Geriatric cats

I'd like to hear people's experiences with geriatric cats. What types of changes did you notice with them? What changes did you make to accommodate their needs? What sort of medication or supplements did you introduce for them? I ask this specifically to get more ideas on how to manage my 16 year old Stumpy, but want to use this as a general thread for everyone's benefit.

Stumpy turned 16 this past April and he is noticeably changing. He has started to MEOWL for no apparent reason, and his MEOWL is at the level of a scream. My vet and I have come to the conclusion that he is going deaf and he meows because it has unnerved him. He screams because he no longer has any idea how loud he actually is. He stops when I call out to him (it comforts him), and I've noticed that I have to call louder and louder for him to hear me. He also sleeps very hard these days, and the vet suggested that he might be sleeping better because he isn't being woken up from sounds in the house.

He has a hard time retracting his claws. He is constantly getting his claws caught in any furniture with broad woven fabrics. He struggles to get his claws removed when he gets stuck. I've had to put velour throws or sheets on the things he likes the best, and when I see him attempting to get up on things, I'll run over and place him on it. His claws tend to get stuck when he jumps up on things like the sofa.

He also struggles with getting up on things. We feed the cats on vanity in our bathroom and I've built a ramp for him there. He likes the dining room table so I always leave a chair pulled out slightly for him to use as a step. Last night I had to put a ramp by the bed because he has started to struggle with getting up there. When he can no longer get up at chair height, I'll be putting in ramps for the sofa and chairs.

I haven't made changes to his diet other than giving him more of the food that he likes the best. He LOVES wet junk food and dog food. His evening meal starts out with a bit of Friskies canned, followed by a few kibbles of dog food. I haven't resorted to changing his breakfast routine (yet).

He gets a minimum of 2 physical exams a year with complete blood work done each time. But I will get him to the vet immediately when something seems off with him. He's been to the vet 4 times in the last year. I weigh him once a month to make sure he isn't losing weight.

So what things can you share about your old babies?

Most of my experience was with Alex and Tiffany, my childhood cats. Tiffy passed just before Christmas and Alex is still living with my parents.

We really didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t notice any major changes with them until they were around 15-16 (they were littermates). Tiffy had issues with crystals when she was 2 and the problems really started to flare up again when she was 16. Both developed arthritis (Tiffy around 16, Alex not really until 19) and started having trouble with the stairs, so their litter had to be moved to a more accessible spot. Tiffy went blind around 18, weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve just noticed Alexâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s vision is going over the past 2 months, so you have to announce your presence so as not to startle him. The appetites dropped of and my mom has resorted to the “Anything theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll eat that Alex wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t throw up.†Alexâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s IBD has also gotten significantly worse – there are only a very few foods he can keep down and thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s what he gets. As Tiffy got older, and her hearing and vision went she confined herself to a small space that she was comfortable with. Mom and Dad avoided rearranging until sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d passed because sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d find her way around by memory and by brushing along the walls of a room. Occasionally youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d hear her yowling because sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d gotten into the middle of the room and gotten lost in most of these cases her brother went and led her back to a space she knew, or one of us would go and get her. She really started fighting being picked up – probably because she had no way of knowing where she was.

As for Alex, heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s really slowing down. He has beds everywhere because he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t go very far without stopping to sleep anymore. He eats whatever heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll keep down and Mom keeps puppy pads around the litter box for when he thinks heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s all the way in but heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not. They also switched to a very low-sided box to make it easier for him to get in and out.

Thank you for sharing that! I think Stumpy's vision may be getting cloudy also, which might also explain why he meowls so much of late.

Note to self: don't rearrange furniture.

My Sven is around 16 also (not quite sure of his age, because we adopted him when he was around 6 or 7 ish). He, too, yowls, at night, seems like all night long. I don't think he's deaf, because sometimes all I have to do is whisper his name if he's on the bed, and he'll start purring! But, it could be that he IS losing his hearing and I just don't know it. He definitely still has his eyesight, although he's starting to get cataracts (just like his humans).

Sven has arthritis and constipation problems, both of which we treat and both of which are much better now. He can once again jump up on the dining room table (from the floor), RUN up the stairs, etc. We give him Cosequin once a day and 1/4 teaspoon of Miralax twice a day, both mixed into a little water, then mixed into his food.

