How to Take Care of Senior Cats
The weather took a turn for the COLD this week. Right now it is 11 F (-12 C) and tonight it will be -4 F (-22 C). I'm really glad that Santa ordered giant down blankets from Germany. Since Christmas we have been sleeping warm and toasty under a fluffy bed of feathers. My husband went as far as to say that we have been sleeping under the fluff of El Gordo. It's true! It is like his Fluff.
During these cold days the kittens have been sleeping upstairs in their travel cage. They usually sleep in the basement that has been outfitted for cats. It has 3 cat beds (really just baskets with flannel blankets), toys, food, their litter box and a scratch pad. Down in the basement they can go nuts at night and we don't hear a peep.
Now that they are old 13 years, I have to be more aware of their needs. They might seem full of energy for a few minutes a day, but the reality is that they are Senior Citizens and do show some signs of aging. They snore really loud, they limp with arthritis at times, they have a hard time dealing with a big jump, and their teeth have worn down. On the plus side they are much more cuddly, talkative and smart. We can ask them questions and they meow a response, El Gordo knows how to turn a door handle, Bentley knows which cleaning products are deadly, they both know how to ask for help, and know when I am sick or mad or sad. Their instincts are sharper but their moods are also more variable.
Here is a list (my back nerve pain is starting again...bummer!) of 7 Ways to Take Care of Senior Pets
1. Brush Them: Brushing your cat at any age will help with hairballs.
Once they are past the age of 7 they can't digest the hair they clean so well and have a hard time hacking it out. Some old cats even die from asphyxiation. Brush your cat once a week. I use the Fur-min-ator every Sunday before mass. I take about 15 minutes per cat. Brush the left side, brush the right side, get the tail, then pick your cat up and hold his back against your legs with his belly facing out. Gently brush the belly and be careful for his nipples. Lastly brush his head and mane. You should have enough hair collected to roll up and look like a hairball. See? Not only will your cat be more comfortable but your furniture will stay cleaner.
2. Soft food: It is gross. I hate the smell of the soft canned food. The aging teeth of your cat have a hard time grinding the hard food so give them one little can of soft food per day. It smells like bunny ass but the cats love it, is easy to digest and easy to chew. My granny eats soft food when she doesn't have her dentures in, likewise Bentley who is missing a vital tooth needs his soft food. I use disposable gloves to serve it. So hold your breath and let them have it.
3. Litter Box: Become a student of your cats poop. If it changes it could mean serious things for kitty. Normal cat poop is solid, about 3 inches long and 3/4 of an inch wide. Clean the poop daily, even twice a day. Change the sand at least once a week in the summer and twice a month in the winter. Get clumping sand so only clean sand remains. If your cat has diarrhea it could be because of a few things:
a. Kitty ate too much. When Bentley and Fatty have broken into their food and eat half the bag, they get diarrhea.
b. Kitty ate something he shouldn't like a glove....it happened. Just hope it comes out.
c. Kitty has the flu. This is dangerous. He could loose weight fast. Keep kitty warm and make sure he has water inside. I hydrate mine with a big fat syringe. I fill the syringe (2 oz) with water, wrestle the cat between my knees on the ground and say "I'm doing this to save you" because they hate it and quickly squirt the water down their gillet. The same for food when they are really sick. Fill that syringe with soft food and medicine and squirt it in their mouth. Try not to be too rough. Your vet can show you how.
d. Kitty ate leaves or a plant. Starve said kitty for 12 hours till he flushes the leaves out of his system. Most cats eat new houseplants as a way to say "Hi", then they get diarrhea and leave the plant alone for good.
4. Nests: Old kittens have a hard time recovering from BIG jumps. They might think they are still little agile lions but their joints are old, overweight kittens have more weight to fly with and they just are not the same. They have arthritis too.
Cats love sleeping high with a view, however, make nests closer to the ground where they won't be faced with such a terrific post-nap jump. I bought a few baskets from Goodwill for 1 dollar each, cleaned them and filled them with small pillows. That is the other thing, if you want your cat off your bed you must make a soft bed for them elsewhere.
