Every cat parent wants their cat to live long. It is possible if they take care of their cat with good care. The cat will be able to live well into her late teens, and even to her twenties. However, as she is aging and getting old, there will be some changes in her physical and behavioral needs.
The changes of your cat will be harder to spot during her transition from an adult to a senior, especially starting at 11 years old. Taking care of senior cats might be challenging, but it does not mean that it is impossible. Here they are, the 6 important tips on how to take care of senior cats.
- Pay Extra Attention to Your Cat’s Diet
As your cat is aging, she may have unique dietary and behavioral needs. That’s why it is very important to make sure that your cat has healthy weight to maintain optimum health.
Make sure to talk and consult with your vet about how and when to transition your cat to a senior food. Your vet will help you determine the cat’s optimum weight and recommend a senior food to help maintain her healthy weight.
As your cat is aging, her digestion will change too. You can improve her digestion by feeding them small and frequent meals throughout the day and night. Measure the food and distribute it in small portion. You can also consider giving these best food for aging cats.
- Increase Her Access to Water
As your cat is aging, they are prone to some diseases, such as constipation and kidney disease. These two diseases may get worse when she is not staying hydrated enough.
Thus, try to increase your senior cat’s water intake. You can do this by providing canned food and more options for drinking water. You can also check these signs of dehydration in cats and immediately contact the vet once you notice any of these signs.
When your cat is getting older, she might not be able to jump on to counters or access the usual water dish. So, you can add more water stations around the house with plenty of bowls or pet water fountains in order to make her drink more.
- Be Aware of any Signs of Pain in Cats
As we all know, cats are good at hiding their pain. Nine out of 10 senior cats show evidence of arthritis when they are X-rayed and surprisingly, most of the owners with senior cats have no idea about this.
There’s a way to prevent the pain of arthritis, which is by maintaining the healthy weight. A pound or two of excess weight on your senior cat may significantly increase the pain of sore joints.
You should also consult with your vet so that he can help you control your cat’s pain with medicine, supplements and alternative treatments. Be aware of these common diseases of cat and signs of heart disease in cats.
- Dental Health is Very Important
Another common health problem in senior cats is dental disease. Cats often get painful holes in their teeth, broken teeth, gum disease and even tumors that will surely affect their life.
Dental disease can be fatal as the infections in the mouth enter the bloodstream and affect the liver, kidneys and heart.
Hence, paying attention to your senior cat’s dental health is very important. Get a thorough veterinary exam and routine dental care too so that you can improve the quality of your senior cat’s life.
- Daily Exercise and Mental Stimulation
Besides good nutrition and diet, environmental enrichment is also essential for your cat’s quality of life. We all know that cats love to climb, hide, scratch, hunt and play. You can provide places for your cat doing these activities.
All of these things will help your cat stay physically and mentally stimulated. Don’t ever think that senior cats shouldn’t get too much exercise, instead they still need exercise so that their physics and mental get stimulated.
However, as your senior cat is aging, think about the intensity of the activity. Her mobility might become more limited, so you have to make sure that everything is more accessible.
If you’re looking for some activities you can do with your cat, you can consider these 6 fun games to play with your beloved cats.
- Never Skip Biannual Vet Visits
After you finish trying to do all the tips above, then you also need to maintain good relationship with your vet. This is a critical thing as it will determine the care and quality of life for your cat in her senior year. When a cat enters her 11 years of age, she should visit the vet every six months.
Weighing your cat twice a year will surely show trends in weight loss or gain that can be clues to overall health changes.