Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [30]
Weight Loss/Gain: How much does she weigh? Is she normal, under- or overweight? Fluctuations in weight can be a sign of pain, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, problems of the liver, kidneys or heart, or dental disease.
Water Intake: How often does the water bowl empty? Measure how much water goes in the bowl, and the amount left at the end of the day to see how much on average she drinks in a day. Increased thirst is a classic sign of diabetes and kidney failure as well as other organ problems.
Urination: What color is the urine? Count the number of times she urinates in a day. How often does she have “accidents?” Lighter than normal could mean her kidneys aren’t concentrating efficiently, while darker than normal may indicate dehydration. Blood in the urine can indicate an infection, inflammation, or cancer. “Sticky” urine could be due to diabetes, and greenish urine may point to liver problems. Increased urination often results from increased water intake, and may also prompt more litter box lapses. Inability to properly “pose” may be due to joint pain, and prompt the cat to delay bathroom breaks.
Defecation: What is the color/consistency of the feces? Count how many bowel movements she produces each day. Does she ever have “accidents?” Changes in the frequency of elimination and/or consistency of the stool point to digestive problems or constipation. It may also indicate memory loss—she can’t remember where the litter box is—or problems with mobility—it hurts to move/pose so she delays elimination.
Skin, Fur And Claws: What color is her skin? Is it free of dandruff, sores, and lumps or bumps? Is the fur full, thick, and lustrous? Does she continue to keep herself neat, clean, and well groomed? Grooming is a barometer of feline health, and cats often stop grooming when they feel bad. Mats, dingy fur, or debris anywhere on the coat is a sure sign she’s ill. Metabolic changes often are reflected in the appearance of the skin, claws and hair coat. Any lump or bump in an old cat is highly suspect for cancer.
Eyes: Are her eyes clear, with no discharge or watering? Squinting or pawing at watery eyes indicates pain, and changes in the appearance of the eye may point to eye diseases such as cataracts, high blood pressure or glaucoma.
Ears: Do her ears smell fresh? Are they clean? Does she scratch them or shake her head? Stinky, dirty, or itchy ears point to an infection.
Nose: What color is the nose leather? Is it moist and smooth, or dry and chapped? Is there any discharge? Nasal discharge can be a sign of whole body infection. Changes to the nose leather, as in the skin, can indicate metabolic changes or even nasal dermoid cancer.
Respiration: Is her breathing regular and easy, or does she gasp and strain to get air? Does she have bad breath? Panting or gasping is a danger sign in cats, and points to heart or lung disease. Bad breath may indicate periodontal disease, diabetes or kidney disease.
Gait/Movement: Does she arise easily from sitting or lying down? Does she refuse to move, hold up or favor a leg? Is she reluctant to climb, avoid stairs, jump onto or off favorite furniture, or seem fearful of the dark? Does she have trouble navigating unknown territory? Gait or activity changes are strong indications of painful arthritis. They may also indicate vision loss.
Golden Moments: Zoobie’s New Life
When a black cat was left at Independent Cat Society, a no-kill shelter in Westville, Indiana, best estimates placed him at two years of age, and he was semi feral when he arrived. That made him difficult to adopt, but he had a home for life at the shelter, says Linda Moore, a volunteer foster-mom for the shelter. “They only euthanize when it’s in the animal’s best interest,” she says.
Nine years later, in August, he began having problems with circling behavior. When veterinary treatment for a possible ear infection hadn’t resolved the problem by