Caring For an Older Cat

In the last years the cat life expectancy has increased a lot, due to care from the human owners and the advancement in veterinary medicine. Nowadays a cat is old when it reaches its 10th birthday. After 10 years the aging process begins. Even the most playful kitty will grow old. But with some attention from you, the cat can enjoy 5 to 10 years more.

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As they grow older, cats will lose their hearing ability. This can sometimes go unnoticed as the owners sometimes confuse the lack of response of their cat with simple stubbornness. But if your older cat is not coming to you when you call it, it can be because it has lost the sense of hearing. When the cat gets older, it is best to keep it inside. It can also lose the sense of smell and also the vision. This means the cat will be vulnerable to dogs on the street, cars and other cats.

If the cat loves fresh air and likes to go outside, then it would be best to supervise her outside. You should also know that as the cat gets older, the sense of taste and smell will diminish and the cat will be less interested in eating. In this case, you need to give the cat moist food and you can also try warming the meals. This way the scent will be amplified and the cat will like to eat the meal.

The moist food will also increase the amount of water that is in the cat抯 diet and prevent the dehydration process from occurring.

Keep the fresh water always available for the cat and also monitor the drinking habit. The thirst drive can also fade with age and the cat can easily become dehydrated. Try to monitor how much water the cat is drinking and if you do not see the cat getting water, talk to the vet for some other solutions.

You will also be interested in researching the condition of your cat online and you will stumble upon cat meds. Do not buy them unless you talk to the vet. The meds have side effects and only the vet can prescribe them after carefully analyzing the status of your cat抯 health.

Older cats can also develop difficulties in swallowing. The cat can also loose its teeth and the gums can turn white. The most recent studies show that the old cats have a problem with the potassium. This results in poor fur coat, lethargy and loss of appetite. The low potassium levels are bad for the cat as it can destroy the kidneys.

Other problems that may occur are stiffness and arthritis. The old cat can sometimes sleep a lot and refuse to move because of joint pain. But do not leave the cat like that. Not moving will add to the cat抯 discomfort and the muscles will weaken. Encourage the cat to do some activity. You should know that exercise also helps with the bowel movement.

The old cat can also start loosing its hair. You need to groom the cat daily and remove the hair that can cause uncomfortable hairballs.

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