Senior cat is starting to mistime jumps and fall more frequently

[cmshap]

This isn't a serious worry yet, but just something I am noticing happening more frequently.

Willy is about 10, and was declawed his whole life, which I'm sure is part of this equation, as he just doesn't have grip on his front feet like a cat normally would. He never had issues with jumping to/from anything before his older years.

It usually happens during a bout of zoomies. This morning, I watched him take a flying leap up onto his cat tree, and his front feet slid off the edge. His head slammed into a hard wooden part of the tree. He seemed fine but I felt bad for him. That wasn't the first time I've seen him hit his head, which is really what I am mostly worried about.

I have some other threads on here discussing potential signs of arthritis. I am guessing that arthritis can factor into jumping accuracy, if a cat is having pain. I have a wellness checkup coming in a couple of months, and arthritis is definitely at the top of my list of issues to discuss with my vet.

Other than possible arthritis, being declawed, and just a general decline of agility as cats age (just like us), is there anything else to potentially look for, and discuss with my vet?

 

[Kris107]

He seems active if he has zoomies - I'd think he'd show more stiffness perhaps if he hurt. I think discussing with your vet is the best course of action. As my cats got older I got more things with steps so they wouldn't have to make big jumps - even to bathroom sink or dresser. So maybe a smaller piece of furniture near anything tall that he likes to get to?

 

[FeebysOwner]

I think you've covered the most common possible reasons. Giving your cat a joint supplement - with or without confirmed arthritis is never a bad idea, especially as they age. The ones I see referenced a lot are either Cosequin or Dasuquin. Both come in capsules, of which the powder inside can be sprinkled over and mixed with food, or in chews that could be used as treats.

The steps aren't a bad idea either. I don't use traditional cat stairs, as they seem to me to be too small to use comfortably; but rather heavy-duty boxes or small footstools to use as steps. These have helped my cat get to/from the couch, bed, and similar furniture where it used to be no big deal for her to jump up/down but became a more difficult feat as she aged,

 

[daftcat75]

Cats can be stoic about pain. My Betty definitely has some arthritis. Her default walk is "everything hurts". She looks like an Eeyore. But she enjoys a spirited poop zoom daily and she does love our nightly play sessions. I give her gabapentin and Dasuquin chews and I'm trying to manage her weight. We're also going through a pred reduction so that may be part of the reason why she looks more stiff. Too many balls in the air with her. I plan to finish the pred reduction before adjusting any of her other meds. I do have an Assisi Loop arriving today. Maybe Willy might benefit from one of those?
Understanding Targeted PEMF™ Technology - Assisi Animal Health

I agree a vet consult is warranted. There are many options for treating arthritis. My vet keeps pushing Solensia. That's a monthly vet office only injection that would easily be my most expensive subscription. So I'm holding off on that and trying other things first. I saw the Loop help my old cat, Krista. I'm hopeful it, combined with weight loss, will bring Betty some relief.

Cat stairs are also a great idea. Back before they got super-expensive and you could still buy individual pieces, I put together nearly two sets of Katris blocks. Betty has a step up just about everywhere she needs one.
Modular Cat Tree - KATRIS

This is Krista enjoying her 15th birthday present: not having to jump up to the second platform of her cat tree or jump from the tree to media bench which was another popular place for her to lay or sleep.

(Middle left was the janky "before" setup.)

 

[cmshap]

He seems active if he has zoomies - I'd think he'd show more stiffness perhaps if he hurt.

For more context, his zoomies are pretty short-lived, and only happen once or twice a day. They are brief... he just runs to/from the window, across the living room and back a couple of times, jumping on the cat tree as he does so, yowls loudly a few times, then settles down.

He doesn't play much anymore (which could also be because of arthritis -- he used to be a big pouncer, but isn't pouncing much anymore), so I assume it's just when he needs to get a bit of energy out.

I mentioned in another thread but I suspect arthritis in his front feet, especially. As was pointed out to me, which I didn't know, arthritis is more common in that area for declawed cats. I noticed he plays with small toy mice (always his favorite) when I toss them on the couch vs. the floor. But being declawed, he never can hang onto them for very long, and inevitably bats them off the couch almost immediately.

 

[Kflowers]

If you can't get/make steps with wood, you can work on making your entire house into a series of steps by moving your furniture so every jump he needs to make is a short one of no more than a foot, foot and a half. Just remember to weight the bookshelves and stabilize the rest of the furniture you use. It gives the house an interesting look, but it also makes a nice agility course for your boy that he can handle without hurting himself. And if you can't make the steps up to the one high place he insists on sleeping on, put a sofa cushion or large throw cushion (think big enough to sit on) under that perch. You can also get some large cushions as part of outdoor furniture without the furniture.

 

[thefiresidecat]

10 years old is on the youngish side for these kinds of problems. vet visit def warranted. gaba like mentioned above is def something worth trying (prescription not the stuff online for humans)

 

[thefiresidecat]

10 years old is on the youngish side for these kinds of problems. vet visit def warranted. gaba like mentioned above is def something worth trying (prescription not the stuff online for humans)

This isn't a serious worry yet, but just something I am noticing happening more frequently.

Willy is about 10, and was declawed his whole life, which I'm sure is part of this equation, as he just doesn't have grip on his front feet like a cat normally would. He never had issues with jumping to/from anything before his older years.

It usually happens during a bout of zoomies. This morning, I watched him take a flying leap up onto his cat tree, and his front feet slid off the edge. His head slammed into a hard wooden part of the tree. He seemed fine but I felt bad for him. That wasn't the first time I've seen him hit his head, which is really what I am mostly worried about.

