and lymphatic system (including lymph nodes), plus specialized cel s and
chemicals. They col ectively work to protect the body against foreign
invaders such as bacteria and viruses. For instance, the bone marrow
makes the various immune system cel s, while the spleen both filters and
stores blood and immune cel s. How wel the immune system works to
large degree is dictated by genetics, but also influenced throughout life by
nutrition, stress, and exposure to pathogens.
“The immune system changes by seven years in al cats,” says Dr.
Carey. The thymus gland helps new immune cel s mature, but cel
replication slows down with age, and the thymus regresses as the cat
matures. The immune system also produces chemicals such as interferon
and interleukins, which help control the immune system’s response. As
cats age, the immune function declines. Because of lowered immune
protection, geriatric cats are more susceptible to diseases. They get sick
quicker, and have more difficulty recovering.
Cats may be affected by viral infections that suppress the immune
system, such as feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus.
Al ergy is also considered an immune disorder in which the system
overreacts to a “harmless” organisms or substances, such as pol en or
dust.
Golden Moments: Tweety’s Drive to Survive
Tweety was one of a litter of seven kittens. Barb Crandal of Eagle River,
Alaska and her husband had always wanted a Persian. “She was the most
playful one, ducking and hiding, and looked like a little bunny rabbit,” says
the elementary school teacher. “She’s gold and silver, very pretty, with the
flat Persian face—looks like she’s been hit by a Mack truck.” She was
named Tweety (the family’s male Persian is named Tasmanian Devil or
“Taz”) because Barb is a fan of Looney Toons.
Tweety has always been a very loving cat, but very mysterious. “She
likes to cuddle. She’l let us turn her upside down to pet her tummy,” says
Barb, “then puts her paw on your arm to say that’s enough. And at night
she loves to curl up with us, and she’l sleep between my husband Tom and
myself.”
Until two years ago Tweety had been a very healthy, happy cat. Then she
developed what they thought was an al ergic reaction—to what, they didn’t
know. “She broke out around the nose and chin area with black crusty-type
material,” says Barb. The veterinarian treated her with a cortisone
injection, the rash healed, and Tweety was fine for six months.
“Al of a sudden, she broke out again,” says Barb. The skin
surrounding her mouth, nose and chin developed black crusts, and her
ears completely crusted over with scabs. “It was a real mess.”
They went back to Dr. Jeff Johnson, a veterinarian practicing at
Four Paws Animal Hospital in Eagle River. He prescribed anti-
inflammatory medications and Clavamox, an antibiotic to fight infection.
Despite al efforts to diagnose the problem over the next six months, it
remained a mystery. Keeping Tweety comfortable began to be more
difficult.
About this time, Barb invited her good friend Lynn Alfino to move in while
Lynn developed her writing career. Lynn arrived shortly before Christmas
1999, and because she worked at home, she spent a great deal of time
with Tweety and Taz. “When I arrived I found a real y sick kitty,” says Lynn.
Al sorts of medicines, from liquids to pil s, were tried. “Barb tried to put
pil s inside food but Tweety doesn’t buy that.” Al the medicine had to be
liquefied.
“We changed her to a prescription food,” says Barb, “and that didn’t
work. We changed the litter, that didn’t work.” Skin biopsies didn’t show
anything, either. “We racked our brains trying to figure out what had
changed in her environment,” she says. “We final y did the al ergy testing, a
blood test, and that didn’t show any huge spike—only somewhat al ergic to
milk and rice.”
Lynn and Barb scoured al the labels on the cats’ wet and dry food. “The
stuff that came back on the al ergy panel was not even in the food,” says
Lynn. The list of acceptable foods the veterinarian provided showed that
the food Tweety was already eating was just fine.
Over the next year, treatments to manage Tweety’s sore skin became
less and less effective, until “normal” times between episodes were almost
nonexistent—the shots Dr. Johnson gave her lasted two or three days at
most. “She would break out in what I cal barnacles,” says Lynn. “They
looked like raised black peppercorns. Barb and Tom brought her in to the
vet almost every week at this point.”
Because Tweety and Taz were introduced to each other at 12 weeks of
age, they’d been together for most of their lives. “He was fairly sensitive to
what’s going on with her,” says Barb. They’d never cuddled together, but
Taz stayed in the general area to watch over Tweety as though he wanted
to protect her.
“She got so bad in April she was hiding under the bed and wouldn’t
come out. She’d dropped two pounds to about seven pounds,” says Barb.
The family agreed that Tweety was miserable.
“She was an emaciated little bald cat with black stuff al over her,” says
Lynn. “She had lost al her facial hair, her ears were so crusted and tender
you couldn’t blow on them from six feet away or it would hurt.” Tweety
wasn’t moving, had no interest in people at al . Lynn says, “It was almost as
if the look in her eye was, I’m dying…kill me now.”
