Senior Cat Health

Cats are masters at hiding signs that they are unwell. Know what to look for when assessing your cat’s health.

Monitoring Your Senior Cat’s Health

Knowing what is normal for your cat is of great benefit, so when something is different you can recognise it quickly.

The following is some information on what to look for when assessing your cat’s health.

Eating and drinking habits

Know your cat’s eating habits and how much they generally eat and drink over the course of a day. Being aware of this helps to let you know when changes occur. Changes in appetite (both increased and decreased) can be a sign of disease in older cats, including chronic kidney disease, diabetes, dental disease and hyperthyroidism. Filling the water bowl up more often is usually suggestive of your cat drinking more.

Weight changes

Urinating and defecating

Know your cat’s toileting habits! This can be difficult to assess particularly if your cat goes outside, but easier if they use a litter box. Clumping litter gives you a good idea on the amount that your cat urinates. If you keep the litter box clean, then you will notice changes as soon as they occur. While scooping your cat’s litter, take note of the colour and consistency of your cat’s faeces – it only takes a moment! An increase in the amount of urine passed can be a sign of kidney disease or diabetes, while changes to the consistency of faeces can be a sign of various gastrointestinal or metabolic diseases. Urinary tract infections are common in older female cats, with the main symptom being passing smaller amounts of urine often. These require proper diagnosis and veterinary treatment.

Temperament

Your cat’s temperament generally won’t change throughout its life, so if something does change, then it might be because something is wrong. Illnesses such as hyperthyroidism can cause a normally docile cat to become more hyperactive or restless, while a cat who is increasingly anxious, vocal and disorientated could have feline senility or be suffering from high blood pressure. Signs of aggression that are out of character could suggest that your cat might be in pain.

Activity levels and interaction

Know your cat’s habits and activity levels – whether they enjoy greeting you at the front door, watching television with you at night, running around the house playing or watching birds from the window. A decrease or change in activity levels could suggest osteoarthritis, which is very common in senior cats. Signs can include not jumping onto beds or benches, stiffness upon rising, hiding, changes in grooming and aggression when handled. High blood pressure can sometimes cause blindness – this may also cause your cat’s activity levels and interaction with you to change.

The Importance of Senior Health Checks

A full clinical examination and a simple blood and urine test can help to diagnose a range of illnesses. High blood pressure can be an issue in our senior pets and is diagnosed by taking your cat’s blood pressure in a similar way to humans. Many illnesses are manageable through dietary changes, medication and small environmental changes in the home. The signs and symptoms listed above are not just signs that your cat is “getting old” – they are signs and symptoms of diseases that we can provide treatment for, to give your cat a happier, healthier and longer life.

We recommend blood and urine testing, as well as blood pressure testing in cats over ten years of age. We generally recommend 12 monthly check-ups for senior pets, but more frequent check-ups (such as six monthly) can help with even earlier diagnosis of disease, which can provide a better outcome. Similarly, blood tests can be done either six or twelve monthly. This can be discussed with your vet and may be determined by whether your cat is on any medication or not. depending on which is indicated. A 10 year old cat is equivalent to 56 human years, and each year your cat ages 4 “cat” years, therefore six monthly tests are equivalent to us going to the doctor every two years!

Veterinary Care for your Senior Cat

In addition to the diseases mentioned above, we commonly see dental disease and osteoarthritis in senior pets.

Dental disease

In addition to the diseases mentioned above, we commonly see dental disease in senior pets. It can be hard to examine a cat’s mouth during a veterinary consultation, but checking their teeth is an important part of a health check. It is important to let your veterinarian know if there are any signs at home that may suggest dental disease, such as your cat going off their food, being less interested in dry food, dry food falling from their mouth while eating and bad breath. Cats can get plaque and tartar on their teeth just like we can, and if left untreated can lead to painful changes in your cat’s mouth. If required, our vets may recommend a dental scale and polish under anaesthetic.

This is where your cat stays the day at the clinic to have a general anaesthetic so we can properly assess your cat’s teeth, clean any tartar that is on the teeth (and under the gum line), remove any diseased teeth and even perform dental X-rays. Sometimes we do need to remove teeth that are damaged, as if left in the mouth these cause pain and further disease. We find that cats manage well once teeth have been removed as they are much more comfortable without sore teeth. Once your cat has had their teeth cleaned and any necessary extractions, there are ways that you can help to keep them clean at home. These range from the gold standard of brushing your cat’s teeth to dental diets (we recommend Royal Canin Dental and Hills t/d) and food additives such as Plaque Off.

