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| How to take care of your old cat |
How to take care of your old cat
Our cats can live well in their late teens with good care until their twenties, but their physical and behavioral needs also change with increasing age.
While these changes are evident as your kitten matures in an adult cat, changes when your cat moves from an adult to an older person can be difficult to identify.
Here are the best ways to care for your old cat:
1. Pay attention to the diet of old cats
Old cats have unique dietary needs It is more important than ever that your cat is healthy and healthy to maintain optimal health.
Ask your veterinarian about how and when your cat will be transported to a senior food. Your veterinarian will help you evaluate your cat's optimal weight, and can recommend a senior food to help maintain, gain or lose weight.
Feeding them a small amount of frequent meals during the day and night will also improve cat digestion.Measure your cat's daily food and distribute it in small portions.
You can use tools such as fishing feeders, such as Doc & Phoebe’s Cat Co. Indoor Cat Feeder Kit, puzzle games that promote physical and mental engagement at mealtime.
2. Increase your cat's water intake
As cats grow older, they are more susceptible to constipation and kidney disease, especially if they don't maintain enough water. Read also: Cat Health Problems You Should Know About.
Provide canned food and more drinking water options to increase your cat's water intake. As the cat grows, he may not be able to jump onto the counter or come into contact with the usual water.
Add more watering stations around the house with many bowls and / or pet waterers to attract older cats to drink more water.
3. Don't Ignore Cat's Dental Health
Dental diseases are very common in aging cats. Cats may have painful holes in their teeth, broken teeth, gum disease, and oral tumors, which can seriously affect their quality of life.
Infections in the mouth enter the bloodstream and can slowly affect the heart, liver and kidneys. Therefore, in the last few years of caring for your cat, it's important to pay attention to your cat's dental health.
Usually, there are no obvious signs of dental disease. Cat owners see that weight loss and poor fur are vague signs of aging and do not indicate a potential problem.
A complete veterinary examination and routine dental care can greatly improve the quality of life of a cat and even extend its life.
4. Know and be aware of the tiny traces of cat
pain Cats are masters of hidden dangers. After X-rays, as many as 9 out of 10 big cats show evidence of arthritis, but most of us who have big cats don't know.
To prevent arthritis pain, the most important thing is to keep the cat at a healthy weight. Being overweight as small as one or two pounds can significantly increase joint pain.
Your veterinarian can help you develop a long-term plan to replace medications, supplements, and therapies (such as acupuncture, physical therapy, and laser therapy) to control pain in your cat.
5. Give big cats exercise and mental stimulation every day
Enriching the environment is an important part of the quality of cat life.
Where all cats need to crawl, hidden places, what to catch and how to hunt and play. All these things will help your cat stay physically and psychologically stimulated and stay healthy.
But as cats grow older, providing these things may require more thought. Cats may be more restricted in their ability to move, so you should make your home more accessible to make older joints easier.
For example, a carpeted ramp for cats can act as a scraper and help climb cats with arthritis. Covered cat beds provide a warm and comfortable hiding place for older cats, as well as relieve joint and muscle soreness.
You can move food and water containers to more accessible places on the floor instead of on a table or counter. Read also: Baldness in cats: Causes and treatment.
6. Don't skip during semi-annual vet visits
Finally, and most importantly, maintaining a good relationship with a veterinarian is important when talking about cat care and quality of life in old age. Ideally, cats over 11 years of age should see a vet every six months.
Blood tests performed during these visits can detect the emergence of health problems, such as kidney disease, while there is still time for medical improvements to improve and extend the life of cats.
Weighing cats twice a year also shows a tendency to lose weight or gain weight, which could be a valuable clue to a complete change in health. And oral examinations can detect dental illnesses before they can negatively affect a cat's health.