Senior cats like to keep secrets. Day to day they seem their normal selves. You see your senior cat eating, sleeping, grooming, and playing with toys. Their secret is that they are hiding important changes from you. Changes that can become serious health concerns without early intervention by your veterinarian. Why do cats keep their health changes secret instead of coming crying to you? It likely comes from needing to hide weakness in the wild. Or maybe our cats are just too smug to complain!
We need all the clues we can find to detect any discomfort our senior cats are feeling. With early intervention, you can help your cat live a healthier and happier life with you. But how can we spot their secrets early? To figure out the secrets they are hiding, we need to be real detectives. At Carriage Crossing Animal Hospital, I try to solve the mysteries of senior cats by using the following tools:
- Veterinary Comprehensive Exam
Even if they seem healthy at home, it is important to have a veterinarian examine your cat from nose to tail at least every six months. Cats age more quickly than us, so even though six months goes quickly, a lot can change in that time. In our Fear Free Hospital, your cat will give up her secrets while thinking she is getting an ear rub thanks to our gradual and considerate approach. We listen to her heart and lungs, check for thyroid glands that are getting bigger, check for kidneys that are getting smaller, and check for hips that have lost their muscle. A peak in the mouth will reveal painful teeth long before there is a loss of appetite. - Veterinary History
Along with the exam comes the history where we ask about any small changes you have noticed. Some cats will lose weight. Others will gain weight. Your senior cat might drink and pee a little more than she used to. Perhaps your cat is sleeping on the dog bed on the floor instead of your own bed. Maybe they no longer want to be picked up. Your cat could even be having trouble sleeping at night, pacing the hallway meowing. These changes are important clues to help a sleuth determine what is troubling your older cat. - Bloodwork
Even the most careful history and exam cannot detect the early signs of kidney disease as well as an SDMA blood test. A thyroid blood test reveals a metabolism that is in overdrive, running so quickly that your cat loses weight even though it is hungry all the time. Complete blood counts detect anemia even before you cat becomes pale. These tests, when repeated every year, help to reveal trends that so we can detect disease just as it begins so we can intervene before your cat starts to feel unwell. - Urine testing
Perhaps because they evolved as desert creatures not interested in drinking a lot of water, cats can have many problems with their urinary system. The cat who suddenly stops urinating in the litterbox, and urinates on the floor or your bed instead, likely had changes in her urine long before these “accidents” started. By identifying them early, you can save her the discomfort and yourself the mess! - Nutrition assessment
As we age, all of us have reduced ability to digest our food and the mistakes we made as “kittens” start to catch up with us. Disease can make cats lose their appetite and eat less, or have a ravenous appetite and still lose weight. Knowing what and how much and even when your cat eats gives important clues to their health and the emergence of new heath concerns.
Once we figure out your senior cat’s secrets, we can make a plan to treat the problems they may be hiding. For joint pain, we can make an easier to access bed, help them lose weight, and administer new treatments like Solensia. If your pet is peeing and drinking more, a diet low in phosphorus can help them live a longer healthier life with kidney disease. And if our senior kitties have tooth pain, we can remove the painful teeth so they can feel like themselves again. Fortunately, there are lots of great interventions to help senior cats have a greater quality, as well as quantity, of life with their families.
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