Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [39]
Getting on and off favorite perches and resting places is a major issue. Cats used to sleeping on your bed become disconsolate when they are no longer able to manage the leap. “Some people have the cat food bowl up on the washer or dryer, especially to keep it away from the dog. So you may need to sequester that on a lower level,” says Dr. Cook.
A wide range of products can make pets more comfortable and maintain their quality of life. For example, you can buy ramps and stairs for easy sofa access; elevated feeding stations so a stiff neck has less distance to bend down; even kitty beds with warming elements to keep old bones and stiff joints limber. “Certainly the temperature can be important with pain associated with arthritis if they’re in the garage or outside,” says Dr. Cook. “Give them a blanket or move them to a more heated area.”
Positive changes in the environment that help your aging cat don’t have to cost much. Move the footstool closer to the sofa so she has an extra step to get up and down. “One’s only limited by your own ideas,” says Dr. Hoskins.
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Comfort Zone
Try a game of chase-the-bubble to entice your aging cat to get off her tail. Worldwise’s Crazy Catnip Bubbles offer a nontoxic, biodegradable bubble solution infused with a special blend of catnip.
Exercising the Mind
Probably the most important quality of life issue is helping your cat to keep her mind active. The old saying, Use it or lose it! applies for both physical and mental activity. Feline minds become just as creaky with disuse as arthritic joints, so keep the brain and body limber. Engaged your cat’s interest in the world around her and, of course, in you!
A number of feline brain-teasing toys have been developed that keep the mind active and also encourage physical activity. Try puzzle toys that dispense food as the cat manipulates them. Cats love games of chase and capture, and you can use a fishing-pole-style toy to entice her to “hunt.”
Stimulating your cat’s mind helps delay the aging process of the brain. Keeping her mind healthy keeps you connected, and strengthens the bond you already share.
Keeping your cat healthy and happy requires addressing all aspects of your cat’s life. “It’s called a holistic modality because you’re looking at the physical, mental and emotional aspects of the animal,” says Dr. Beebe. Let L.O.V.E. be the answer.
Golden Moments: Putting L.O.V.E. to Work
Yasmine Galenorn, an author living near Seattle, currently shares her life with four senior citizen cats. Luna and Meercleer are both eight years old; Tara is “probably” 10 to 11; and the queen cat, Pakhit (“Keeter”) is 11. Each cat, though, has aged at a different rate. Although all share the same environment, level of health care, and owner attention, some cats show their age more than others.
For instance, you’d never know that the 8-year-old black-panther look-alike, Meercleer, is a senior. But at the same age, Luna the calico is obviously slowing down. Yasmine says Luna wants to be queen cat, and she thinks the added stress of wrangling over being boss has made her age more quickly.
Luna also has physical problems with a knee injury, and as a consequence has some joint pain that likely will develop into arthritis as time goes on. Yasmine noticed her limping and holding up the leg, and a vet check confirmed that Luna had torn the cruciate ligament, a very common problem in dogs, but rare in cats. Yasmine had to choose between expensive surgery to repair the injury, or forced rest to see if the knee would heal on its own. Confining Luna was a nightmare, says Yasmine. “Every time she cried in the room, I’d feel so guilty I had to go sit with her.
She wouldn’t sleep unless someone was with her.” A follow-up X-ray in a month will tell if rest did the trick, or surgery is required. “I’ll probably have to do ramps before long for Luna, because