Question of the Day, Sunday, August 2, 2015

micknsnicks2mom

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
11,590
Purraise
5,295
Location
...with the cats...
yesterday was my snick's 15th birthday. snick, jaspurr, and i enjoyed a nice quiet day together. so with this on my mind, for today's Question of the Day.........

Let's talk about senior and/or special needs cats/kittens!

Do you have (or have you had) a senior cat in your life? How about a special needs cat or kitten? (can be any kind of special needs -- physical, mental, or emotional)

      If so, what are some of the things you like/love most about them?

      If not, would you ever consider adopting one?

Are there any special things you do for your senior or special needs cat/kitten?

What have you learned from loving and caring for a senior or special needs cat/kitten?

Do you have any pic(s) of your senior/special needs furbaby(-ies) that you'd like to post here?

i've had two cats who have been special needs, and became senior cats. our mickey (rip) developed IBD just before he turned 9 years old, then developed diabetes (not the type which could be treated through diet) when he was 12 years old. snick, who is mickey's litter mate sister, also developed IBD just before turning 9 years old, has had idiopathic hypercalcemia (which corrected itself as mysteriously as it started), and is currently in stage 2 chronic kidney disease.

i do consider our jaspurr a special needs cat. jaspurr has just turned 3 years old and is in very good physical health. jaspurr's special needs have to do with his very sensitive and gentle purrsonality and his past experiences with other cats. jaspurr came to us (snick and me) as our foster, because in his foster home he was being chased and attacked mostly by one other male cat to the point that he was living in one bedroom -- of course set up nicely for a cat, and time was spent in with him every day. but jaspurr loves people and spending time with them cuddling and snuggling, and his foster people knew he wasn't happy.  i was told that jaspurr will need a younger and female cat(s) to share his home with, when our snick's time has come to cross the rainbow bridge. i think he may do well, after a slow and careful integration, with another senior girl though -- if she has the right purrsonality. so i'll make sure to carefully choose the female cat companions for jaspurr in the future.

some things i love about senior cats -- to me, cats seem to age 'gracefully'. maybe more so than us humans, because cats seem to just adjust to any limitations brought on by aging. my snick still enjoys doing everything she did when much younger, just is able to do them for shorter periods of time. she still plays with her toys and has her favorite ones, and still occasionally 'zooms' and loves scratching her sisal posts. snick is not able to jump as high, or have the strength to do so, as she once was able to. so i have a series of step stools of various heights that are set up for snick, which she uses every day. i also have added smaller 'stepper' shelves in amongst the cat wall furniture we have, specifically for snick. snick prefers that i stay nearby, that she pretty much always knows where i am. i believe it's simply comforting for her to know that i'm nearby, so i'm glad to make sure that i do so. snick also gets sub-q fluids every other day, and is now on at home/hospice care (under the supervision of our vet).

i would consider adopting a special needs cat or kitten, in the future. i think this could work out well for jaspurr.

through loving and caring for my senior and special needs cats, i've learned patience, understanding, and that the depth of my love for them has only grown as time has continued to march on.

this is a pic of our mickey --


and this is my snick, who is also mickey's litter mate sister --


and this is our jaspurr --


okay, now it's your turn!
 

sivyaleah

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
6,259
Purraise
5,222
Location
New Jersey
Casper, at 14 is our old man. We adopted him well into adulthood; he was 9-12 when he came to live with us.

We've been noticing that he's slowing down lately.  He's also exhibiting signs of disorientation at times.  Like, you'll put food in his bowl and he just stands there and needs it pointed out to him.  Or, will stop in place and just stare into space for a minute.  He's quite healthy otherwise, the vet always comments on what good shape he's in. The only other small concern is he's losing muscle tone in his hindquarters, and I'm sure there's some arthritis.  He walks with a stiff gait now. But, he still gets around well although sometimes he likes us to pick him up to get into our bed, instead of him jumping on.

Age has made him even more gentle than he was already, and more patient.  Here's a photo I shot of him yesterday morning.  We adore him, and never once regretted that he came to us full grown and then some.  
 
Last edited:

Kat0121

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
15,036
Purraise
20,362
Location
Sunny Florida
Henry is 8 so I guess he's on the younger end of being a "senior". He's a permanent foster from a local shelter. He's been with us since January.  He's not "special needs" because of anything physical but he might be classified as such because he wasn't socialized much before he came here. He's a work in progress but he's doing really well and is blossoming into a wonderful, loving boy. He was at the shelter from 10 weeks of age until 2 months before his 8th birthday. His paperwork says that his first vaccinations were on 5/18/2007 and he was 10 weeks old. 

