produce a specialized hormone cal ed erythropoietin, which prompts the
production of red blood cel s and also helps regulate blood pressure.
As the cat’s kidneys age, the tissue deteriorates, the organs slowly
shrink, and they gradual y lose their ability to function efficiently. “The
number one cause of death in older cats is chronic renal failure,” says Dr.
Johnny D. Hoskins, an internist and a specialist in Smal Animal Pediatrics
and Geriatrics.
Other disorders of the urinary system include urinary tract infections, and
urinary stones that affect the bladder, the kidneys, or both. The bladder
becomes less elastic and may not empty total y each time the cat urinates.
In time, this may lead to increased susceptibility to infections and large
bladder or kidney stones in some cats.
Urinary tract inflammation and crystals or stones may affect cats of any
age, though. Commonly referred to as lower urinary tract disorders
(LUTD), the formation of crystals and/or mucoid plugs can cause pain,
distress, and sometimes life-threatening blockages. Cats suffering from
cystitis (inflammation of the bladder) may have blood present in the urine
as wel . But older cats develop a more dangerous type of stone.
“The type of stones that tend to form changes from being predominantly
struvite in the younger cat to being predominantly calcium oxalate in the
older cat,” says Dr. LaFlamme. However, recent surveys indicate the
incidence of both types of stones is nearly equal. Struvite crystals mixed
with mucus typical y plug the urethra on their way out of the body during
urination. Struvite can be dissolved and prevented by feeding the cat a diet
that acidifies the urine. Calcium oxalate composition stones more typical y
block the ureters—the conduits leading from the kidneys to the bladder—
and require surgery to remove, says Dr. Larry Cowgil , DVM, an internist at
the University of California-Davis.
Aging cats almost never develop urinary incontinence, a relatively
common physical problem of aging female dogs. Litter box “misses” are
more often linked to cognitive dysfunction where the cat “forgets” how to
find the bathroom, says Dr. Little.
In sum, each system of the body provides support for the whole. A
misstep by one can prompt interconnected problems al across the body.
Whether sudden, or slow and insidious, the various changes in the different
body systems col ectively contribute to how your cat ages.
That also means that paying attention to one age-related issue can
influence the entire body to get better. You can often slow down the entire
aging process simply by paying attention and addressing problems
promptly as they occur. Aging is inevitable, but you can help your cat do so
with grace.
Feeding For Health
A percentage of cats are prone to developing urinary crystals or stones.
Therapeutic diets are designed to prevent or sometimes dissolve existing
crystals. Dietary treatment choices are based on identifying the kind of
crystal, and general y are available only through veterinarians. Some
commercial products that may be helpful include:
Hil ’s Prescription Diet Feline c/d-s (struvite)
Hil ’s Prescription Diet Feline c/d-oxl (oxalate)
Hil ’s Prescription Diet Feline s/d (LUTD)
Iams Veterinary Diets, Nutritional Urinary Formula, Low
pH/S/Feline
Iams Veterinary Diets, Nutritional Urinary Formula,
Moderate pH/O/Feline
IVD (ROYAL CANIN) Select Care Feline Mature Formula
IVD (ROYAL CANIN) Select Care Feline Control Formula
IVD (ROYAL CANIN) Select Care Feline HiFactor Formula
IVD (ROYAL CANIN) Select Care Feline Weight Formula
Purina Veterinary Diet, UR Urinary Formula
Waltham Feline Lower Urinary Tract Support Diet
CHAPTER 3--L.O.V.E. for HEALTH
Older cats that become il typical y try to hide how they feel. They also
tend to become more seriously il more quickly, and take longer to recover.
“The earlier we see these animals, the more we can do something for
them,” says Sheila McCul ough, DVM, an internist at the University of
Il inois. It is vital to pay attention to your cat as she ages, to catch problems
before they turn serious.
A good way to keep in mind the special needs of your aging cat is
simply to use the acronym L.O.V.E. That stands for Listen With Your Heart;
Observe for Changes; Visit the Veterinarian; and Enrich the Environment.
Listen With Your Heart
Never discount that odd “feeling” that something’s different, not right.
Listen with your heart and your cat wil shout louder than words how she
feels. That’s when you make the extra visit to the veterinarian and explain
your concerns. “It’s more of an intuitive thing,” says Susan G. Wynn, DVM,
a holistic veterinarian in private practice in Atlanta. Because of the love
and close relationship you share, you have an advantage when it comes to
“knowing” when something’s wrong.
A change in behavior is the number one way your cat tel s you she’s
feeling bad from either a physical problem or an emotional upset. Changes
in behavior may be sudden and obvious, or may develop slowly and subtly
over time.
Think of these changes as a feline cry for help. You need to have a good
grasp of what’s normal for your cat in order to be able to recognize this
shift in the status quo. That includes regularly observing your cat for
changes.