I don't know if he has problem retracting his claws or not, but I did notice he was getting them stuck on everything, including the sheets, so knew it was long past time to get them trimmed. I tried doing it with my "at home cat nail clippers", and darn it, his claws are so thick that they bent my clippers!! So off to the groomers we went to have them trimmed. The groomer told me that older cats don't scratch on things (scratching posts, etc.), therefore don't shed the outer shell of their claws, and they get really thick. I'm definitely believe it! Anyway, Sven is much happier now that he can walk around without getting stuck.

Another thing he does, though, which makes me so sad, is he practically lives in our closet now. Kind of like Ms. Freya's Tiffy. I usually have to feed him in there to make sure he gets his "medication". He WILL be on our bed at bedtime, but when we wakeup, he's back in the closet, and most of the day he's in there...usually in the open doorway, so I guess that's better than tucked back in the back. I think he's in there because of "the boys", our two 2-year old male cats who still like to play alot. If Sven walks down the hall, Stinkpot tackles him to play, and that probably hurts him, poor old guy.

Oh, one more thing I notice is when he shakes himself all over (you know, like when a dog shakes to dry himself), he loses his balance. He doesn't fall, but he stumbles a little.

BUT, through all this, he still purrs the loudest of any cat I've ever had, and he will still crawl onto my chest and we'll do head butts and he'll talk to me. He has more meows than any other cat around too. He can range from being very grouchy in his meows to definte "I love you" meows.

Typed a whole big long response & lost it.

Squishy is anywhere from 15 - 18 years old, we're leaning towards the end of that age range. I've only had him for 3 years now & they have been an expensive three years of vet visits & surgeries!

Overall he acts like he's starting to feel his age.

His eyes were sunken when I got him, but as he's gotten older, really especially in the past few moths, they've gotten much more sunken. He sleeps harder & is much less active. He'll play with a wand toy if it's near him, but won't chase after it. He's incredibly food oriented, but won't jump up on a table/dresser to get food - so his bowl is on the floor.

His nails have changed a lot in the past year. They're more brittle it seems, but I think that's because the sheath sheds differently than it did before, differently than other cat's. His claws don't retract the same, like you said - so he wears nail caps. He's *always* been very bad about really scratching people up, he doesn't mean to - it's done out of happiness but he causes major damage none the less.

He is much needier than he used to be. He was always a pushy guy who demanded attention but he's HORRIBLE now. He yowls very loudly & is not afraid to bite you if you ignore him. He seems to be more irritable than ever but more snuggly than ever, too? He has NO tolerance for the 'young whipper snappers' at all - he's bopped Lola a good one a few times. He & Ophelia live in the office in peace together. They both avoid each other like the plague, unless they're cold then they sleep back to back.

He uses the catbox more & has more urinary issues now than ever.

Interesting about the sunken eyes. Stumpy doesn't have those, but I did notice those on my (OTB) Shep who died at age 18 from a series of strokes.

I'll share a little bit about Shep, as she was having strokes for about a year before she finally had the massive one that finally crippled her. Her left side didn't work as well as her right. I learned a bit about Tellington Touch (a massage therapy developed for horses that can be used for all creatures) to help her muscles on that side. She stopped grooming herself almost completely (couldn't reach anymore), so I found a soft gel brush to run all over her body. If you haven't seen them, there are gel brushes available that people use to groom horses. Cats absolutely LOVE them.

She also had a lot of cognitive problems where she would forget where the litter box was (wasn't bad behavior, it was bad memory). It was most likely caused from the strokes. She would get lost whenever she left "her" spot. I finally set her up with food, water and a litter box near that spot so that she didn't need to wander far. Towards the end, I would pick her up and place her in the box a couple times a day to remind her what to do.

The good thing that happened with Shep is that she was always the house pariah cat. I think she egged the cats on because once her memory started to slip and she forgot that she didn't like the other cats, the other cats left her alone, and actually started to groom and snuggle with her. Only took her 18 years to make a cat friend!

