You and your cat have already been together through thick and thin. As the years pass by and reach into a decade, it may be easy to forget that your cat is not the spry kitten it once was. It may not show whatever obvious signs of slowing down, yet perchance its last health checks have you facing the mere fact that you love an aging cat, which you do not know what to look out for. Read on to this article and get to learn more about the common senior cat problems adn more.

How to Know if Your Cat is a Senior?

Even though once cats were well-thought-out to be seniors when they reach the age of 8, thanks to the advancements in the vet medicine and nutrition, it is no longer unusual for a cat to live well in its teens or even in its 20s. Nevertheless, in spite of the stretched out lifespan, cats may still reach their senior years at about the age of 7. Even though this seems so young for a cat, which has more than half of its life left to live, it is so important to bear in mind about the changes in the biology.

You can think of it this way, even though humans are now capable of living longer these days, they are still considered senior citizen in between the ages of 60-65. Even though you do not see any changes physically, it is still significant to think of whatever physical changes, it is still important to think of the cat in its proper part of its life cycle.

Signs of Aging in Cats

Usually, as a cat advances to its senior years, it starts to show some signs of slowing down. It may be less active and much sleepier. Furthermore, it might also be lesser inclined to climb or to jump, and may even some difficulty in getting to places that are hard-to-reach. The older cats are way more susceptible to weight gain, even though some aging cats lose weight rather. Even though some of these changes might simply be sue to aging cats having lesser energy, than it once did, they must not be ignored. Whatever symptoms might be indications of serious health conditions and must be discussed with a vet.

Common Senior Cat Problems                                       

Here are some of the most common senior cat problems that you should know about:

Cancer

This perhaps comes as no surprise that cancer is one of the most common senior cat problems. There are actually a lot of types of cancer that affect cats. The symptoms of them may vary on the type of cancer that has affected your cat.

Dental Disease

The dental diseases aren’t actually specific to older cats. In the actual fact, in an estimate, at least 2/3 of the cats above 3 years old suffer from dental conditions. There is no need to say that these dental diseases may be a serious condition for the senior cats. Moreover, dental disease is a painful condition, which may affect the cat’s appetite and may cause weight loss.

Hyperthyroidism

This is a condition that affects the thyroid gland, wherein the excessive amount of thyroid hormone is being produced. The excessive amount of hormone has a lot of different effects on the cat. Additionally, a lot of cats with hyperthyroid actually display weight loss, in spite of an increase, or even ravenous appetite.

Arthritis

This happens more commonly in the senior cats. Unluckily, the symptoms of it are often mistaken as ‘normal’ with the aging cat. Arthritic cats may become lesser active, sleep more, and might not be capable of accessing perches and some other elevated surfaces anymore.

Diabetes mellitus

This results in an increase in the blood sugar level. The risk factors for cat diabetes may include being overweight, as well as leading an inactive lifestyle. Most of the cats who have diabetes may need insulin injections. The remission of diabetes is actually possible in case an aggressive treatment is being instituted early in the disease.

Heart disease

This is a common senior cat disease. There are lots of different types of heart disease. Among the most commonly seen in the cats is the cardiomyopathy. This is a disease of the heart muscles. The degenerative valvular condition and some other kinds of heart disease may be seen as well. Regardless of the underlying cause, the end result of this congestive heart failure.

Kidney disease

The disease that affects the kidneys is actually a common affliction in the older cats. Basically, the kidneys act as a filter system. It removes a lot of the waste products that are produced by the body of the cats.

Final Say

The senior cats might be plagued with one or more diseases at the same time. Furthermore, some cats might also struggle with different diseases, thus making management and diagnosis of the cats more challenging. The senior cats need regular vet care. All cats must have a regular check-up by a vet. These visits are actually the best way to stay at the top of the cat’s health. Most of the illnesses are easy to treat when diagnosed early. The early diagnosis and treatment might extend the cat’s life and contribute suggestively to the quality of life of a cat. a