When is my cat a Senior?

Increasing number of Senior cats in our country,

Domestic cats, as veterinary medicine continues to evolve to ever-higher levels and improved and more applied preventive veterinary care, are getting older. Preventive veterinary care includes vaccinations, worming and flea treatments. Of course, a well-tailored Senior food also definitely contributes to the ever-ageing of the domestic cat.

When is a cat actually old?

Obviously, this cannot be indicated for each individual cat, but for the sake of convenience, a cat is called a Senior from around 10 years of age. Unfortunately, there are also breeds and cats that show signs of old age earlier or, on the contrary, are often much older before we call them old.

Body changes as a cat ages.

As cats age, changes in the body actually take place. Cats need less food than adult cats due to a change in metabolism. The metabolism becomes slower as the cat ages. Senior cats are more likely to have complaints of an overactive thyroid, diabetes, kidney complaints such as reduced kidney function or urinary tract complaints. This is because the organs start to show some wear and tear, but also because resistance simply decreases as you get older. Just think of elderly people who are also more susceptible to flu, for instance. Unfortunately, we also see more wear and tear of the joints. This is sometimes overlooked in cats, read more about this at How Do You Recognise Osteoarthritis In Your Cat?.

How do you recognise a Senior cat?

Cats that get older are often a little less active, less eager to jump, but sometimes also have a less well-groomed coat. Besides physical changes, they can also show some changed behaviour, sometimes being more irritable to touch than before or showing changed behaviour due to deterioration of the brain, (dementia). Cats that exercise less and continue to eat the same but have a slower metabolism will also often gain some weight. As age increases and resistance decreases, these cats are naturally more susceptible to other diseases and may be sick more often, have less healthy skin and fur but could also develop tumours.

-This is an automated translation-