The Elderly Cat

A cat kept lovingly in your home will live to be much older than a cat living in the wild, and may, therefore, need rather special care and attention in later years. As in humans, the onset of old age can vary tremendously - some cats may be showing distinct signs of old are at 12, whereas others are still behaving like kittens at 16. An owner can learn to recognise some of the diseases that are common at old age, and even learn to diagnose some of the common problems in their early stages. Ultimately, the question of euthanasia arises and this is a problem that many pet owners may have to tackle.

This chart shows the relative ages of a cat and a human. A direct comparison is difficult to make because the rate of ageing slows down as the cats get older. The first year is roughly equivalent to 15 human years but, in the later years of life, each cat year is only about 3 human years.

I've hear about cats living twenty years or more. Is it true?
The domestication of cats has greatly increased the number of years they are likely to survive. While a feral cat will be very lucky to live to the age of 10 years, pet cats treated to all the creature comforts have considerably longer life expectancy. The "average" lifespan is normally about 14 years, but it is certainly not unsual for cats to be 16 or 17 years old. Those cats that survive even longer than that are the exeption rather than the rule, but cats of over 20 years are reported fairly regularly. The absolute maximum lifespan of a domestic cat is between 25-30 years.

What are the signs that may tell me that my cat is getting old?
May cats are surprisingly resistant to the effects of old age, but you will probably find that your cat will gradually become less active and sleep for long hours in a favourite warm spot. Some cats may put on weight, but most older cats tend to lose weight and may well develop and increased thirst. Failing eyesight and deafness are common in old cats, but these problems do not necessarily mean that the cat has to be put to sleep. With a little extra care and attention, cats that arecafflicted with deafness and blindness can adjust and learn to cope very well in familiar surroundings.

What extra care will my elderly cat need?
Regular veterinary check-ups are always a good idea. In this way problems that may otherwise be serious can be picked up early. Many elderly cats will need more grooming than when they were younger and will be less able to cope with hair they swallow. The nails of an elderly cat may well overgrow, even to the point where the begin to curl around and grow back into the pads of the feet. If necessary, they should be regurarly clipped well before they reach that state. Be sure that your elderly cat has a warm and draft-free bed to go to, and try to discourage it from staying outside for too long in very cold weather. Older cats will often drink more water than when they are younger, and a plentiful supply of fresh water must be available at all times.

Is there any special diet I should feed my cat when he/she gets older?
While many cats can be pretty fussy eaters at the best times, you can probably expect your cat to become even more choosy in his/her eating habits as he/she ages. Good quality, easy digested sources of protein should be fed, such as fish, rabbir, chicken and cooked eggs, together with a reputable balanced mineral supplement. If your cat appears to be losing weight, you should try to encourage him/her to eat starchy foods as well as meat. This is not very popular with many cats, but you could experiment with foods such as rice, pasta with butter, bread and butter, potato chips and potatoes. Older cats will often want to eat smaller and more frequent meals, and should be fed on demand.

Why is my cat losing weight and always thirsty?
It is very common for elderly cats to lose weight gradually and drink more fluids. This may be a part of your cat's aging process, but could be due to a specific disease that requires treatment. Regular veterinary checks every six to nine months are a good idea for your cat anyway, but if you notice a fairly sudden increase in drinking or severe loss of weight, you should have your cat checked without delay. It is good idea to weigh elderly cats every two or three months and keep a note of theur weight so that you will know if they are losing or gaining - it can be very difficult to detect changes by sight alone if you are seeing the cat every day. There are four common causes of weight loss and increased thirst in older cats:

• Overactive Theroid: In recent years, hyperthyroidism has been discovered to be fairly common cause of increase thirst and loss of weight in elderly cats. The disease is due to a growth in the thyroid gland in the neck. This growth is usually not cancerous, but it produces an excessive quantity of thyroid hormone. Affected cats usually have a voranious appetite, often with diarrhea, and may be hyperactive and nervous. It may be possible to feel a lump in the neck region; a blood test will confirm the diagnosis. While drugs can be used to control the problem, surgery provides the only cure, and although surgery on the thyroid glands is not without problems, many cats have now been successfully cured of this problem.
• Diabetes: Diabetes mellitus, or sugar diabetes, is a less common cause of increased thirst. Cats with this disease are often overweight at first but then lose weight as the condition progresses. Sometimes it is possible to detect a smell of ketones, a smell like nail polish remover, on the breath of a diabetic cat. The condition can be diagnosed either by a urine or a blood test, a test that should not be carried out following a large meal. Treatment may involve a change of the diet together with regular injections of insulin. The owner will probably have to collect a urine sample to test regularly. While most owners learn to cope with giving regular injections, they will also need to give a diabetic cat very regular care and attention for the rest of its life. Although the treatment of a cat with diabetes is not simple, many owners have enabled their diabetic cats to live out the final year or two of their lives reasonably normal and contented manner.
• Kidney Disease: Probably the most common form of kidney disease in the cat is chronic interstitial nephritis. If your vet suspects this disease, he or she may take a blood test to measure your cat's blood urea levels. This is the best test for measuring whether a cat is suffering from some degree of kidney failure. Cats with kidney disease will also tend not to eat, have bad breath, and may suffer from vomiting and/or diarrhea. It is important to realise that by this time signs of this disease develop in an elderly cat with kidney failure, a large part of both kidneys will have irreversibly damaged and replaced with scar tissue. Therefore, any treatment that your vet gives can only prevent further deterioration - kidney transplants are still a long way for cats! Treatment for kidney disease may include an attempt to increase the amount of starchy foods the cat eats, but this may not be successful with a cat that is not eating well anyway. It is better for the cat to eat anything rather than nothing at all. Your vet may prescribe drugs to try to support your cat. These often include anabolic steroids, which help to build up body weight and slow down muscle wasting. Under the guidance of your vet, you should also administer a suitable vitamin supplement, since cats tend to lose certain vitamins through the kidneys when they are not fuctioning normally. While some cats do not respond well to treatment for kidney disease, there are many cats that do seem to respond and, with treatment, have been able to live out a year or two of happy lives.
• Cancer: Neoplasia, or cancer, is unfortunately fairly common in cats of all ages. It may affect any part of the body, and may lend itself well to surgical removal The most common form in cats is lymphosarcoma, a cancer of the white blood cells, which may develop as a result of exposure to feline leukemia virus. It is mentioned here as it is a common cause of weight loss in older cats, often despite a voracious appetite. In older cats it usually settles in the lymph nodes of the intestines or along the wall of the bowel, interfering with the absorption of food. If it affects the liver or kidneys, it may also cause increased thirst. Definitive diagnosis may be possible from the clinical signs or from a blood test, but it may be necessary to carry out an exploratory operation to remove a small piece of tissue for examination under the microscope. Anti-cancer drugs may be used to treat some mild cases of lymphosarcoma, but they will only prolong life and not cure the underlying problem. Other forms of cancer may affect the skin or any of the internal organs. Cancer is not one disease, but many different diseases that all result in excessive and uncontrolled growth of certain body tissues. Treatment will depend upon the type of tumor involved - it can include surgery, chemotherapy (drugs), or even radiotherapy.

What other problems can affect an older cat?

• Heart Problems: While cats do not get thickening of the arteries and coronary heart diseases as humans do, elderly cats are prone to cardiomyopathy, a degeneration of the heart muscle. This causes a build-up of fluid on the chest leading to labored breathing; it can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries. The most likely place for such clots to form is in the arteries supplying the legs. This causes iliac thrombosis and results in severe cramps in the hind leg muscles. The outlook for cats with such symptoms is poor, since the underlying heart problem will remain even if the blood clot is removed surgically. Some cats with cardiomyopathy are treated with aspirin to discourage blood clotting, but since the drug can be very poisonous to cats, it must be given in very low doses under close veterinary supervision. Drugs may also be given to assist the heart and remove fluid from the chest, but unfortunately few cats survive a weak heart.
• Constipation: Occasionally, elderly cats develop a "lazy bowel," resulting in bouts of constipation. Some owners become very concerned if their cat does not have a bowel movement every day, but there is generally no need to worry unless your cat is straining and unable to move its bowels or has not moved them for several days. Do not confuse straining due to constipation with straining due to a urinary obstruction - the latter is a serious problem and requires immediate veterinary attention. If your cat does suffer from constipation, give a teaspoonful of mineral oil daily for a few days - if the cat does not have a bowel movement within 24 hours or if it becomes distressed, contact your vet. Frequent dosing with mineral oil may affect the absorption of certain vitamins, and a balanced vitamin supplement should be given to compensate. Constipation can be aggravated if the cat swallows a lot of hair. Regular grooming will help to prevent this. Long-haired cats especially will benefit from your assistance. You should examine the cat's coat for signs of any problems that might be causing excessive molting, particularly the presence of fleas - which should be dealt with promptly.
• Incontinence: Some cats that have been housetrained throughout their lives may become incontinent when they grow older. This may simply be due to laziness, and the cat may respond to more litter boxes around the house for it to use. Unfortunately, some cats will still soil indoors. They should be checked by a vet to see whether there is any physical problem, such as a urinary or kidney infection. If the cause is simply senility, the cat has either to be confined to an area where the soiling does not matter, or put to sleep.
• Cataracts: Cloudiness of the lens within the eye is very common in the eyes of elderly cats. They usually progress gradually and do not cause blindness until they are well advanced. Elderly cats seem to adapt to a gradual loss of vision reasonably well, and although surgery to remove the cataracts is theoretically possible, it is not usually considered wise for an old cat.
• Bad Teeth: Due to an accumulation of tartar on the teeth over the years bad teeth are common in older cats. Tartar causes the gums to become inflamed (gingivitis) and to recede. This allows infection to attack the roots of the teeth (periodontitis), causing them to loosen and eventually drop out. Having tartar removed before the gums become too inflamed will save a lot of pain later on. Once the teeth have been cleaned, a diet that exercises the teeth may help to slow down the rate at which tartar builds up again. A small amount of dry cat food will exercise the teeth. Or your cat may like to chew on some meat gristle.