Osteoarthritis

The other condition that is often present in senior pets is osteoarthritis – in fact studies have shown that 90% of cats over 12 years old have signs of osteoarthritis on X-rays. (see below for xrays comparing an affected and unaffected cat) It is a slow progressive disease of one or more of the joints, resulting in changes in the joint and the development of clinical signs. Cats hide illness very well, so signs of osteoarthritis such as becoming unwilling to jump up onto high surfaces and reduced activity, often get put down to old age. Cats don’t usually limp with osteoarthritis, as it often affects both sides of the body. Other signs are listed below.

Sleeping in different places that are easier to access
Difficulty using a cat door
Stiff, particularly after rising
Litter tray accidents, often urinating or defecating just outside the tray or missing the tray, due to reluctance to climb into high sided trays and difficulty crouching to urinate or defecate
Decreased grooming, resulting in a matted, scurfy coat
Reduced interaction and reduced enjoyment of patting
Playing and going outside less frequently
Overgrown claws due to decreased activity

Treatment for osteoarthritis

Treatment for osteoarthritis is multi-faceted. There are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) such as meloxicam, which provide good pain relief but may not be suitable for all cats. Regular blood and urine tests are recommended during use of these medications, to ensure adequate kidney function. There is also gabapentin and tramadol, which can be used in conjunction with NSAID’s, or as a standalone drug in those cats where NSAID’s are unsuitable. There are injectable drugs that can be given regularly in clinic, including Zydax (Cartrophen) which is a disease modifying osteoarthritis drug, which acts on the underlying disease process, preserving joint cartilage and health. This is usually given as a course of injections, once a week for four weeks, then at regular intervals, between every four weeks and three months, depending on the disease state and progression in your cat. A newer option is Solensia, which works like your cats naturally made antibodies to reduce pain signals. It is given as an injection in clinic once a month. Over 75% of owners noticed an improvement in their cat’s pain levels in a three-month study on Solensia.

Newer option for arthritis

Another newer option for arthritis in cats is the use of Cannabidiol (CBD) oil. This is used to help decrease inflammation pain, and allows our pets to have a better quality of life. It is also thought to slow the progression of joint degeneration through it’s anti-inflammatory effects, therefore keeping the joint healthier for longer. We are finding that lots of owners are seeing benefits to their cats using CBD oil, with minimal side effects. This is a prescription only medication, therefore not available over the counter. Maintaining an appropriate weight is really important when managing arthritis symptoms. If your cat is overweight, it puts increased pressure on their joints, leading to more pain. At the opposite end of the spectrum, cats who have decreased muscle mass are also going to have increased difficulty getting around. Please contact us for a weight check and advice in a healthy weight for your cat.

Supplements for arthritis

There are many supplements for arthritis as well – 4cyte, PAW osteosupport, Joint Guard, Antinol Plus – please let us know if you need more information on these. These products need time to work, so trialling them for 4-6 weeks is necessary before evaluating their effectiveness. Alternative treatments such as acupuncture can also provide some relief from osteoarthritis.

We find that the best therapy for arthritis in cats is multi-modal – meaning that there are many different components to it. Using a combination of prescription medication, supplements and environmental changes give your cat the best chance to live a comfortable and pain free life.

Caring for your Senior Cat at home

There is a lot that you can do at home to make life more comfortable for your cat, regardless of any diagnoses that your cat may have.

Make sure food and water are accessible, preferably at floor level. If kept higher up, ensure that there are steps for easy access. If a multi-level house, ensure that food, water and litter are available on all levels to prevent your cat from having to go up and down. Consider raising the food bowl for your cat to prevent him from having to bend down to eat (see the difference in posture in below photos, in particular the curve of the spine and the weight being placed on the forelegs when eating from ground level)

Elgar Road Veterinary

Contact Us

Watching your cat grow old can be a rewarding experience, but they do require a bit more care. Please contact the clinic if you would like to book in a consultation for your senior cat, or if you require any advice on caring for them. We can help to keep them happy and healthy for many more years to come.