He's been in his safe room since he got here and at first wouldn't come out from behind the big roll top desk in the room. I had to block the area off with broken down cardboard boxes. I put a cat tree in the room with a big cubby in it. He also has a free standing "cubby" which is a large plastic tote turned on it's side with a blanket in it to make it like a nest. He likes this very much. It took a lot of time, patience and plenty of love to get him to come out of the tote at all but slowly he did. Once he got comfortable with that, he started exploring his room. A few weeks ago, he started lurking in the doorway looking out at everyone but not coming out of the room (the door is always open except while he's eating as he prefers this.) The girls go into the room all the time and they all get along very well. He is free to come out whenever he chooses and always has been since the introductions were done not long after he got here. 

About a week ago, he started coming out of the room VERY cautiously and only when coaxed out by DD or me for treats or cuddles. If anyone made any sudden moves, he ran right back into his room. He would come right back out but always ran right back in. As he realized that he can come out and nothing would happen, he started coming out on his own without coaxing by anyone. We just let him wander around and look at things and let him get comfortable. He found the dog's bed that sits at the base of the big cat tree in the living room and has used it a few times. He also discovered the cubbies in the cat tree and likes them too. Last night he wandered into the kitchen and polished off the last of Lilith and Sophie's dinners. It's so nice to see him gaining so much confidence. I was looking for him a couple of days ago and found him in the living room on the couch curled up on my blanket. He looked so happy and comfortable. 

He's in good health and is so loving. I guess his special need is that he required patience that the girls really didn't. They just moved right in and took over. I knew that he would be way different than them in a lot of ways but I didn't think it would take as long as it did. It was hard at first because I started second guessing myself about everything. He must not be coming because he doesn't like me or I'm doing something wrong or whatever. When I finally forced myself to accept that he was going to handle this his way and on his time and relaxed, he started to blossom even more. I just told him that we were here for him when ever he wanted and he's free to roam the house at will. So now he is. He still spends most of his time in his room but he does come out to visit and explore. Mostly at night. Adult, senior and special needs cats are awesome and deserve loving homes just as much as kittens and "teen" cats do. I think they appreciate it more too.

Here he is when he first got here (he spent a lot of time hiding in his first cave- a large cardboard box on it's side. He hid behind the cat bed that he never slept in) The box was replaced by the tote when he spilled food in it and the ants invaded


Here he is more recently coming out of his tote for cuddles in the morning when I brought his breakfast

 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

micknsnicks2mom

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
11,590
Purraise
5,295
Location
...with the cats...
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

micknsnicks2mom

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
11,590
Purraise
5,295
Location
...with the cats...
@Kat0121 -- hearing how well your henry is doing, and how he's becoming more confident and comfortable in his new home makes me feel so happy -- for henry, and for you all as a family!

and henry is such a handsome boy too!
 

stewball

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 11, 2013
Messages
11,747
Purraise
809
Location
Tel Aviv
My senior cat went to RB two years ago.
He was nearly 20. He had arthritis and kidney problems. I also had two boxes for him. One buy my bed for him to climbuup and one by the coffee table for him to get to my lap. He was a lovely boy. I got him when he was 3 months old. As a kitten he was very naughty. When he was 4 I got a puppy. They loved each other. When the dog went to RB II nearly lost lotto. He went into a deep depression and it took him some time to come out of it. I don't think he ever really got over the loss of his best friend.
I miss him very much.
 

Norachan

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
32,668
Purraise
32,854
Location
Mount Fuji, Japan
My oldest cat Gin Kun, is about 13. I'm not sure exactly how old he is, he came to us as a feral and we gradually persuaded him to move in. When we first found him he was skinny, battle scarred, full of parasites and had a mouth full of rotting teeth, but he's over all that now.

He is FIV+, but apart from needing regular dental checks he is doing amazingly well.

This is Gin.


My latest addition, Happy, is also FIV+ I found her about 6 weeks ago and she's still struggling to gain weight, but she's in a much better state than she was. She's lost some teeth too. As soon as she's strong enough she's going to be spayed and have her teeth checked. Hopefully her only special needs will be plenty of good food and love.

This is Happy, we think she's between 6 and 12 months old.

 
Last edited:

MoochNNoodles

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
36,646
Purraise
23,465
Location
Where my cats are
Mooch and Noodles are seniors now.  They get meds twice daily.  Noodles has CHF and Mooch has some issues related to her liver.  Noodles also overgrooms.  So they get meds and treats for that.  They aren't senior enough to not be able to jump/climb.  We have occasional litter box accidents because Noodles likes to go right on the edge; but she's in the box at least.  I do try to keep them un-stressed.  Especially because i have a 3 year old who LOVES cats; he's just learning quiet and gentle movements.  
 

happybird

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
1,029
Purraise
167
Location
Northern Virginia
I have really enjoyed reading these posts and seeing the photos of these beautiful kitties! Thank you for the great QOD. :) And thank you to everyone for sharing.