Regular veterinary visits are a must. Any time you have an intuitive
feeling or a more concrete observation that something’s not quite right,
validate your concerns with a veterinary visit.
Final y, the environment your cat lives in impacts everything about her.
When she begins to age, you have to make appropriate enrichments to her
nutrition, exercise, grooming needs, and home life. Don’t forget to enrich
her mind as wel as her body. Fol ow the L.O.V.E. plan to keep her healthy
and happy throughout her golden years.
Observe for Changes: Home Health Alerts
Healthy aging cats see the veterinarian only a couple of times a
year. You live with her every day, and you know your cat best. In almost al
cases, you wil be the first to notice when something is wrong.
Close proximity to your pet al ows you to immediately notice any
changes that can point to a potential health problem. The major
disadvantage to this closeness is that you may overlook subtle changes, or
those that have a slow, gradual onset. Veterinarians cal sudden problems
“acute” and those are the easiest for owners to spot. But conditions that
develop slowly over a long period of time, cal ed chronic problems, are
more insidious. Changes of a chronic nature creep up on you, day by day,
in such smal increments that you aren’t likely to notice anything’s wrong.
By the time a problem becomes obvious, the disease may have been
simmering for months or even years, and the damage may be permanent.
“The classic emergency I see is the 12-year-old cat that is feeling badly,
and deteriorated over the last 24-48 hours,” sa
ys Steven L. Marks, BVSc,
an internist and surgeon at North Carolina State University. “The
assumption is that the pet has become sick in the last two days when in
fact, chronic renal failure has been going on for months and maybe years.
Now the body can’t compensate anymore and the pet’s suddenly sick and
it’s an emergency.”
One of the best ways to stay on top of things is to create a log of your
cat’s normal behaviors. A home health report card provides you with
baseline measures against which to compare even the subtle changes in
your cat’s health. For example, monitor how much your cat weighs. “Even a
smal amount of weight loss, an ounce or two, wil real y catch my attention
in an elderly cat,” says Susan Little, DVM, a feline specialist in Ottawa,
Canada. Should your cat at some point in the future be diagnosed with a
particular condition, a home health report card also can help you measure
how wel the treatment works. That in turn helps the veterinarian make
informed decisions if adjustments to the therapy are needed.
Once you have your list and a benchmark description of “normal,” review
the home health report card on a monthly basis to check for any changes. If
your cat has been diagnosed with a disease for which she’s receiving
Normal Vital Signs
Know what the benchmark readings are for your cat so that you are alerted
to a change that might point to a health problem.
Temperature: This ranges between 99.5 degrees to 101.5 degrees.
Hydration: Use the scruff test. Loose skin on the neck should
immediately spring back when grasped and released, and a delay
indicates dehydration.
Blood Circulation/Pressure: Capil ary refil time of 1 to 2 seconds is
normal. Firmly press the flat of a finger against the cat’s gum, then
release, and time how long it takes the pink color to return to the
whitened finger-shaped mark. A delay indicates dehydration, low
blood pressure, or even shock.
Heart Rate: 120 to 140 beats per minute.
Respiration: 16 to 40 breaths per minute.
Behavior Cues
Generate a list of as many of your cat’s normal behaviors as possible.
The categories wil vary somewhat from cat to cat. Be as specific as
possible. Examples of categories fol ow, but don’t limit yourself to my
suggestions. If your cat gets in the sink every day, for example, or enjoys
chasing the dog, include that as a category and describe her routine. Any
changes to routine might indicate a health concern that needs attention.
For instance, if she wakes you every single day at five and then suddenly
lets you oversleep, perhaps her joints hurt too much from arthritis to jump
onto the bed.
Favorite Activity: Describe how she plays. For example, if she loves a
fishing-pole toy, does she fetch? Make mad, leaping catches? Play keep-
away? Bring you the toy to incite a game? How often does she ask to
play? How long does the game typical y last—twenty minutes? How does
she move—at a run, or walk? Does she pounce and leap to the top of chair
backs, or climb slowly? Activity monitoring can alert you to painful arthritic
changes.
Vocabulary: Al cats learn certain words. What are your cat’s favorites
(food, play, mousie…) and how does she react when hearing them? A
change in reaction to favorite words may indicate hearing loss or cognitive
dysfunction.
Vocalizations: Describe what circumstances prompt meows or other
vocalizations. Perhaps she goes nuts when the doorbel rings, the can
opener whirs, or a neighbor cat visits. How long do vocalizations last?
What do they sound like? Are they howls, hisses, yowls, growls?
Cognitive/memory changes, hearing loss, and dimming eyesight can
change how the cat vocalizes.
Interactions/Personality: How does she get along with the other pets
in the household? Describe her relationship to each one. Detail her typical
reaction to strangers—ankle-rubbing frenzy or hides and hisses?
