Senior Cat Care 101: 10 Tips for Keeping Your Feline Friend Happy and Healthy

Cats are living much longer now than 10 or 20 years ago, thanks to better nutrition, improved veterinary care, and the changed attitudes toward cats as a member of the family instead of just a mouser. With these longer lives come new health concerns and behavior challenges. As your cat enters his senior years, it’s important to make adjustments to meet their changing needs. From vet care to environmental modifications to keeping his mind sharp and body healthy, here are 10 essential tips to ensure your senior cat care is as optimum as possible.

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Schedule Regular Vet Check-ups

Regular vet check-ups are crucial for senior cats to ensure their overall health and catch any potential issues early on. Your veterinarian can perform a thorough examination, run blood work, perform tests to check for any signs of illness or disease, and recommend any necessary treatments or medications. They can also provide guidance on nutrition, exercise, and any specific care needs your senior cat may have.

Physical changes for a senior cat can include a reduced ability to smell and taste food, reduced ability to digest fat and protein, reduced vision and hearing, immune function, loss of muscle tone, and mental problems like anxiety and cognitive decline. Illnesses such as arthritis, hypertension, hyperthyroid, kidney disease, diabetes, and dental disease are common in senior cats.

By scheduling regular vet check-ups at least every 6 months, you can help keep your older cat healthy and happy.

Monitor Your Senior Cat’s Weight and Body Condition

While your vet will track any disease and progression, some things you can do at home include monitoring your senior cat’s weight and body condition. Weight gain or loss can be signs of various health issues and lead to other diseases. Regularly weigh your senior cat. Ask your vet what an appropriate weight should be for your furbaby. Adjust their diet accordingly to keep him within that healthy weight range.

Senior cats tend to lose weight. Reduction in their sense of smell and taste can cause them to lack of interest in eating. Arthritis in his spine might make it uncomfortable to crouch down to his bowl. Kitty’s digestion may be more sensitive as he ages. He might not be able to tolerate large portions of food. If he has kidney disease, as many senior cats do, it can cause nausea.

There are some things we can do to help our senior furbabies eat better:

• Offer their favorites.
• Try different flavors and textures to keep it interesting
• Warm up the food.
• Use an elevated bowl.
• Is Kitty a social eater? See if she eats better if you sit with her while she eats.
• Try hand feeding.
• Make it convenient. Put Kitty’s food where he spends most of his time.
• If all else fails, ask your vet about an appetite stimulant or anti-nausea medications.

Additionally, regularly check Kitty’s body condition by feeling the ribs and spine. If you can easily feel the bones, Kitty may be underweight, while if you struggle to feel the bones, he may be overweight. Keeping him in optimal condition is an important part of senior cat care.

Adjust Kitty’s Diet for Any Special Needs

As cats age, their nutritional needs change. It’s important to adjust their diet to accommodate these changes and ensure they are getting the right nutrients in the right balance. Senior cats may require a diet that is lower in calories to prevent weight gain and obesity. They may also benefit from a diet that is higher in protein to support muscle mass and overall health, low phosphorous for kidney disease, or low carbohydrates for diabetic cats. Consult with your veterinarian to determine the best diet for your senior cat and make any necessary adjustments to their feeding routine.

Consider adding supplements to your senior cat care routine. Probiotics can support digestion and prevent hairballs. Cosequin may help cats with mobility issues due to arthritis. Fish oil for Omega-3s to support overall health. My favorite supplement for my cats – and Treeno’s too – 1TDC for dental health, mobility, muscle tone, and skin and coat. Always speak to your veterinarian before supplementing a cat’s diet.

Ensure Adequate Hydration

Dehydration increases stress on Kitty’s kidneys. A senior cat that is already at risk of kidney disease needs more water not less. Keep water sources all around the house especially places your senior cat hangs out. Many cats find running water more enticing than still water, so a fountain may be ideal. Supplements like KittyRade or HydraCare can help. As can increasing the amount of wet food in Kitty’s diet.

Related Post: Hydration and Cats

Provide Adequate Exercise and Mental Stimulation

Just like humans, senior cats still need regular exercise and mental stimulation to keep them healthy and happy. However, it’s important to adjust their exercise routine to accommodate their age and any physical limitations they may have.

Aging cats may not have the same energy levels as they did in their prime, but that doesn’t mean they should be inactive. Gentle play sessions with interactive toys can help keep them active without putting too much strain on their joints. They don’t need to run and jump like they did when they were young, stalking and catching a worm toy dragged around a corner can be just as enriching. Kicker toys make a great replacement for chase toys.