I just wanted to say thank you for this thread! With 3 of my babies turning 9 this year (Shadey, Imhotep & Elliott) I am often wondering what I need to look out for as they age. I certainly hope they all live well into their teens like I've been reading here!

Did you have Stumpy tested for hyperthyroid and high blood pressure? the kind of meowing you describe is a symptom for both.

I love the oldies, and bend over backwards, arranging my life around their care when the time comes.

When a cat slows down outwardly, it means things can be slowing down inwardly too, and kitty massage can help a lot. Not only does it help with joint pain, it keeps muscles and joints limber, improves blood circulation and helps the digestion and elimination systems, and is incredible bonding experience.

Ootay adored her massages.

Give seniors a low sided litter box, or a tall sided one with a hole cut out, in an easily accessible place. Often they can jump up with ease, but jumping down causes problems. Get them steps or a ramp for favorite perches and demonstrate to kitty how to use it, to get down safely.

Elevate food and water bowls for ease of access.

Be sure sleeping places are draft free. Get or make self warming beds (that reflect body heat).

Check fur daily for mats and brush kitty every day to help with grooming.

Often when senior kitty has been sleeping for a long time in one curled up position, she will be very stiff and have trouble moving when waking. This is a good time for some massage.

My own massage method to follow

Anything that stimulates blood flow is good, and of course removing loose fur at the same time is a benefit.

Especially check flanks and back, mats seem to form more readily there.

Ootay (my last senior) loved her grooming, would twist and turn her little body to make sure I didn't miss a spot. This is also good because it keeps their joints and muscles toned and stretched. Same with massage.

To massage...it's really not much different from massaging a person, but of course you want to be very gentle. Firm enough strokes to help circulation of course, but not too hard.

With Ootay I started under her forelegs/chest. I don't know why, maybe because when she saw me she would roll over and show her yummy tummy and stretch out long.

Using both hands I would just start rubbing with my fingers in circular motion from her armpits, and along her forelegs to her paws. Then down her chest, along her ribs, down to her tummy and abdomen.

Ootay had a lot of problems with gas, and she LOVED her tummy/abdomen massages. At that area I would start slow and shallow but eventually go very deep, to help break up the gas bubble. But I won't advise you to do that (go deep) until you've gained some experience.

From there to the joint where her hind legs meet the body still rubbing in gentle circular movements. Work your way along the leg, encouraging her to stretch her legs out even massage the paw pads, as she spreads her toes to allow you access.

When you've finished her underside if she is not too tired, go on to her back. Again, start up by her head, in fact start on her head, rub her ears and down the back of her head and neck, to the shoulders. Then work your way down the back.

The spine is a common place for arthritis in cats so be very very gentle always watching for any signs of discomfort from her. If she says stop, stop.

When you get to her hips go very easy, always watching her, she will tell you what feels good and what doesn't.

One thing I'm not sure how to explain about massage. When massaging, you should always massage toward the heart.

One of the purposes of massage is to improve blood circulation. Massaging toward the heart encourages the blood flow to be refreshed. I'm not saying this well I hope you know what I mean. Another purpose of massage is to loosen the muscle so the freshened blood flows more freely through it, increasing oxygen levels where it's needed.

So when you are massaging the parts of her body that are above the heart, your circular motions should be downward, toward the heart. When you are below the heart the motions should be upward toward the heart. I don't know how to expalin it more clearly I hope this is helpful.

Thanks for that!! I did use Tellington Touch massage on my Shep, but have forgotten what I learned from that class. I'll need to dig out my notes and refresh myself for Stumpy. He is beginning to get a little stiff after a long nap - I noticed that a couple of days ago.

Stumpy had a complete exam a few months back with a complete geriatric blood profile. I talked to the vet subsequent to that about his elevated meowling and she suggested that he is losing his hearing. The fact that I need to raise my voice to get him to hear me call his name confirms his hearing loss. So I don't think he has either condition (at least right now), but I do know how fast things can change when they reach this age.

All my guys are now senior catizens..oldest is 16, youngest is almost 11.

Being Curls (except for the rescue apparent Japanese Bobtail who is the youngest) they are all still quite playful, but nap more often, and Misty sleeps HARD..too hard! Sometimes she has me checking to see if she's breathing.

