Our pets are growing older! More of our patients are living longer. This is wonderful and largely due to newer discoveries about cat nutrition and diseases, resulting in improved products and procedures to keep them healthy longer.

We know that you are devoted to learning how to keep your cat companions by your side longer. As your veterinarian and partner in keeping your cat healthier longer, we are now attending more seminars on feline aging, the nutritional needs of older cats, osteoarthritis, and the skin and coat problems in aging cats.

 

FELINE DECLINE: What's Normal, What's Not

Aging is not a disease! The notion that a cat is "too old" can hurt your cat by getting in the way of proper diagnosis or treatment. While it is still impossible to tell our clients how long their cat will live, we can make constructive generalizations about their cat's normal life stages.

A cat's last and longest life stage begins at approximately 9 years of age. This is the time to be aware of significant laboratory and clinical changes in our cats. At least once a year, routine "health" screens in wellness evaluations of mature and geriatric cats are needed to detect system diseases early. Accelerated weight loss typically begins only two to three years prior to death, regardless of the cause of death. Weight loss in cats younger that 15 years should be considered a clinical sign of illness and a search for treatable disease is needed.

 

We need to consider an older cat's kidney function and dental health as well as their endocrine, neurological, muscle, bone and gastrointestinal functions. These are readily apparent when a blood sample is examined. The first annual blood screen should be done at 7 years of age. This gives us a baseline that we can compare with later tests that enables us to early detect any problems early.

 

Older cats, many of whom do not digest their food efficiently, need to be fed diets that are higher in energy and have easier digestibility. Some cats losing both fat and lean muscle mass may need to increase their energy intake by as much as 25 percent. They need to eat more food and drink more fluids to obtain the same calories as when they were young. Many feline chronic diseases can be controlled with medication and diet.

 

In cats older than 9 there is very little room for error. A few days of appetite with low water intake can rapidly lead to breakdown of muscle tissue and lead to dehydration. Once a cats passes this age mark, our goal, as your cat's doctor, becomes maintaining their appropriate weight and physical condition by increasing calorie consumption; this is accomplished by providing a highly palatable, highly digestible, energy-dense food.

 

It is never too early to talk to us about your cat's diet. A simple diet change may mean that your pet companion will be there for you many years longer, returning your love - just as you have always been there for them.

 

Call us to make an appointment that your cat would thank you for!