to twenty years,” says Dr. Abood. That means the last 25 percent would be
twelve to fifteen years. To simplify matters, most veterinarians consider
cats to be “senior citizens” starting at about seven to eight years old, and
geriatric at fourteen to fifteen.
Here’s some perspective comparing cat age to human age. “The World
Health Organization says that middle-aged folks are forty-five to fifty-nine
years of age and elderly is sixty to seventy-four. They considered aged as
being over seventy-five,” says Debbie Davenport, DVM, an internist with
Hil ’s Pet Foods. “If you look at cats of seven years of age as being senior,
a paral el in human years would be about fifty-one years,” she says. A
geriatric cat at ten to twelve years of age would be equivalent to a seventy-
year-old human.
Veterinarians used to concentrate their efforts on caring for young
animals. When pets began to develop age-related problems, the tendency
among American owners was to just get another pet. That has changed,
and today people cherish their aged furry companions and want to help
them live as long as possible.
Modern cats age seven and older can stil live ful , happy and healthy
lives. Age is not a disease. Age is just age, says Sheila McCul ough,
DVM, an internist at University of Il inois. “There are a lot of things that
come with age that can be managed successful y, or the progression
delayed. Renal failure cats are classic examples.” It’s not unusual for cats
suffering kidney failure to be diagnosed in their late teens or even early
twenties. “I had a woman with a twenty-three-year-old cat who asked
should she change the diet. I said, don’t mess with success!” says Dr.
McCul ough.
These days veterinarians often see stil -healthy and vital cats of a great
age. “I think if the cat lives to twenty-five years, I shouldn’t be doing anything
but saying hel o,” says Steven L. Marks, BVSc, an internist and surgeon at
Louisiana State University (now at North Carolina State University). “If
you’ve ever had a pet live that long, you want them all to live that long.”
Benefits of Senior Cats
There’s nothing more endearing than a kitten. But they also can be
nonstop dynamos, frustrating to predict and a magnet for trouble. Although
kittens can be wonderful fun, nothing matches the deep bond we have
developed with our old cat buddies over a period of years.
Mature cats have many advantages over kittens. Probably the biggest
advantage is that together you have created a partnership, and already
know each other and have adjusted to individual needs and foibles. Al the
hard work is done. She’s been trained to scratch the scratching post and
use the litter box. You trust her not to swing from the drapes or empty the
potted palm while you’re away. She’s learned to wake you promptly at 6:45
for work, and meets you at the door each evening. She no longer climbs
the Christmas tree, unrol s the toilet paper, and only rearranges your sock
drawer if you’re gone overnight and she’s lonely. She stopped hiding the
kids’ stuffed animals, and settles for the toy squeaky mouse she’s carried
around like a teddy bear since you brought her home ten years ago. She
reminds you when it’s time for a pil and afternoon nap—for both of you.
And she acts like the new grandbaby is her own kitten, and showers the
infant with attention, gentle play, and protective care—dropping favorite cat
toys in the crib, and even putting up with toddler tail tugs with a patient
feline purr. Countless children have learned to walk while reaching for the
tempting tail of a feline friend.
In fact, one of the best ways to introduce young children to the positive
aspects of cats is with a calm, patient adult animal. Parents already have
their hands ful dealing with infants and toddlers, and don’t need the added
stress of an in-your-face kitten. Children can share birthdays with the aging
cat and stil be relatively young when she enters her golden years.
It’s not unusual for young people to say that one special cat has always
been a part of their life—and in times of family crises or emotional upset,
to pet and talk to. A broken heart, disagreements with siblings or parents,
even physical or emotional trauma can al be helped by the mere presence
of a cat that the child loves.
An older cat can be a stabilizing influence on children, teach
responsibility and empathy for other living creatures, and even act as a
social bridge toward making friends with their peers. For example, a child
shy of interacting with other children because of a perceived disability
often comes out of her shel when accompanied by a furry friend--the cat
remains the focus of interaction rather than the child’s “different” look or
behavior. Older cats often are ideal for such relationships, because they
aren’t as active as younger cats, may be more patient and have learned
what to expect. There’s a benefit to the old cat, too—playing and
interacting with children keeps the kitty brain and body active and youthful.
The advantages of loving an older cat are not limited to children. Studies
have shown that contact with cats offers great physical and emotional
health benefits to people, from children and adolescents, to adults and
senior citizens.
Couples whose children have left for col ege and are recent empty
nesters can receive great comfort by the presence of a furry companion.
