Senior cat care

Question
I am writing to ask advice about a cat I got from a rescue centre on the 27th December 2008. We got two house cats, one male and one female. At the time we were told they were both 9 years old however the female is alot smaller and more active/playful and we suspect she might be alot younger. My issue is with the older male cat. Over the last week he seems to have become quite stiff - taking his time to climb off chairs etc. and thinking before he leaps. We have also noticed that he has a slight patch of thinning hair near his tail. Is it possible that he is older than we realised or could there be something more sinister at work? Do you have any recommendations about his diet or anything that might help him?

Answer
Hi Joanne,

You need to have him checked by your vet. It sounds like arthritis. There are a few things you can do for him if he has it. Here's a good link about taking care of your old guy.
http://www.2ndchance.info/oldcat.htm

The hair loss by the tail could be from a flea allergy. Is he on a topical flea treatment such as Advantage or Frontline for Cats? If he isn't I would suggest trying this and see how he is. Cats are real good at getting rid of fleas. This is the most common cause of hair loss from the base of the tail. It is from him licking there because of fleas.

Get him checked by your vet. If he does have arthritis you will have to make some minor changes in the house. But nothing drastic. One of the best things you can do is get a low sided litter box. This will help him immensely. It makes it so easy for him to get in and out of the box. Good luck and let me know what the vet says.