5. Traveling made easy: One great bed for your cat is the travel bag he or she will move in. Making the travel bag a daily bed for kitten will make him comfortable with it and less likely to freak out when you actually have to use it. (If you move to Italy for example)
6. Be watchful: know your cats average moods...they should have about 6 variations of themselves. So watch out for changes in his normal behaviors. Changes could be: limping, crying, sullenness, lack of interest in food (that is a BIG one). Any of these changes could mean kitten is sick and needs to see the vet.
7. Water. Old cats have a hard time huffing and puffing up and down stairs. Put a small container of water on each floor if you live in a house with multiple floors. It is also a good idea if you have a long flat apartment or house. This makes life for your old kitten a little easier. Make sure you change the water daily. Stale water can host bacteria that makes your cat and even you sick! Old water isn't good for anyone.
So there we have it, how to take care of your old feline mammals.
Other good things to have around, for any cat include:
1. Scratch box. The coorigated kind are thier favorite and it saves your furniture. Spend the 5 dollars and get one already.
2. Travel bag. If you don't plan on flying get a Sherpa extra large. It is super easy to carry, last years and years and years and is a great daily bed for kitten. If you plan on flying get a hard sided cage like this one.
3. Toys. Your indoor kitty needs exersice and distraction. Get some toys larger than the size of a golf ball (that they won't choke on). Or make your own!
I get a big bag of cat nip and sew new "toys" regularly as the old ones get gross and I toss out. I change my cats toys about every 2 months to keep them from getting too nasty and abused...
4. Vet. Get a good nice vet. A nice vet who is sweet is always a good vet. Every mean vet with high titles was a bad vet to my cats, gave them pain and discomfort. Find a vet who loves cats, has cats and prefers to give them medicine only if they really really need it. My vet advised me to not give kittens some medicine because it caused them discomfort.
 |
| Getting dressed Wisconsin style with underpants, undershirt, flannel shirt and wool pants... |
 |
| A window in Brooklyn on New Year's Eve |
 |
| Crystals on my window |
During these cold days the kittens have been sleeping upstairs in their travel cage. They usually sleep in the basement that has been outfitted for cats. It has 3 cat beds (really just baskets with flannel blankets), toys, food, their litter box and a scratch pad. Down in the basement they can go nuts at night and we don't hear a peep.
Now that they are old 13 years, I have to be more aware of their needs. They might seem full of energy for a few minutes a day, but the reality is that they are Senior Citizens and do show some signs of aging. They snore really loud, they limp with arthritis at times, they have a hard time dealing with a big jump, and their teeth have worn down. On the plus side they are much more cuddly, talkative and smart. We can ask them questions and they meow a response, El Gordo knows how to turn a door handle, Bentley knows which cleaning products are deadly, they both know how to ask for help, and know when I am sick or mad or sad. Their instincts are sharper but their moods are also more variable.
Here is a list (my back nerve pain is starting again...bummer!) of 7 Ways to Take Care of Senior Pets
1. Brush Them: Brushing your cat at any age will help with hairballs.
 |
| Bentley |
Once they are past the age of 7 they can't digest the hair they clean so well and have a hard time hacking it out. Some old cats even die from asphyxiation. Brush your cat once a week. I use the Fur-min-ator every Sunday before mass. I take about 15 minutes per cat. Brush the left side, brush the right side, get the tail, then pick your cat up and hold his back against your legs with his belly facing out. Gently brush the belly and be careful for his nipples. Lastly brush his head and mane. You should have enough hair collected to roll up and look like a hairball. See? Not only will your cat be more comfortable but your furniture will stay cleaner.
 |
| Fatty (El Gordo) |
2. Soft food: It is gross. I hate the smell of the soft canned food. The aging teeth of your cat have a hard time grinding the hard food so give them one little can of soft food per day. It smells like bunny ass but the cats love it, is easy to digest and easy to chew. My granny eats soft food when she doesn't have her dentures in, likewise Bentley who is missing a vital tooth needs his soft food. I use disposable gloves to serve it. So hold your breath and let them have it.