Do use raised water dishes now, watch their weight - feed dental chews to one whose teeth/breath seem better since we began doing so (cet chews).

Main thing...play (blankie monsters still a fav), lots of love, no fuss made over daily meds needed (two have hyper t, one crf), we have our routines with rewards, and while there is still the occasional look of Mom, Dad..haven't you figured out yet that I want *this*, we all seem pretty well trained on life together

Not real sure how old my Gypsy is, she was a dumped adult when we got her but she's been with me for 12 years now, short of thinking before she jumps she hasn't changed a whole lot, she's still very active and nobody believes she is a senior cat. Her hearing and eyesight still seem fine. She does seem slightly more friendly and laid back, she's always been a rather hateful, bitey kitty to everything but me but lately has laid by the dogs and me and isn't quite as pissy about the ferrets bugging her.

My Stewie is about 11 or 12 now and i have notice he is alot more affectionate and vocal,One day with the windows open i thought a cat was in heat outside but turns out it was my cat in the window howling.
I know he is losing hearing in one ear because of a mite problem,We never found the source but he has been great for 2 weeks and hopefully will never have them again.
But anyways the 2 main things were being more vocal and affectionate.

My cat Callie is 17 years old and has exhibited the same things your cat has, and more.  My cat is experiencing dimentia and/or alzheimers.  Her yowling in the middle of the night lasted about a year but has now passed.  You may next observe stumpy staring at a wall for hours or falling asleep standing.  Recently, my cat either forgot what a cat box was for or forgot where hers was.  This could have been a real problem, but I treated her as if she was a kitten and re-trained her.  When she had her accidents, I brought her to it and showed it to her.  I then brought her to the cat box, placed her in it, and dragged her paw through the sand. I had to do this twice and then she re-learned or recalled what to do.  Just be patient and loving.  My cat still is a wonderful cpmpanion and is very happy.  With a little care and understanding, she will be around for years more.

My cat Marilyn is at least 14. We've had him 13 years and he was full grown when we got him.  He is still very strong, active and healthy , for which I'm very thankful. He had a lot of teeth and gum problems in the past and I had to have a lot of the teeth pulled. It saved his life.  He had lost so much weight because it hurt when he ate anything.   After the surgery he began eating and was back up to his 11 pounds.

My cat Puff is 8 years old, and he still acts like a kitten.

My cat Winnie will be 16 in September. She was my mother's cat and when she died in 2009, I took Winnie.  Winnie was about 14 pounds when I got her because my mother really overfed her.  She had a hard time walking and you could tell she was struggling. Plus my mother was a smoker so poor Winnie had to live with that for 13 years.  After I got her, she started eating better she was breathing better and she really looked great. She was never a friendly cat, but now she's very affectionate and she will meow at me when I talk to her.   At her check up this year in January she weighed 10.5 lbs which was good. She began chasing my one cat Puff, which was so funny,  and she was playing a lot more. I could tell she felt better. 

That being said, in the last few months she's a little thinner and I when she had a recent check up she weighed 7.5 lbs.  She's still herself and okay, but the weight loss bothers me.  The vet said as they get older they lose body mass. I just hope she'll be around for a few more years.

cindy28 said:

My cat Winnie will be 16 in September. She was my mother's cat and when she died in 2009, I took Winnie.  Winnie was about 14 pounds when I got her because my mother really overfed her.  She had a hard time walking and you could tell she was struggling. Plus my mother was a smoker so poor Winnie had to live with that for 13 years.  After I got her, she started eating better she was breathing better and she really looked great. She was never a friendly cat, but now she's very affectionate and she will meow at me when I talk to her.   At her check up this year in January she weighed 10.5 lbs which was good. She began chasing my one cat Puff, which was so funny,  and she was playing a lot more. I could tell she felt better. 

That being said, in the last few months she's a little thinner and I when she had a recent check up she weighed 7.5 lbs.  She's still herself and okay, but the weight loss bothers me.  The vet said as they get older they lose body mass. I just hope she'll be around for a few more years.

