Senior Cat Care Tips to Remember for Pet Longevity

Cats are said to possess nine lives by virtue of their seemingly indestructible nature in the face of accidents. Inevitably, however, pet owners must consider in-home senior cat care tips since felines, like humans, will undergo the aging process. As a rule of thumb, a cat that is 10 years old can be considered middle-aged to elderly depending on the rate at which aging happens in the particular feline.

Keep in mind that consultations with the veterinarian are recommended to plan the best care for an elderly cat. You can, nonetheless, adopt the following tips to make your cat’s life easier during its old age.

Daily Inspections

Cats will adeptly hide any signs of illness in their bodies to avoid other cats from taking advantage of their weakened condition, a primitive instinct from the wilderness carried over into home life. As such, you must be vigilant in looking for unusual changes in your elderly pet so that appropriate treatment can be implemented, when necessary.

You have to make daily inspections part of the daily senior cat care routine. Said inspections can be part of your normal pet-human interaction instead of special sessions. For example, you can check for the health of the teeth, gums and skin while stroking your cat’s fur and rubbing your cat’s head.

Daily Brushes

Hair balls are often doubly dangerous in older cats mainly because of their decreased capacity to cough up any obstruction. It is, thus, very important to perform daily brushing and combing of the cat’s fur to remove loose hairs that can be swallowed.

Plus, daily brushing also results in healthier skin and coat. This is because brushing stimulates sebaceous gland secretions and improves blood circulation to the skin and coat, which makes for shinier, thicker and healthier appearance.

Daily Nutrition

Yet another critical component of proper senior cat care to extend your pet’s ninth life is healthy nutrition on a daily basis. Many cats tend to become obese in their senior years although others will progressively lose weight. In either case, you must have the cat checked over by a veterinarian as both conditions can signify serious underlying medical conditions like diabetes, kidney failure, liver disease, and cancer, among other possibilities.

You must then keep close track of your cat’s weight as it ages even when said weight changes are relatively small in nature. The veterinarian can then have an objective basis on which to determine if the weight changes are, indeed, linked to an underlying medical condition.

Anyway, proper senior cat care can be implemented in relation to weight by providing for a nutritionally balanced, complete and age-specific cat food. We suggest asking the veterinarian for the most appropriate cat food for your pet especially products approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials.

You must also ensure that your cat has sufficient physical activity for weight control as well as for overall health. Even moderate play can increase blood circulation, promote muscle tone and improve joint flexibility in older cats. And while it may seem ridiculous, your cat will benefit from less stress in its environment.

If you gave your kitten tender care, then it also deserves loving senior cat care in later life. It’s the least you can do for your pet’s years of loyal companionship.