People of any age who lose a spouse from divorce or death—but
particularly older owners—benefit greatly from a cat’s nonjudgmental love.
For instance, petting a cat lowers the blood pressure; and caring for a cat
gives owners a purpose to concentrate on beyond the hurt and pain.
Playing with and grooming the cat, shopping for litter and food, giving
medicine to an old kitty friend, keeps people connected to the world and
other people around them.
Old cats are often the companions of aging owners because that old pet
has the same problems they’ve got, says Wil iam Tranquil i, DVM, a
professor and pain specialist at the University of Il inois. “They don’t
necessarily want a young pet, they want to do what they can to help their
old buddy.” They’re wil ing to spend the money and often have more time to
treat chronic disease to try to make the old animal more comfortable. And
because the pets that we love are good for human health, just having a cat
around can reduce the trips owners take to their own doctors. Some
physicians recommend that heart attack survivors keep a pet, because it
increases their survival.
People of al ages, whose human family members live far away, become
even more emotional y dependent on the cat. “I’ve met many elderly people
whose cat has become the most important thing in their life. It’s a family
member, and it may be the only remaining family member,” says Susan
Little, DVM, a feline specialist in Ottawa, Canada. Of those pet owners
who have a wil
, 27 percent have included provisions for their pets.
Prolonging the cat’s life touches on a host of social and emotional issues.
Cats who have spent a decade or more with us have learned what we
like and expect—and we’ve learned to anticipate the senior cat’s needs,
likes, and dislikes. Over the span of years, we build and then enjoy a
comfortable companionship together. Our aging pets share with us our life
experiences, successes and failures, joys and sorrows, and they represent
milestones in our lives, says Signe Beebe, DVM, a veterinary
acupuncturist and herbologist practicing in Sacramento. They may have
celebrated with us when we graduated school, married, and had children
or grandchildren—or comforted us when we divorced, retired, or lost a
spouse. They have been there for us, through everything. The more time
we spend together, the greater our affection grows. Our compassion, love,
and empathy for each other reach a depth that has no paral el in human
existence.
“We share our secret souls with our pets in ways we wouldn’t dare with
another human being,” says Dr. Wal ace Sife, a psychologist and president
of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. “We’re human beings,
and love is love. Love for a pet is no different than love for another human
being.”
What To Expect
Pet owners relish spending time with their older cats. As the cat ages,
chances are she’l need more medical care. The most common health
problems of senior cats mirror those of aging humans. They include kidney
disease, cancer, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, heart disease, arthritis,
obesity, and dental disease. Cats are also prone to sensory loss –
eyesight, hearing, and scent sense fade with age. A certain percentage of
aging cats also develop behavioral changes that mimic those of human
Alzheimer’s patients, says Dr. Little.
“People need to recognize that older animals get diseases more
frequently, and most of these diseases are progressive,” says Dr. Marks.
Problems such as kidney failure or hyperthyroid disease wil not go away,
but pets can live with these conditions and enjoy a happy life for months to
years after the diagnosis. “I think one of the strategies associated with the
senior pet is making the owners aware of what realistic goals are for these
particular diseases,” says Bil Fortney, DVM, director of community
practice at Kansas State. “In diseases of the young and middle-aged, we
often think in terms of cure. But with arthritis, kidney failure, and cancer we
look at control, management, and setting realistic quality of life goals for
the pet.”
A large majority of cats remain relatively healthy throughout their golden
years and won’t require more than routine medical care. “There are
symptoms of aging that don’t seem to impact the quality of life,” says Dr.
Fortney. “For example, a cat has a graying muzzle, a little bit of muscle
wasting and their eyes are a bit clouded over,” he says. Elderly cats don’t
care about gray hair, and they often develop a bluish or hazy-milky pupil
cal ed nuclear sclerosis, which is a normal aging change that won’t bother
them.
Even when they don’t have special health care problems, though, al
senior cats require more emotional support and nutritional help than
younger pets. As the most important person in your cat’s life, it’s up to you
to help her make the transition into a graceful old age. Some changes wil
be minor and probably won’t cause much of a change to your routine.
Others may require bigger commitments on your part to help keep the cat
happy and comfortable, as wel as reduce the potential for aggravating
age-related problems.