3. Litter Box: Become a student of your cats poop. If it changes it could mean serious things for kitty. Normal cat poop is solid, about 3 inches long and 3/4 of an inch wide. Clean the poop daily, even twice a day. Change the sand at least once a week in the summer and twice a month in the winter. Get clumping sand so only clean sand remains. If your cat has diarrhea it could be because of a few things:
a. Kitty ate too much. When Bentley and Fatty have broken into their food and eat half the bag, they get diarrhea.
b. Kitty ate something he shouldn't like a glove....it happened. Just hope it comes out.
c. Kitty has the flu. This is dangerous. He could loose weight fast. Keep kitty warm and make sure he has water inside. I hydrate mine with a big fat syringe. I fill the syringe (2 oz) with water, wrestle the cat between my knees on the ground and say "I'm doing this to save you" because they hate it and quickly squirt the water down their gillet. The same for food when they are really sick. Fill that syringe with soft food and medicine and squirt it in their mouth. Try not to be too rough. Your vet can show you how.
d. Kitty ate leaves or a plant. Starve said kitty for 12 hours till he flushes the leaves out of his system. Most cats eat new houseplants as a way to say "Hi", then they get diarrhea and leave the plant alone for good.
4. Nests: Old kittens have a hard time recovering from BIG jumps. They might think they are still little agile lions but their joints are old, overweight kittens have more weight to fly with and they just are not the same. They have arthritis too.
 |
| Not the best napping spot |
Cats love sleeping high with a view, however, make nests closer to the ground where they won't be faced with such a terrific post-nap jump. I bought a few baskets from Goodwill for 1 dollar each, cleaned them and filled them with small pillows. That is the other thing, if you want your cat off your bed you must make a soft bed for them elsewhere.
 |
| Better napping spot. |
 |
| Better napping spot. And close to the heater to make it appealing for said kitten. |
5. Traveling made easy: One great bed for your cat is the travel bag he or she will move in. Making the travel bag a daily bed for kitten will make him comfortable with it and less likely to freak out when you actually have to use it. (If you move to Italy for example)
6. Be watchful: know your cats average moods...they should have about 6 variations of themselves. So watch out for changes in his normal behaviors. Changes could be: limping, crying, sullenness, lack of interest in food (that is a BIG one). Any of these changes could mean kitten is sick and needs to see the vet.
7. Water. Old cats have a hard time huffing and puffing up and down stairs. Put a small container of water on each floor if you live in a house with multiple floors. It is also a good idea if you have a long flat apartment or house. This makes life for your old kitten a little easier. Make sure you change the water daily. Stale water can host bacteria that makes your cat and even you sick! Old water isn't good for anyone.
So there we have it, how to take care of your old feline mammals.
Other good things to have around, for any cat include:
1. Scratch box. The coorigated kind are thier favorite and it saves your furniture. Spend the 5 dollars and get one already.
2. Travel bag. If you don't plan on flying get a Sherpa extra large. It is super easy to carry, last years and years and years and is a great daily bed for kitten. If you plan on flying get a hard sided cage like this one.
3. Toys. Your indoor kitty needs exersice and distraction. Get some toys larger than the size of a golf ball (that they won't choke on). Or make your own!
 |
| Play with your cat with a simple string. Keep the string afterwards in a safe place far from the kitten. He can find it and eat it and die. But playing together is fine. |
I get a big bag of cat nip and sew new "toys" regularly as the old ones get gross and I toss out. I change my cats toys about every 2 months to keep them from getting too nasty and abused...
4. Vet. Get a good nice vet. A nice vet who is sweet is always a good vet. Every mean vet with high titles was a bad vet to my cats, gave them pain and discomfort. Find a vet who loves cats, has cats and prefers to give them medicine only if they really really need it. My vet advised me to not give kittens some medicine because it caused them discomfort.
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