Personality changes may indicate sensory loss. If she’s deaf or blind, she’l
startle more easily and react accordingly. She may also become short-
tempered from chronic pain.
Sleep Cycles: When does she sleep, and for how long? Does she have
a favorite spot? The sofa, her pil ow, windowsil , your bed? What’s her
temperature preference—cool tiles beside the bathtub or puddle of
sunshine? Painful joints may prevent her reaching favorite resting spots on
the bed, and prompt her to seek out sunny spots, and sleep for longer
periods. Metabolic changes can influence temperature perception and
sleep rates. Cognitive dysfunction often reverses sleep cycles, so she’s
awake at night and sleeps during the day.
Habits/Routines: What is her day like? Does she wake up at noon
each day ready to play? Meet you at the front door after work? Beg for a
nightly 20-minute feather-chase game? Is she queen of the cat tribe who
keeps others in their place? Loss of hearing or eyesight, painful joints,
brain changes, and organ dysfunction may al impact routines.
Body Warnings
Generate a list of your cat’s normal body functions. Be as specific as
possible. Examples of categories fol ow, but don’t limit yourself to my
emergency than not see one that needed to be,” says Dr. Marks.
Appetite: Does she have a favorite food? Is she finicky or a glutton?
How much does she eat (measure the amount), and at what time of the
day? Missing one meal usual y won’t hurt her, but an aging cat shouldn’t go
longer than 24 hours without eating. A change in appetite points to a
variety of problems, from metabolic changes to chronic pain or organ
dysfunction.
Weight Loss/Gain: How much does she weigh? Is she normal, under-
or overweight? Fluctuations in weight can be a sign of pain, diabetes
mel itus, hyperthyroidism, problems of the liver, kidneys or heart, or dental
disease.
Water Intake: How often does the water bowl empty? Measure how
much water goes in the bowl, and the amount left at the end of the day to
see how much on average she drinks in a day. Increased thirst is a classic
sign of diabetes and kidney failure as wel as other organ problems.
Urination: What color is the urine? Count the number of times she
urinates in a day. How often does she have “accidents?” Lighter than
normal could mean her kidneys aren’t concentrating efficiently, while
darker than normal may indicate dehydration. Blood in the urine can
indicate an infection, inflammation, or cancer. “Sticky” urine could be due
to diabetes, and greenish urine may point to liver problems. Increased
urination often results from increased water intake, and may also prompt
more litter box lapses. Inability to properly “pose” may be due to joint pain,
and prompt the cat to delay bathroom breaks.
Defecation: What is the color/consistency of the feces? Count how
many bowel movements she prod
uces each day. Does she ever have
“accidents?” Changes in the frequency of elimination and/or consistency of
the stool point to digestive problems or constipation. It may also indicate
memory loss—she can’t remember where the litter box is—or problems
with mobility—it hurts to move/pose so she delays elimination.
Skin, Fur And Claws: What color is her skin? Is it free of dandruff,
sores, and lumps or bumps? Is the fur ful , thick, and lustrous? Does she
continue to keep herself neat, clean, and wel groomed? Grooming is a
barometer of feline health, and cats often stop grooming when they feel
bad. Mats, dingy fur, or debris anywhere on the coat is a sure sign she’s il .
Metabolic changes often are reflected in the appearance of the skin, claws
and hair coat. Any lump or bump in an old cat is highly suspect for cancer.
Eyes: Are her eyes clear, with no discharge or watering? Squinting or
pawing at watery eyes indicates pain, and changes in the appearance of
the eye may point to eye diseases such as cataracts, high blood pressure
or glaucoma.
Ears: Do her ears smel fresh? Are they clean? Does she scratch them
or shake her head? Stinky, dirty, or itchy ears point to an infection.
Nose: What color is the nose leather? Is it moist and smooth, or dry and
chapped? Is there any discharge? Nasal discharge can be a sign of whole
body infection. Changes to the nose leather, as in the skin, can indicate
metabolic changes or even nasal dermoid cancer.
Respiration: Is her breathing regular and easy, or does she gasp and
strain to get air? Does she have bad breath? Panting or gasping is a
danger sign in cats, and points to heart or lung disease. Bad breath may
indicate periodontal disease, diabetes or kidney disease.
Gait/Movement: Does she arise easily from sitting or lying down?
Does she refuse to move, hold up or favor a leg? Is she reluctant to climb,
avoid stairs, jump onto or off favorite furniture, or seem fearful of the dark?
Does she have trouble navigating unknown territory? Gait or activity
changes are strong indications of painful arthritis. They may also indicate
vision loss.
Golden Moments: Zoobie’s New Life
When a black cat was left at Independent Cat Society, a no-kil shelter in
Westvil e, Indiana, best estimates placed him at two years of age, and he