For example, you’l need to provide a new diet designed specifical y for
the needs of an older cat. If you have a food-motivated cat who inhales
anything you put in the bowl, the diet change won’t be a hardship for either
one of you. Cats with more discriminating palates, though, may take a bit
of adjustment to accept a new diet, particularly since their sense of smel
and taste might interfere with how much they like it. You may need to adjust
your schedule to increase meals from once or twice a day, to three or four
times to ensure she gets enough nutrition. Cats with dental problems or
missing teeth, common in older cats, often do better on a soft diet rather
than dry kibbles.
Similarly, some cats wil require more frequent bathroom breaks. That
probably won’t be a problem if she has a pet door, or spends much of her
day in the yard. Otherwise, though, adding another litter box or two—one
upstairs and one downstairs, or on both ends of the house—may save your
carpet and your relationship.
Older cats often sleep much more during the day, and less at night, and
may disrupt your own rest. Something as simple as confining her to a
bedroom with al the necessary kitty accoutrements al ows you both the
luxury of sleeping through the night. Of course, it doesn’t bother some folks
to be paw-tapped awake at 3:00 a.m. for a game of chase-the-feather,
particularly if you’re getting up anyway for your own late night potty break.
In the picture, Sammy, at age twelve, stil manages to reach his favorite
lookout, according to owner Bonnie Cheak. Aging cats tend to lose
stamina for the long play periods they enjoyed during their youth. Be aware
that if she fol ows you to the basement to help with the laundry, she may
beg you to carry her back upstairs. Older cats often have trouble navigating
stairs, reaching the favorite window perch, or leaping onto a favorite sofa
or the bed. Such cats require a helpful boost up and down. Sammy (in the
picture) at age twelve stil manages to reach his favorite lookout, but a
stool near a preferred perch from his owner Bonnie Cheak would be
welcome. You may need to find a more convenient place for her bed—one
that’s not elevated, for example, and is toasty-warm from the morning sun.
That can help relieve stiff joints.
If she’s put on the pounds, as many cats do when they get older, she
shouldn’t be left outside for long during hot weather. Overweight aging cats
overheat much more quickly and can have problems breathing and even
die from temperature extremes. Cold weather poses the opposite problem
when the skin and fur thins, and aging cats become heat-magnets during
the winter months. Cats don’t tend to tolerate wearing clothing as wel as
dogs do, but some shivery cats may benefit from a sweater during cold
weather.
Cats who spent lots of time outside during their youth tend to do much
better as indoor pets, and even prefer an indoor lifestyle once they reach
old age. For example, arthritis can make it difficult for them to climb to
safety out of the reach of stray dogs, or unable to dodge across the street
in time to beat oncoming traffic. A warm blanket or lap to snuggle is
preferable to lounging on the hood of a car, particularly when they aren’t
able to leap as wel to get out of the way when it starts.
Although senior cats are the sa
me constant friend we’ve always known,
they tend to become less patient as they get older. She’l rely more on
routine, want her dinner right now, and demand attention this instant. She
may continue to enjoy interaction with the other pets and children, but aging
cats tend to reach their tolerance level more quickly. Every cat is different,
and adding a younger pet (or a new baby) to the household gives some
cats a jolt of energy like the fountain of youth. But others turn into catty
curmudgeons if faced with any change in routine. Stress of any kind can
prompt behavior problems, such as scratching the wrong object or
urinating outside of the box. She’s not being vindictive or mean. She’s
either tel ing you she has a physical problem, or she’s using these familiar
self-scents to calm her nerves and make herself feel better about the
upsetting situation.
For instance, she may go into mourning, and cry and wander around the
house looking for her favorite teenager who’s left for col ege, or a beloved
companion cat that’s died. Shutting her out of the new baby’s room could
put her tail in a twist. At any age, and particularly as she grows older, it’s
important that the senior citizen cat be made to feel she’s stil an important
part of the family and included as much as possible. Instead of shutting the
door to the nursery, put up a baby gate so she can watch and sniff and
hear the new family member, and she’l be much more interested in taking
a positive interest.
Loss of hearing means previously attentive cats seem to ignore you.
She may also startle more easily, so you’l need to explain to visitors and
family members not to sneak up on her, or she might hiss or bite out of fear
without meaning to. Some hearing-impaired cats begin meowing a lot
more—they can’t hear themselves, or you, and so use their “alarm cry” to
get attention. You’l also learn to stomp a foot, wave your hand or use other
visual signals to gain her attention. Cats readily learn hand signals in lieu of
voice directions, and adjust so quickly to dimming senses that you may not
know anything is different at al . For instance, instead of cal ing “here Kitty
Kitty” at mealtime, cats quickly learn that switching the kitchen light on and