How to make life comfy for an old cat?
My pair of lovely cats grew old…they were from the same litter and one died in July from Cancer. I believe my other cat Oscar also has cancer but this is not confirmed. I took him to the vet and the vet said he seemed okay, a litle arthritic and weakened heart and some tooth trouble. They sorted out the tooth trouble but the other problems are just part of old age…to determine if he does have anything serious wrong would cost a lot of money (and the vet said it would most likely not be recommended to treat him at his age) so we decided to just take him home for now.
I would like any tips and caring for an older cat; he struggles going to the toilet- he likes being outside but he also have a litter tray inside however he recently started going in one spot on the floor (grrr)
He is happy enough to sleep a lot and (we have kittens) he loves playing mummy (he lies in the kittens bed and they try to nurse from him) but how do you others care for your older cats- should he have the ‘senior’ cat food or do you think it is a gimmick not worth using? How about warming pads for bedding? Also, when I flea him he often pee’s himself which i hate doing to him…should i minimise lifting him/picking him up?
Our other cat went from perfect health to death within days but Oscar may be like this for many months (maybe longer)
thanks for any tips
Bless your souls…. I feel your pain and struggle and also am truly sorry for the loss of Oscar’s sibling. xox
I think I would start with keeping him inside unless totally supervised. Unfortunately, many older pets that are allowed out, tend to purposely disappear to pass away in private. And it is heartbreaking for many owners who never get to say goodbye.
If you are concerned about keeping his body temp up, be very careful about heating pads. Place them under boxes or carriers etc… Many pets will inadvertently burn themselves. Especially the older ones that become tangled in blankets and are to weak or confused to move off of the heat.
In your home, I would recommend you start to "baby proof" certain areas. Block off spots such as behind the TV and refrigerator. These are common areas that older pets crawl to for warmth and get stuck/lost and perish due to the wires or stress from trying to get out when panicking in the middle of the night or while you are at work. So, when left alone, I would – for his safety, leave him in a smaller safe room. Make his litter box shallow. Perhaps try a wet food. And some warm blankets with your scents on them all around the sunny areas.
None of it is easy and enforceable. He will be stubborn and make all of his own choices. All you can do is love him more and keep offering him everything you can think of and be patient.
I hope some of this has helped. Know that you are not alone. Prayers be with you all – God bless.
Oh Yeah – As for the flea meds, No stress is best in my opinion but you absolutly do not want fleas either. Try the Advantage or Front line. You did not say what you used but putting a little touch of meds between his shoulder blades once a month only takes a second and I think that would be the easiest. Plus it is from the vet and is safe for the older cat.
Aw,,we went thru this with our cat 3 years ago, Stanley lived to be 20.5 years old,,we did have him on senior food as it is easier for them to digest,,we also had to switch him from dry to can food because of his missing teeth. He went downhill quickly, in a matter of weeks, we kept his litter box, food, water and bed in 1 room so that did not have to go from room to room..Our cat was an inside cat, so i have no advice on an outdoor cat, maybe put a favorite piece of bedding near a nice warm window and keep him inside, this would solve the problem of the fleaing him.. Lots of love and attention will soothe, calm and make him feel safe…good luck and god bless
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experience with older cat
My "Detail" was 18 1/2 when she passed away this past June. In her last few months, she was having a hard time walking, jumping, etc. She did have an appetite though. I did have her on Science Diet sr. food and she liked it. She was bad about not using the litter box, (cuz she ad a hard time climbing into it.) I finially got her an uncovered small litter box. Everything was kept in one area and she was happy. It hurt knowing that he time was coming and I couldn’t really help her. It was her old age and possible cancer but I didn’t have the money to treat her. When that day came, I contact my vet to let him know what was happening and as much as I didn’t want to do it, I couldn’t watch her suffer anymore. I had to put her down. It was the best for her. She had gotten to the point that she didn’t want to eat, drink or walk anymore. I was on the way to take her in and she died in my arms before getting to the vets. I think she knew what was coming and wanted to pass away where she was safe. The vet was really kind about it and didn’t even charge me.
Even though I still have other cats in my house, it hurt losing her. She was my first "baby" and I had had her since she was born. I still miss her today.
References :
Bless your souls…. I feel your pain and struggle and also am truly sorry for the loss of Oscar’s sibling. xox
I think I would start with keeping him inside unless totally supervised. Unfortunately, many older pets that are allowed out, tend to purposely disappear to pass away in private. And it is heartbreaking for many owners who never get to say goodbye.
If you are concerned about keeping his body temp up, be very careful about heating pads. Place them under boxes or carriers etc… Many pets will inadvertently burn themselves. Especially the older ones that become tangled in blankets and are to weak or confused to move off of the heat.
In your home, I would recommend you start to "baby proof" certain areas. Block off spots such as behind the TV and refrigerator. These are common areas that older pets crawl to for warmth and get stuck/lost and perish due to the wires or stress from trying to get out when panicking in the middle of the night or while you are at work. So, when left alone, I would – for his safety, leave him in a smaller safe room. Make his litter box shallow. Perhaps try a wet food. And some warm blankets with your scents on them all around the sunny areas.
None of it is easy and enforceable. He will be stubborn and make all of his own choices. All you can do is love him more and keep offering him everything you can think of and be patient.
I hope some of this has helped. Know that you are not alone. Prayers be with you all – God bless.
Oh Yeah – As for the flea meds, No stress is best in my opinion but you absolutly do not want fleas either. Try the Advantage or Front line. You did not say what you used but putting a little touch of meds between his shoulder blades once a month only takes a second and I think that would be the easiest. Plus it is from the vet and is safe for the older cat.
References :
Vet Tech 25yrs
Don’t bother with the senior food. Just feed him whatever he wants to eat. If you’re not already feeding canned food, offer him some of that. He may find it easier to eat and it will be easier on his digestion.
You can consider elevating his food and water bowls so he doesn’t have to crouch to eat. I read this tip for arthritic cats – or perhaps ones with a different condition – and perhaps he’ll be more comfy that way. But I’m not entirely sure about this so don’t spend a ton of money. Just put them on top of something or other so they’re at head height when he’s standing and see how he reacts to it.
I think he’d probably enjoy having a warm spot to lie in, so buying a warming pad (made for pets) might be a good investment. Cats being cats, it’s possible he’ll ignore it so if your budget isn’t up to it, don’t sweat it.
Other than that, just keep everything within his reach. Make sure the litter box sides are low enough that he can get in and out easily. If he has a favorite spot that he’s no longer able to jump up to, buy or make him a staircase.
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