Other than seniors, we have not had any special needs cats. But I would absolutely consider adopting one. We have dealt with bad injuries, but those, thankfully, have an eventual resolution.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #14

micknsnicks2mom

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
11,590
Purraise
5,295
Location
...with the cats...
My senior cat went to RB two years ago.
He was nearly 20. He had arthritis and kidney problems. I also had two boxes for him. One buy my bed for him to climbuup and one by the coffee table for him to get to my lap. He was a lovely boy. I got him when he was 3 months old. As a kitten he was very naughty. When he was 4 I got a puppy. They loved each other. When the dog went to RB II nearly lost lotto. He went into a deep depression and it took him some time to come out of it. I don't think he ever really got over the loss of his best friend.
I miss him very much.
that's wonderful that you had those two boxes for your Lotto!

when snick and i lost our mickey, i almost lost her too. though snick and mickey never snuggled together, i knew they loved each other very deeply.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #15

micknsnicks2mom

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
11,590
Purraise
5,295
Location
...with the cats...
@Norachan -- your Gin Kun is a very good looking boy! he looks very healthy, and it looks to me that his eyes are showing that he's very happy and content.

i'm so glad that Happy has you to love and care for her! she's looking like she's doing well under your care, with your love. how are Happy's ears doing? i remember reading in your thread about her that there was some concern about the edges of her ears.
 

Columbine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
12,921
Purraise
6,224
Location
The kitty playground
Shadow is my golden oldie - 13 years young...and I mean young. He plays with more energy and enthusiasm than Asha (1) most of the time! :lol3:


I nursed his brother, Cali, through CHF, so that was special needs in a way.


All my childhood cats were FIV+. We didn't even bother testing most of the time (we'd find out later, during treatment for one thing or another), as they were almost all strays and FIV was rife where I grew up. I think 4 went to the disease, but the others went from other things - skin cancer, stroke, old age. We didn't do anything special for the FIV guys back then - so little was known about managing it. I do remember trying to syringe feed one of them when I was 11 or 12. He later died in my arms (mum not wanting to let go :sigh: ).
Two of my FIV+ guys as kittens. Amber (lying down) died of a stroke and Jamie (in the box) died in his sleep a year later.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

micknsnicks2mom

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
11,590
Purraise
5,295
Location
...with the cats...
 
Mooch and Noodles are seniors now.  They get meds twice daily.  Noodles has CHF and Mooch has some issues related to her liver.  Noodles also overgrooms.  So they get meds and treats for that.  They aren't senior enough to not be able to jump/climb.  We have occasional litter box accidents because Noodles likes to go right on the edge; but she's in the box at least.  I do try to keep them un-stressed.  Especially because i have a 3 year old who LOVES cats; he's just learning quiet and gentle movements.  
i'm glad your Mooch and Noodles are doing well now as seniors, with their medical issues nicely under control.

my snick likes to 'go' right on the edge of her litter box many times too, due to arthritis in her lower back she isn't able to squat down as easily. i find it much easier to clean up these litter box accidents by keeping the lid of a long plastic storage bin under her litter box, turned so the storage bin lid is upside down. this way, i'm not worrying about the flooring potentially absorbing the urine over time.

ahhh, that reminds me of my nephew when he was a toddler. he was just fascinated with cats. i remember once when both my niece and nephew went to a vet appointment with me, my nephew saw the clinic cat laying on the reception desk and squealed with joy!
 

Columbine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
12,921
Purraise
6,224
Location
The kitty playground
Cali used to 'miss' a lot too. We found puppy training pads to be the best solution - really easy cleanup and no fuss :)
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19

micknsnicks2mom

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
11,590
Purraise
5,295
Location
...with the cats...
I have really enjoyed reading these posts and seeing the photos of these beautiful kitties! Thank you for the great QOD.
And thank you to everyone for sharing.

Other than seniors, we have not had any special needs cats. But I would absolutely consider adopting one. We have dealt with bad injuries, but those, thankfully, have an eventual resolution.
yes, all of these cats are beautiful!

as @Kat0121 posted -- 'Adult, senior and special needs cats are awesome and deserve loving homes just as much as kittens and "teen" cats do. I think they appreciate it more too.'   so that you would absolutely consider adopting a special needs cat, is imo a very special and wonderful thing!
 

stewball

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 11, 2013
Messages
11,747
Purraise
809
Location
Tel Aviv
that's wonderful that you had those two boxes for your Lotto

when snick and i lost our mickey, i almost lost her too. though snick and mickey never snuggled together, i knew they loved each other very deeply.
The two boxes were dismantled from the climbing tree. They were just the right height.
There were times lotto would be sitting in one corner of the settee and candy would pass him on the way to the other side. He'd stop and lick lotto so much he'd get his ears boxed. My lovelies. I had another cat the same time called gentle. A little tabby. She went age 16 with her kidneys shot. She hated candy and the two cats put up with each other. There was no love between them.
 
Top