Additionally, keep Kitty’s mind sharp by giving him puzzles to solve, treat-dispensing toys, or even just hiding treats around the house can help keep their minds sharp and prevent boredom. Provide him sensory enrichment in ways that he can still enjoy. Remember to always monitor your senior cat during exercise and provide plenty of rest and relaxation time as well.

Related Post: Sensory Enrichment

Create a Senior Cat Friendly Home

You will likely have to make some changes to your house to accommodate your aging kitty. His reduced mobility will mean resources like food, water, and litter boxes should be offered in places he can get to quickly and easily. No more litter boxes in the basement where he has to traverse all those stairs. If you have a multiple level house, have a spot for Kitty on each level. Litter boxes should be large, twice the size of your cat, and have a low entry or you can add a ramp to your current high sided box.

Make sure they have a cozy bed or blanket to sleep on, preferably in a quiet and peaceful area of the house. Older cats crave warm, comfy spots. Consider a self-warming bed. If Kitty is no longer getting up on the sofa or the bed, add ramps or steps to help them reach their favorite spots. Replace your vertical scratching posts with horizontal scratchers. The vertical posts will put too much pressure on Kitty’s arthritic hips.

Related Post: 5 Pillars of a Healthy Feline Environment

Is Your Senior Cat in Pain?

Cats are extremely subtle when it comes to showing pain. In the wild no prey animal wants to look weak. So we have to look for small changes in behavior. Is Kitty less active? Cranky? No longer climbing or jumping to her favorite spaces? Avoiding stairs? Not eating or grooming well? Keeping Kitty comfortable is the fundamental goals of senior cat care.

We have a couple of tools at our disposal. The Feline Grimace Scale (FGS) was developed by researchers at the University of Montreal. These researchers assessed ear position, the aperture of the eye, muzzle tension, whisker position, and head position and applied a score ranging from 0 to 2 for each, with 0 being most relaxed and 2 being most tense. These scores were then added together. If Kitty scores of 4 or above she is likely experiencing pain and in need of relief.

There are downloadable fact sheets and a training manual available. If you want to practice to make sure you know how to use the FGS, you can get an app for that on the app store. The Feline Grooming Scale app teaches you about the FGS so you can assess your cat. Rather have someone else do it for you? Try the Tably app. You can take a face forward picture of your cat and the AI will assess your cat for pain according to the FGS.

Obviously, the FGS apps aren’t able to prescribe anything to help Kitty feel better, but it can help when you’re wondering if you should call the vet.

Help Kitty Keep Up Her Grooming and Hygiene

Gentle grooming keeps Kitty’s skin and coat healthy and gives you a chance to carefully check her over for any lumps, bumps, or sores that might require a vet trip.

Cats are clean animals. They can get depressed if they don’t look and feel good. Kitty’s advancing age may make it hard for her to twist around and maintain her coat. This is when she’s going to need your help to keep her fresh and clean. Start with a daily brushing and cleaning any eye discharge and staining. Brush her teeth at least a couple times a week. Clean her ears as necessary. Just like people, older cats nails grow thick and brittle. Keep Kitty’s claws trimmed.

Enlist a professional groomer’s help. A lot of my clients are older cats that need a bath and hair cut to feel her best. Cats that mat or get very greasy need to be bathed. Even if you don’t want to do a complete haircut, a sani-trim is helpful for all cats to keep things clean after the litter box trips.

Stick to a Routine

Cats are creatures of routine. As seniors, they appreciate it even more. The decreased hearing and vision and cognitive dysfunction that tend to effect older cats make their world feel less safe and gives them anxiety. A daily routine can give Kitty a sense of security and decrease stress. For example, you an build a daily routine around meals, playtime, grooming, medication dosages all happen at the same times every day.

Keep Your Senior Cat Inside

A leash-trained senior cat may not have the stamina for a 3 mile hike anymore but that doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy his walkies anymore. Keep the walks short with an easy terrain. Let Kitty set the pace. If you don’t already have a pet stroller, now is the time to get one. Kitty can ride and still enjoy the fresh air and see the world. If she wants to get out and walk, more power to her. But if she gets tired she can ride.

If your furbaby has had free roaming time, now is the time to substitute a catio. The decreased hearing and vision and slower reaction time of a senior cat puts a free roaming cat at greater risk from predators and cars. A catio gives her access to the outside in a safe way.

Conclusion

Providing proper senior cat care is essential for ensuring the happiness and well-being of our aging feline friends. By following these 10 tips, including regular veterinary check-ups, a nutritious diet, plenty of mental and physical stimulation, and a comfortable environment, we can help our senior cats enjoy their golden years to the fullest. Remember, with a little extra attention and care, we can make a significant difference in their quality of life and ensure that our beloved feline companions age gracefully and gracefully alongside us.