![]() Although most arthritic cats don’t become overtly lame, they may have difficulty gaining access to litter boxes and food and water dishes, particularly if they have to jump or climb stairs to get to them. Degenerative joint disease, or arthritis, is common in older cats.Feline kidneys undergo a number of age-related changes that may ultimately lead to impaired function kidney failure is a common disease in older cats, and its symptoms are extremely varied.However, the discomfort associated with dental disease is a more likely cause of reluctance to eat. Although many different diseases can cause a loss of appetite, in healthy senior cats, a decreased sense of smell may be partially responsible for a loss of interest in eating.Dental disease is extremely common in older cats and can hinder eating and cause significant pain.However, several diseases-especially those associated with high blood pressure-can seriously and irreversibly impair a cat’s ability to see. A slight haziness of the lens and a lacy appearance to the iris (the colored part of the eye) are both common age-related changes, but neither seems to decrease a cat’s vision to any appreciable extent. Aging is also accompanied by many changes in the eyes.For various reasons, hearing loss is common in cats of advanced age.Similar symptoms are seen in elderly cats: wandering, excessive meowing, apparent disorientation, and avoidance of social interaction. In humans, aging changes in the brain contribute to a loss of memory and alterations in personality commonly referred to as senility.The claws of aging felines are often overgrown, thick, and brittle.Older cats groom themselves less effectively than do younger cats, sometimes resulting in hair matting, skin odor, and inflammation.The skin of an older cat is thinner and less elastic, has reduced blood circulation, and is more prone to infection.Dehydration, a consequence of many diseases common to older cats, further diminishes blood circulation and immunity.Chronic diseases often associated with aging can impair immune function even further. Compared to younger cats, the immune system of older cats is less able to fend off foreign invaders.The aging process is accompanied by many physical and behavioral changes: The key to making sure your senior cat has the healthiest and highest quality of life possible is to recognize and reduce factors that may be health risks, detect disease as early as possible, correct or delay the progression of disease, and improve or maintain the health of the body’s systems. ![]() Even though many conditions that affect older cats are not correctable, they can often be controlled. Although many complex physical changes accompany advancing years, age in and of itself is not a disease. Using this formula, a ten-year-old cat is similar age wise to a 53-year-old person, a 12-year-old cat to a 61-year-old person, and a 15-year-old cat to a person of 73.Īging is a natural process. ![]() For every year thereafter, each cat year is worth about four human years. In reality, a one-year-old cat is physiologically similar to a 16-year-old human, and a two-year-old cat is like a person of 21. The commonly held belief that every “cat year” is worth seven “human years” is not entirely accurate. ![]() Many cats begin to encounter age-related physical changes between seven and ten years of age, and most do so by the time they are 12. In fact, the percentage of cats over six years of age has nearly doubled in just over a decade, and there is every reason to expect that the “graying” cat population will continue to grow.Ĭats are individuals and, like people, they experience advancing years in their own unique ways. Just as people are living longer than they did in the past, cats are living longer too. Provided by the Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University
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