At that Saturday appointment Dr. Johnson told them he’d tried everything
and had nothing else to offer. “We think there’s some form of an
autoimmune scenario with Tweety,” he said, and such conditions often are
nearly impossible to resolve. “We’ve talked to a few specialists and done
the recommended protocol, but Tweety has just been a chal enge.”
After returning home to discuss the situation with their children, Barb and
Tom made the hard decision to end Tweety’s suffering. “Everybody had
seen it coming,” says Lynn. “It was living with death.”
The next day—Sunday—Tom, Barb, and Lynn drove to Home Depot to
buy a pick ax. “We’re on a mountain, and the backyard here is rock with
permafrost underneath,” says Lynn. “Tom was going to have to dig a grave
for Tweety.”
On Monday, Barb and Lynn were both upset as they tried to come to
terms with taking Tweety back to the veterinarian to be euthanized. “We’re
both wailing and bawling, when little Tweety came out from the closet
where she had been hiding,” says Lynn. It was the first time they’d seen her
even try to walk in days. The two women looked at each other, and Barb
said, “Maybe today’s not the day.”
Over the next two or three days, Tweety stopped hiding, started eating,
and even jumped on top of the bil iard table. “I’d never seen her have any
burst of activity before,” says Lynn. “She was on the bookshelf reading
Moby Dick—I think she liked the fish!” They continued to hold on
to hope,
day by day—and then week by week. “I’ve never met anything that’s been
so sick with such a drive to survive,” says Lynn. “I think the turning point
was when she saw the pickax, and thought uh-oh!”
They final y figured out that Vetalog injections gave her the most relief.
The injection keeps Tweety comfortable for about two weeks, and
sometimes three. “It’s almost night and day,” says Barb. Within 24 to 48
hours of the injection most of the crusty debris sloughs off and the cat is
fine for a while.
She can relapse literal y overnight. “You go to bed and wake up the next
morning and there’s Tweety with peppercorns,” says Lynn. But Tweety
wil ingly hops in the kennel, and hunkers down inside for the trip to the vet.
“I know that she knows what’s coming,” says Barb, “but she also knows
within the day she’s feeling a whole lot better. That doesn’t mean she
doesn’t hiss at the doctor.”
After she receives the shots, life goes on for Tweety. She regained the
two pounds she lost, her fur has grown back in, and she looks almost
chubby. “My son cal s her the Poppin’ Fresh Dough Cat,” says Barb.
“Barb’s a wonderful owner, real y cares for the kitty,” says Dr. Johnson,
“and Lynn’s done a lot, too, watching Tweety in the day. Very astute owners
help us as veterinarians,” he says. “We’l do what we can medical y. Quality
of life dictates where we go sometimes. Final y this kitty is doing her end of
the bargain and the medication is helping.”
To this day nobody has figured out why seven-year-old Tweety suffers
from the skin eruptions. “But you don’t put a child down when they’re sick,
you treat them,” says Barb. “A lot of people aren’t in the financial position
to do it. I am, thank goodness.” She says Tweety just implored her to care
for her. “I’l do whatever it takes until Tweety tel s me that she’s ready, that
she’s
had
enough.”
Nerves
The brain, spinal cord, and network of nerve fibers generate and
transmit electrochemical signals that connect with every inch of the body.
This regulates and coordinates body systems, and also gives our cats their
personality, awareness, emotional life, and intel igence.
A central nervous system change common to older cats is impaired
thermoregulation, says Dr. Wolf. Cats are less able to regulate their body
temperature, and may be more heat or cold seeking, depending on the
temperature around them. For that reason, body temperature must be
closely monitored especial y during and after any anesthetic procedures.
Age-related degeneration or injury of the brain, spinal damage, and
chemical disruptions at the cel ular level that interfere with nerve conduction
al have a role in nervous system disorders. Liver failure, for example, may
secondarily cause bizarre behavior as a result of chemical imbalances
affecting the brain. Feline ischemic encephalopathy and stroke also cause
disruption of the blood supply to the brain.
In addition, cats also suffer from spinal injuries that leave them with
rear-end paralysis. Embolic myelopathy, a type of paralysis of the rear
legs, is caused by side effects of blood clots resulting from
cardiomyopathy. It may be permanent, but in some cases is cured with
treatment. Uncontrol ed diabetes may also affect the nerves and cause
mobility problems, which may or may not be reversible.
Comfort Zone
· Running water often appeals to cats and prompts them to drink
more, which keeps them better hydrated. Drinkwel Pet Fountain has a
six-cup capacity and provides continuous running water for the cat. It
costs about $70.
