Cat aging

But before moving on to prevention, let’s remember at what age cats are considered elderly and what age-related changes they may experience.

The beginning of “retirement age” is individual for each cat. Much here depends on the breed and individual characteristics of the pet, as well as on the quality of care and maintenance. In a rough generalization, “pensioners” can be called those cats that have already met their 10th anniversary.

At the age of 10 years and above, cats become less energetic and prefer quiet rest to exciting games. Their eyesight and hearing are impaired, and their coat may become dull and thinner. Since immunity deteriorates in old age, the tendency to diseases that did not appear earlier due to youth can take its toll. The consequences of improper care and eating disorders will no longer wait in the wings, but will manifest themselves immediately in the form of a disruption in the functioning of various body systems. Also, older cats have limited mobility – symptoms of arthritis, arthrosis and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Without timely treatment, they cause discomfort to the pet and cause pain, which can be very strong. Violations of the cardiovascular system, often found in older cats, also pose a serious danger.

But don’t get scared. In practice, all these problems can be delayed and minimized thanks to well-organized care in accordance with the individual and age characteristics of the pet. Let’s see what the prevention of age-related changes is, what to focus on in the first place.

– Proper nutrition and dietary supplements

Proper feeding is the most important contribution to maintaining the youth and health of pets. There are special balanced diets for older cats (for example, MONGE SUPERPREMIUM CAT SENIOR) enriched with omega-3 and omega-6 acids, xylooligosaccharides and essential antioxidants to strengthen the immune system (vitamin E, etc.), glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM for joint health and a musculoskeletal preparation, etc. Thanks to such feeds, pets receive all the necessary nutrients to maintain health and beauty in accordance with their physiological characteristics.

Also, in old age, cats are recommended to be given special biological nutraceutical supplements (for example, VetExpert Artrovet). They make it possible to exclude the possibility of a deficiency in the body of useful substances (vitamins, macro- and microelements, polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential amino acids, dietary fiber, etc.) and, due to their composition, help slow down age-related dysfunctions, destruction of the skeleton and joints, support the functioning of internal organs, fight against a decrease in immunity, visual impairment, prevent cardiovascular and many other diseases, etc.

High-quality nutraceuticals do not affect the balance of nutrients in the diet and are a useful addition to a balanced diet, thus providing a comprehensive and very effective prevention of age-related changes.

In general, nutraceuticals are a vitamin cocktail and a powerful boost of energy. Many owners note that when nutraceuticals are introduced into the diet, older pets become much more energetic, active and cheerful, youth literally returns to them.

– Plentiful drink

We know that drinking plenty of clean water is the key to youth and health. In the feline world, this law also applies. But if we can purposefully force ourselves to drink more water, then with cats everything is more difficult. By their nature, they consume quite a bit of fluid, which can lead to digestive problems (if you feed your cat with dry food) and the development of serious diseases such as KSD. In addition, cells are depleted from a lack of fluid in the body, tissues lose their elasticity, etc. But how to make a cat drink more fluid? Perhaps the only method is prebiotic drinks for cats (Viyo). They are very tasty, and cats are happy to drink them as a real treat. Thus, the body is saturated with fluid and at the same time receives prevention of KSD and strengthening of immunity, which is especially important in old age. Do not forget that clean water should always be freely available to the cat.

– Physical exercise

In a healthy body healthy mind! No matter how clumsy your pet is by nature, physical activity (in our case, active games) must be present in his life, at least in a small amount. Remember: there are no cats that do not like to play at all. But there are toys that do not captivate a particular pet. Try to lure the cat with an interesting game, get some toys for her. The more your cat moves, the better its physical shape will be, which means that its body will be stronger. And, of course, the movement is the prevention of excess weight, which our pets certainly do not need.

– Proper hair care

The health and beauty of the coat depends not so much on the age of the cat, but on the proper care of it and, of course, on a balanced diet. Grooming includes brushing (the frequency of brushing depends on the length of the cat’s coat), the use of quality bath products and directly the optimal amount of bathing itself. Frequent bathing of the cat will lead to dry skin, deterioration of the quality of the coat and its loss. In general, it is enough to bathe a cat once every 1 months. Forget about using human shampoo and soap. You need to wash the cat with products specially designed for her, selected in accordance with the characteristics of her coat. Read more about bathing cats in our article “”.

– No stress

With this point, everything is clear. Just like in humans, stress causes great damage to the body of cats and accelerates their aging. Try to ensure that your elderly pets do not get nervous in vain and their life is filled with positive impressions.

– Daily home inspection and preventive visits to the veterinarian

It is very important to regularly examine the cat for possible ailments and, in which case, promptly contact the veterinarian. Do not forget that preventing diseases is easier than curing them, and it is very important to detect many diseases at an early stage.

– Timely treatment, vaccination and treatment from parasites

The contact of the veterinarian should always be at hand. Delaying pet ailments, hoping that “it will pass by itself” is the wrong strategy. The sooner you visit a veterinarian, the sooner treatment is prescribed, the better your pet will feel.

Of course, regular and for older cats are also required, because this is a reliable protection of their health, and at the same time youth and beauty!