets once every six months. This way, anything that remains undetected by you can be looked over by the doctor.
Additionally, by taking them to the vet for regular visits, the vets can detect significant illnesses early. Starting their medication at an early stage can help your cat gain many years.
Did you know that cats age four years as compared to one year of humans? So, it means if your cat is ten years old, then they’ll be 40 years of age in human years. So, imagine the issues that a cat can have at such an age. Hence, you must schedule regular visits to the vet for senior cats.
2. Pay Attention to Your Cat’s Behaviour Changes
If you have had a cat since a young age, you know all about their habits, what they do at particular times, how they clean themselves, their eating patterns, etc.
Although you must pay attention to the slightest changes even at their young age, do it specifically after they turn 8. Often, pet owners look for some drastic changes, but it is the subtle changes that can create issues for your cat.
If your cat is sleeping a lot, has suddenly become inactive, or has even started urinating more, these could be signs of some severe diseases. Pay attention to the little details and inform the vet.
3. Keep a Check on Their Diet
As cats age, their digestive problems also increase. Doctors recommend that you give your cats enough protein in their diet; otherwise, they may start to lose weight. Weight changes are a significant health factor to look out for in senior cats.
A kitten requires a high caloric diet, but once they reach the age of 7, their bodies go through numerous changes.
Alternatively, senior cats need a special diet consisting of digestible protein with high moisture content to make it easy for chewing. Additionally, you should focus more on increasing their water intake because senior cats quickly become dehydrated due to less water intake.
4. Look for Common Symptoms
Senior cats are prone to diseases like kidney diseases, dental problems, hyperthyroidism, and diabetes. Moreover, they are good at hiding pain and illnesses. So, look for the common symptoms such as difficulty jumping and running around, excess urination, weight loss or gain, drinking less water, etc.
Additionally, you should look for the quality of the fur. It may seem like an unlikely concern, but the body has a way of showing the diseases. If the quality of fur has changed even though the grooming habits have not, it could be an alarming factor.
Changes in behavior, lumps, sores, and bleeding are common symptoms that you should look for in senior cats and kittens.
5. Keep a Check on the Stool Patterns
A stool pattern is the one thing that you should always check. It can tell you a lot about the problems that your cat is having. Whenever some internal problem happens, the stool pattern changes instantly.
The normal stool is brown, with very little smell, and it’s not too hard or mushy. If the cat starts to deviate from this pattern, then inform the vet instantly. They can have diarrhea, constipation, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, pancreatic disease, and even cancer.
Small, hard, and dry stools can mean constipation, and the opposite of this can mean diarrhea.
6. Dental Care
We usually don’t care about the dental health of fur babies. Be it cats or dogs; we don’t think of brushing their teeth or providing them with an oral hygiene routine. However, as cats age, these things can create further problems.
So, if you have had a cat from a young age, start with their oral hygiene routine. But, if you have adopted a senior cat, then make sure that you brush their teeth regularly, or it may cause severe pain as they age.
Additionally, it gets to the point that they cannot chew their food, and their gums become weak. Bleeding, swelling, and redness are some of the symptoms you should look out for.
7. Care for Their Eyesight
If you ever see your cat tumbling down the pet stairs, or they cannot find the door, then it could be that they are losing their sight. As much as it hurts, many pets beyond the age of 12 start to lose their sight. However, it does not happen to all the senior cats, so don’t worry.
But do keep a check on their motor movements. If they cannot self-groom themselves, find the stairs, or generally anything out of the blue, there is a chance that their eyesight has started to diminish.
The only solution is to keep the home pet-friendly. Also, provide them with the necessary things to relax, such as the litter box, water and food bowls, and bedding.
Final Thoughts
Caring for senior cats is the most precious thing. Although their physical ability has been hampered yet, they won’t ever stop being their true self.
So, I hope this article helps you take care of your senior cat in just the right way and avoid any mishaps.