The Golden Years

Aging is not a disease, just a natural progression. Having said that, there are problems we more commonly see in the golden years. We try to manage senior cats so that we don’t wait until problems are entrenched because once some of these progressive problems get rolling, they get much more difficult (or impossible) to stabilize. With appropriate early intervention, goals may include improved quality of life, slowed progression, and sometimes cure! By taking action, and implementing proactive wellness preventive monitoring and other measures, the golden years for your cat really can be golden!

It is important not to confuse signs of early abnormalities with the perception that this change is just a normal change in any aging cat! Your veterinarian can help to educate you about what is normal, and what is not.

Care in the senior life phase involves:

• Increased frequency of monitoring by your veterinarian. Since cats move through their lifespan much more quickly than people, waiting a year to recheck a cat is like waiting 5 or 6 years for you to see the doctor! At least twice a year, your cat should be seen at the hospital for routine senior health visits.

• Home monitoring should occur including —
  • monthly weight checks
  • daily monitoring for thirst and appetite, normal bowels and urine production, normal breathing and sleeping behaviors
  • behavior assessment
  • monitoring for lumps and bumps
  • unusual odors during grooming

  Doing this routine makes you a part of your cat’s health care team by allowing you to pick up EARLY changes in health.

  Changes in hearing and vision are not uncommon. Your veterinarian can share some simple tests to help you assess these important senses in the home. Indoor cats can accommodate well to loss of hearing and vision—just don’t move the furniture! When vision or hearing reduction or loss occurs, an outdoor cat should become an indoor cat as they will be at much increased risk of injuries of all sorts.

• Continue routine preventive care such as vaccination (customized program, based on risk),
• Continue external parasite preventives, and worming, tailored to your cat’s lifestyle.
• Monitoring by the veterinary health care team to include (at least once a year) a complete blood count, selected blood chemistry and electrolytes, thyroid hormone levels, blood pressure, Lead II ECG, and a urine analysis. There are many problems that can only be identified in the early stages using screening programs such as this.

Why do we need to be so thorough?

Each system of the cat goes through functional and structural changes during aging that increase the chances of loss of the normal organ balance.

The older cat has increased likelihood of high blood pressure due to an increase in incidence of hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), and chronic kidney failure.

Old cat kidneys tend to have reduced ability to process potassium normally, and this can lead to ongoing low level potassium deficiency. This causes low grade weakness.

The digestive system efficiency drops and the normal motility, or gut movements are less vigorous leading to increased risk of constipation. Incidence of inflammatory bowel disease increases.

In some cases, the veterinarian will prescribe a special diet especially if chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney, intestinal, or heart problems are present. They may also recommend senior diet formulations that have been balanced to allow for the changes in dietary requirements of the senior cat. Sometimes a change to at least partial intake of canned food is recommended if oral health is poor or water intake is an issue. Diabetes is also more common in senior cats.

Arthritis is much more common that we previously thought. Senior cats may appear stiff upon rising and then warm out of their stiffness. Changes on X-rays do not seem to correlate well with how lame the cat is—many cats seem to tolerate changes in their hips and lower back that would make a dog really gimpy!

Older cats tend to develop advanced dental disease, which can be quite painful.

Chronic low grade dehydration may also occur, which is often associated with other chronic diseases of old age.

Old cat “senility” changes, which we term cognitive dysfunction, may lead to onset of novel behaviors such as disorientation, wandering, night crying, changed sleep patterns, and reduced interaction with family.

The overall efficiency of the immune system drops off as age advances. This means that older cats are less able to fight off infections.

Chronic pain may occur in older cats. Pain is tough to assess in this species because cats like to hide their problems. Signs of pain can be totally hidden, or you may note difficulty eating, weight loss, lethargy, change of personality, crying when handled, and increased meowing or crying out.

Obesity in older cats (and any cats) leads to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Muscles, bones and joints are also under increased strain, and degenerative joint disease may result. Careful, slow weight loss programs carried out under professional supervision may allow the older cat to regain mobility and comfort.

Obese seniors may require bathing of their back end to be done regularly since the combination of a stiffer spinal column and obesity may prevent normal self-grooming of the anus, tail and topline over the hips area, leading to fecal and urine soiling, dandruff and oil buildup in the coa. This may require ongoing nursing care to keep the area sanitary and clean.

Here are the common signs of cancer that you can watch for at home:

(List derived from: Veterinary Cancer Society)

• Weight loss and poor appetite
• Abnormal growths that do not go away or heal
• Abnormal fluids or bleeding from any location
• Bad odor
• Problems eating or drinking
• Lost mobility and poor exercise tolerance
• Trouble with breathing, passing the bowels, or urinations

In summary, the golden years can be a time of great enjoyment and high quality of life if we take the time to provide a bit of extra care for our aging feline friends.