I have some other threads on here discussing potential signs of arthritis. I am guessing that arthritis can factor into jumping accuracy, if a cat is having pain. I have a wellness checkup coming in a couple of months, and arthritis is definitely at the top of my list of issues to discuss with my vet.

Other than possible arthritis, being declawed, and just a general decline of agility as cats age (just like us), is there anything else to potentially look for, and discuss with my vet?

Maybe check vision

 

[Kflowers]

You might consider getting a bit of foam, as used for pillows or bed mats, and wrapping that post on his cat tree. Just to make it easier on him if he misses the stick again.

Additional thought on the arthritis. Arthritis in his front legs could have made him throw the rest of his body off balance to compensate, which may have strained his spine or knees and that could make the back feet miss their grip when sticking a jump.

 

[cmshap]

Giving your cat a joint supplement - with or without confirmed arthritis is never a bad idea, especially as they age. The ones I see referenced a lot are either Cosequin or Dasuquin.

This isn't the first time I saw this recommendation, and I've been looking into options. His vet checkup is a couple of months out, so starting him on something now is a good idea. If I do, then we can assess whether it is making a difference by the time he is seen by my vet.

If you can't get/make steps with wood, you can work on making your entire house into a series of steps by moving your furniture so every jump he needs to make is a short one of no more than a foot, foot and a half.

He's kind of got that already. His cat tree has built-in steps, which he uses most of the time, except for the occasions when he is a bit excited and having his brief zoomies. That's when he launches himself from the ground up to the top step, sometimes missing or slipping off, and hitting his head on the cat tree, wall, or radiator (the latter being my worst fear).

I live in a one-bedroom apartment, which has plenty of space, but only the one living room wall has windows with a good view of the goings-on outside, so I am limited in where I can put his cat tree that will keep his interest.

The cat tree is one pathway up onto that windowsill. On the other side of the window bank, there is a clear walkway from the couch to an end table to the windowsill.

Maybe check vision

I did think of that. My unscientific judgment is "it's fine" because he still vigilantly spots all manner of things out the window that I can't initially see, plus he always spots bugs or spiders on the other side of the room before I do. But that's not really a diagnosis, just a layman's observation. This will be another thing to suggest at the vet.

Arthritis in his front legs could have made him throw the rest of his body off balance to compensate, which may have strained his spine or knees and that could make the back feet miss their grip when sticking a jump.

Yeah. I remember when I was an avid runner about 10 years ago, I once pulled a muscle in my ankle. I thought I was back to normal, but one day I was carrying a box of stuff down to the basement for storage, and I stepped down on one of the stairs in such a way that I felt shooting pain in my ankle. I recoiled, lost my balance, and fell head-over-heel down the stairs, slamming my head into the drywall at the bottom landing and actually making a dent in the drywall. All because of mild pain in one foot as I was stepping down.

I'm sure that cats, who are avid jumpers, can be thrown off by some pain in their front feet like that.

(As an aside... when I took that header down the stairs, I was living with my ex-girlfriend, who owned the house. She was more concerned about her dented drywall than if I was okay. I took it as a blessing... we weren't meant to be, and that was one thing that helped prove it to me. )

 

[thefiresidecat]

This isn't the first time I saw this recommendation, and I've been looking into options. His vet checkup is a couple of months out, so starting him on something now is a good idea. If I do, then we can assess whether it is making a difference by the time he is seen by my vet.



He's kind of got that already. His cat tree has built-in steps, which he uses most of the time, except for the occasions when he is a bit excited and having his brief zoomies. That's when he launches himself from the ground up to the top step, sometimes missing or slipping off, and hitting his head on the cat tree, wall, or radiator (the latter being my worst fear).

I live in a one-bedroom apartment, which has plenty of space, but only the one living room wall has windows with a good view of the goings-on outside, so I am limited in where I can put his cat tree that will keep his interest.

The cat tree is one pathway up onto that windowsill. On the other side of the window bank, there is a clear walkway from the couch to an end table to the windowsill.



I did think of that. My unscientific judgment is "it's fine" because he still vigilantly spots all manner of things out the window that I can't initially see, plus he always spots bugs or spiders on the other side of the room before I do. But that's not really a diagnosis, just a layman's observation. This will be another thing to suggest at the vet.



Yeah. I remember when I was an avid runner about 10 years ago, I once pulled a muscle in my ankle. I thought I was back to normal, but one day I was carrying a box of stuff down to the basement for storage, and I stepped down on one of the stairs in such a way that I felt shooting pain in my ankle. I recoiled, lost my balance, and fell head-over-heel down the stairs, slamming my head into the drywall at the bottom landing and actually making a dent in the drywall. All because of mild pain in one foot as I was stepping down.

I'm sure that cats, who are avid jumpers, can be thrown off by some pain in their front feet like that.

(As an aside... when I took that header down the stairs, I was living with my ex-girlfriend, who owned the house. She was more concerned about her dented drywall than if I was okay. I took it as a blessing... we weren't meant to be, and that was one thing that helped prove it to me. )

yeah all kinds of different types of vision failure that can happen. just losing some amount of ability to judge distance would do it.

 

[cmshap]

yeah all kinds of different types of vision failure that can happen. just losing some amount of ability to judge distance would do it.

I haven't really researched how cat vision works, but one thing I noticed from these last ~8 years with my first cat is that their vision is hugely geared towards spotting movement. Which makes perfect evolutionary sense.

Hence how Willy can spot a tiny spider on the wall from 15 ft. away, or a squirrel out the window in the distance. But that isn't indicative of overall vision, especially depth perception.