Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [11]
Loss of hearing means previously attentive cats seem to ignore you. She may also startle more easily, so you’ll need to explain to visitors and family members not to sneak up on her, or she might hiss or bite out of fear without meaning to. Some hearing-impaired cats begin meowing a lot more—they can’t hear themselves, or you, and so use their “alarm cry” to get attention. You’ll also learn to stomp a foot, wave your hand or use other visual signals to gain her attention. Cats readily learn hand signals in lieu of voice directions, and adjust so quickly to dimming senses that you may not know anything is different at all. For instance, instead of calling “here Kitty Kitty” at mealtime, cats quickly learn that switching the kitchen light on and off at the appropriate time means dinner is served, and come running.
If your cat loses her vision, you’ll need to cat-proof the house to protect her from injury. Products designed for child safety can be adapted for use with elderly cats. For example, a baby gate across the stairs will keep her from falling. Baby gates also work well to confine cats into safe—or easily cleaned areas of the home. “Safety Turtle” for pets protects her from drowning should she fall into the hot tub, for example. The Turtle band is attached to the cat’s collar, the remote plugged into an outlet, and the alarm will sound if the Turtle band becomes submerged in water.
Some boarding facilities make special arrangements for the needs of an older cat. Hotels may welcome Kitty as a guest if arrangements are made in advance. However, because aging cats become so attuned to routine and familiarity, they often do better staying home with a visiting pet sitter when you go out of town, rather than being boarded in a noisy, strange kennel or left in a strange hotel room.
If a cat requires special medications, you’ll need to make arrangements with a person able to administer the treatment. Ask if one of the technicians at your veterinary clinic is available. Other times, owners make the choice to postpone or forgo some trips in order to ensure the needs of their cat—both physical and emotional—are met.
Golden Moments: Making Allowances
When Deborah Harding walked past the pet store nearly two decades ago, she lost her heart to the smallest kitten, a little gray and white beauty. “She stood up on her hind legs looking at me, and she was coming home,” says Deborah. Kyrie always talks, and meows back when you speak to her. “She loves to sit in your lap. In fact, if you can get her off of you, you’re doing really well!”
Kyrie used to be quite playful, but that’s nearly stopped in the past year or so. “All she wants to do is sit on your lap. Every once in a while she’ll get this burst of energy and she’ll chase your fingers,” says Deborah. “Other than that, she doesn’t really play with her toys as much anymore.”
Kyrie had a bad time when last year when her 19-year-old cat-buddy died. Deborah’s children, then aged 12 and 14, had never known the house without the two cats. “The cats were here first. Nimue was huge, 30 pounds, and the girls used to lay with their heads on her. They were extremely close,” says Deborah.
Kyrie knew her friend was sick and would groom her. The two cats were the same age, and had grown up together, and got along famously. Kyrie went into mourning after her friend died, and for a while she refused to go downstairs, because that had been Nimue’s domain. Deborah took food to her so that she’d eat. It took about two months before Kyrie ventured back downstairs, and even then she avoided the now-empty cat bed “shrine” beneath Deborah’s desk as though her friend still owned the property.
But at the end of three months, with pampering from Deborah and the rest of the family, Kyrie seemed to feel more herself. Despite her advanced age, Deborah says she’s doing quite well these days,