· Cats rarely lose the function of their rear limbs. Those that
do may benefit from a feline “wheel chair” such as those provided
by K-9 Carts. The cat’s rear legs are supported by a frame over
the top of a pair of wheels, while his front legs al ow him to move
about and tow the cart behind.
Aging Mind
Some felines remain sharp and connected to the world around them
throughout their geriatric years. Others aren’t as fortunate. “Some of the
changes are due to the fact that the animal has an aging brain,” says
Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, a professor of behavioral pharmacology at
Tufts University. “As our pets get older, their thought processes slow down.
In humans you talk about senior moments, and I think al our older pets
have their senior moments.” As cats get older, the blood-flow to the brain is
reduced causing a loss of neurons the body is unable to replace.
In cats, 28 to 33 percent of older cats show evidence of behavior changes;
this increases to 88 percent in cats over the age of 16. “As soon as the
brain cel s stop talking to each other they lose them, lose brain tissue,”
says Karen Overal , DVM, a veterinary researcher at Center for
Neurobiology and Behavior at Penn Med. “The brain of a human
Alzheimer’s patient often weighs 1/3 as much as normal brain.” As the
brain ages, there is an increased expression of genes associated with
stress and inflammation, and loss of neurons in the section of the brain
involved in learning associations (the hippocampus). The decreased
expression of genes involved in the nerve’s ability to send and receive
signals is involved in cognitive changes, and behavioral enrichment may
the brain active wil help keep the body active and delay the signs.”
While body and health changes often impact the cat’s behavior—she
hisses and claws when startled because she’s deaf, or she urinates
outside the litter box due to diabetes—the changes of an aging brain affect
both behavior and personality. A Jekyl -and-Hyde transformation can
drastical y impact the loving bond an owner shares with a pet. Behaviorists
believe many age-related behavior problems, such as howling incessantly
or getting “lost” in the house, can be ascribed to these brain changes. This
condition is cal ed feline cognitive dysfunction, and is characterized by
anxiety, personality changes, and problems such as hit-or-miss litter box
behavior. It is thought that the cats return to a kitten mindset, to the time
before they learned these lessons. Cats older than thirteen or so seem
more commonly affected, but there’s no way to predict how your cat wil
fare.
Reproduction
“To our knowledge, older queens do not undergo menopause in the
same way or
with the same physical symptoms that human females have,” says Dr.
Little. “As they age, their ovaries and hormonal function may not be as
good as when they were younger,
so we do see a decrease in fertility in queens over about age seven. But
they can cycle until the day they die of old age if they are not spayed.”
Serious reproductive diseases may develop in cats that have not been
spayed, particularly if they are not regularly bred. Intact female cats older
than six are highly prone to metritis (inflammation of the li
ning of the uterus)
and pyometra—a life-threatening infection of the uterus. Kidney failure may
be triggered by pyometra, because of the body’s immune response
created to fight the infection. Breast cancer is also a risk in aging unaltered
females. Male cats rarely suffer from age-related reproductive disorders.
Skin and Hair
The cat’s skin and fur do more than look good. The hair provides a
protective barrier that regulates temperature, prevents dehydration and is
the major sensory organ of the body. It also offers a shield from extremes
of weather, and from viruses, bacteria, and other disease-causing
pathogens. The cat’s skin and hair are also an accurate barometer of her
health—what she feels on the inside is reflected on the outside.
Normal skin changes occur with age due to a lifetime of exposure
and changes in the cat’s metabolism. Skin becomes thinner and less
flexible, the hair coat becomes dul er and drier due to less oil production,
and hairs especial y the muzzle and ear rims often turn gray as the cat
ages. The most common skin problem is cal ed miliary dermatitis, a tiny
scabby bumpy rash, but this is a symptom of a wide range of problems
such as al ergies and ringworm. It can develop in cats of any age.
Ringworm is the most common fungal infection of cats and often affects
aging cats more readily because of their less competent immune system.
A number of skin and hair coat disorders arise as a result of other
age-related disorders. Diabetes mel itus may prompt hair thinning or loss.
Old cats unable to properly groom themselves often develop painful matted
fur. Also, any lump or bump on the skin of an older cat is a risk for cancer.
Nurse Alert!
A new monitoring system to check for blood in the cat’s urine is available
from Purina Veterinary Diagnostics. Hemalert is dispensed from
veterinarians, and come in packets. The granules are mixed in existing cat
box fil er, and wil change color in reaction to blood in the urine.
Urinary System
Body wastes are filtered from the blood and removed by the kidneys.
The bladder col ects and stores this liquid waste until it’s released from the
body through the urethra as urine. Kidneys, the ureters, bladder and urethra
make up the urinary system. Kidneys not only manage waste, they also