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 I've had bad luck with many of my kitties developing hyperthyroidism before the age of 16. If she's not been tested as part of this recent checkup, I'd request it.

max-five said:

My cat Callie is 17 years old and has exhibited the same things your cat has, and more.  My cat is experiencing dimentia and/or alzheimers.  Her yowling in the middle of the night lasted about a year but has now passed.  You may next observe stumpy staring at a wall for hours or falling asleep standing.  Recently, my cat either forgot what a cat box was for or forgot where hers was.  This could have been a real problem, but I treated her as if she was a kitten and re-trained her.  When she had her accidents, I brought her to it and showed it to her.  I then brought her to the cat box, placed her in it, and dragged her paw through the sand. I had to do this twice and then she re-learned or recalled what to do.  Just be patient and loving.  My cat still is a wonderful cpmpanion and is very happy.  With a little care and understanding, she will be around for years more.

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Hi Max-Five and Welcome to TCS. Just so you know, you are replying to a thread from last summer. You have some wonderful advice for older kitties. Much luck with your kitty Callie! Please feel free to start your own thread at anytime if you have any special questions. :nod: Also, you can introduce yourself in our New Cats On The Block forum if you like. :nod: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/20/new-cats-on-the-block

I hope this thread stays up because it's actually really helpful.

My husband and I just adopted his parents 14yr old cat (actually he could be 15 but I'm not sure) and I have no idea what to do with this cat. We have an 8yr (Aya) cat that we have had since she was itty bitty and I always figured she and I were going to cross that bridge together when we got to it in a few years.

My in laws thought he might be dying, but after a vet visit he is actually in good health. He is such a dear to have around and I would like to have him around for a while. He has another vet visit tomorrow but I'm going to ask a few questions and see if anyone has any feedback.

He is a really greedy cat and loves his wet food. He wasn't to shy about eating the dry food but then he threw it up. This happened for a couple of days before we took away the dry food. He didn't throw up the wet only the dry. However after he finished throwing it up he went back to eat more.

When he walks around he seems like he is really stiff. I don't know if he was really into grooming himself when he was younger but he doesn't seem to make much of an effort now because it seems hard for him to do. I have been bathing him and blow drying him when he gets icky and so far he seems ok with that.

I just want him to be content and comfortable for however long he gets to be with us. My 8yr old is being aweful about the new cat. She has never in her life been a really nice cat and now she is in over drive. Last time she went to the kennel the owner called her vicious, but that's a topic for another thread

Old cats and dogs, like old people, do suffer from stiff joints.  I am sure there are medications you can get from your vet.  I like to use Flexicose for Pets.  I usually buy mine on Ebay.  For a small cat, one bottle lasts nearly a year.  Since it is liquid, you can sprinkle it on his food.  My cat's dosage is .2tsp......two tenths of a teaspoon.   Give it about a month and you will see a remarkable change in your cat.  It is a clusosimine and condroitin mixture and it really works.  Lube those old joints!

Hoot is 15 1/2 now.  The past year I have noticed many changes in her.  Many of her issues have to do with horrendous injuries when she was about 6 weeks old.  Someone threw her from a car window and I found her drowning in a mud puddle.   I whisked her off to the vet and she weighed less than a pound and her veins were too thin to even draw blood.  The vet gave me some canned food to put weight on her quickly along with a milk supplement.  She gained weight quickly and in about a week had her first major surgery for a herniated diaphram.  I did not think she would make it but thought I would at least try.  To make it short, she had 2 more surgeries her first year.  One of her back legs is still crooked but I was not going to put her through a 4th surgery.  Last year she began vomiting.  I tried changing her diet, taking her to the vet etc.  Nothing could be found.  One of her eyes changed colors but again, nothing wrong.  A couple of weeks ago she began vomiting much more than usual.  I wound up taking her to a vet school to be examined.  They kept her a couple of days and ran every test possible.  Still nothing can be found.  Other than her throwing up, she seems to be fine albeit a little slower.  She has not lost weight.  She has started to meow lounder but she is not going deaf.  I think I'm just anxious because she's getting older and she was my first cat.  I'm using some probiotics right now and it seems to be helping her with her vomiting and her digestion.  She is on a wet diet.  There is kibble available to her but she turns her nose up at it and I've never in all these years seen her take any.