Senior cats — CatAll

Senior Cat Appetite Swings: a 3 Day Log and 48 Hour Line A cat over 11 that eats in waves needs a written 3 day score sheet, a 50 percent day rule and a 48 hour red line, plus a 5… 6 min read

Senior Cat Not Eating: 24 Hour and 48 Hour Lines A cat over 11 that refuses food has a physical cause and a short clock. Use the 24 and 48 hour lines, 37 C warming and a 5 step… 7 min read

Senior Cat Won't Eat: The 5-Step Ladder Warm food, 20-minute windows, a 5-step home ladder, and the 48-hour line that sends you to the vet. Prescription drugs only… 6 min read

Arthritis Screening After 12: 5 Signs to Score X-ray changes show up in 60 to 90 percent of cats over 12. Score 5 daily behaviors monthly, know the thresholds and when to… 8 min read

Senior Cat Cleaning Without a Full Bath Cats over 11 often cannot take a tub bath. Use waterless foam, 3 wipe types, 38 C spot washing and a weekly frequency cap… 7 min read

Senior Cat Beds: Under 10 cm Edges, 5 cm Padding, 38 C A bed for a cat over 12 needs edges under 10 cm, at least 5 cm of padding, a heat pad capped at 38 C and 3 placements, or the… 6 min read

Senior Cat Blood Pressure: Targets, Drugs, 2-Week Rechecks Systolic pressure above 160 mmHg needs treatment, with a target under 160. What amlodipine does, how rechecks at 2 weeks work… 7 min read

Cancer Screening After 11: Weight, Ultrasound, FNA Losing 10 percent of body weight in 6 months is the trigger. Screen lymphoma and squamous cell carcinoma with 6 monthly exams… 8 min read

Carrying a Senior Cat: 12 kg, 60 cm, 20 min Measure body length plus 10 cm, keep every lift under 60 cm and the load under 12 kg, and set the carrier down 5 minutes for… 6 min read

Senior Cat Tree Rebuild: 30 cm Steps, 15-20 Degree Ramps Rebuild a cat tree for an arthritic cat: steps under 30 cm high, ramps at 15-20 degrees, platforms at least 40x40 cm, and one… 7 min read

CKD Diet Transition in 14 Days A 14-day, 4-step switch at 25, 50, 75 and 100 percent, with 26 to 32 percent protein and 0.3 to 0.6 percent phosphorus on a dry… 6 min read

Early CKD in Senior Cats: SDMA, USG, IRIS Stage 1 Stage 1 kidney disease hides behind a normal creatinine. The SDMA, urine gravity and phosphorus numbers that catch it early… 6 min read

Cognitive Enrichment for Senior Cats: 2 by 10 Minutes a Day Two 10 minute sessions a day with 3 stimulus types, a 12 week review and a room that never gets rearranged: a workable plan for… 7 min read

Constipation in Old Cats: When It Turns Into Megacolon Fewer than 3 stools a week is the line to act on. Fiber at 3 to 8 percent, water targets and the signs that mean the colon has… 6 min read

Dehydration Signs in a Senior Cat: 5-Minute Check A 5-minute home check for dehydrated senior cats: skin tent over 2 seconds, capillary refill, a 5 percent weight drop, and why… 7 min read

How Often a Senior Cat Needs Dental Cleaning A 12 to 18 month cleaning interval for cats over 11, the 5 pre-anesthetic checks with reference ranges, and 24 hours of soft… 8 min read

Dental Pain in Senior Cats: 5 Signs Owners Miss By age 3 about 70 percent of cats have periodontal disease, and cats hide the pain. Five signs to watch, plus the 5 checks done… 6 min read

Soft Food After a Cat Tooth Extraction: 7-Day Plan A 7-day soft-food plan for a senior cat after extraction: 1.0-1.2 kcal per gram, 4 meals a day, gram targets by weight, and the… 7 min read

Full-Mouth Dental X-Rays for a Senior Cat: 6 Views What 6 dental views cover on a senior cat, why about 60 percent of lesions stay hidden on exam, the 20 minutes of anesthesia… 7 min read

Diabetes in Cats Aged 8 to 12: Signs, Tests, Remission Onset peaks at 8 to 12 years, with thirst, huge urine and weight loss. How glucose, fructosamine and a 12-hour curve confirm… 6 min read

Senior Cat Exercise: 2 Short Sessions a Day A 4-week plan for cats over 11: 2 sessions of 5 minutes a day with a low wand, jump limits for arthritis and disc disease, and… 6 min read

Stop Senior Cat Falls: Rugs, Corners, 40 cm Steps A room-by-room fall audit for cats over 12: rug edges that grip, 3 corners to fix first, platforms under 40 cm, and path… 6 min read

Final Days With a Senior Cat: 3 Numbers, No Guessing How to record resting breathing rate, body temperature, and food intake in a cat's final weeks, plus the questions to ask a… 7 min read

Senior Cat Flea Control: 1.5 kg Floor, No Pyrethroids Monthly flea control for a cat over 10: the 1.5 kg weight floor, why pyrethroids are banned, 30-day dosing, and treating every… 7 min read

When an Old Cat Stops Grooming: 3 Signals to Track Smell, mats and dandruff are the 3 early signals that a senior cat has stopped grooming. A weekly 5-minute check plus a 5-item… 7 min read

Grooming a Senior Cat: 3 Sessions, 5 Minutes Each A grooming routine for cats over 12: 3 sessions a week in 5-minute blocks, mat math, anal glands every 4 weeks, and the 3 signs… 6 min read

Senior Cat Grooming Tools: A 5-Minute Daily Routine A 13-year-old coat mats in 7 to 10 days. Here is the 5-minute rubber brush pass, the twice-weekly steel comb, and the 3-spot… 7 min read

Senior Cat Hearing Loss: 3 Signs, Hand Signals, Safety High-frequency hearing goes first at 8-10 years, above 20 kHz. A 4-part home test, 4 hand signals, floor vibration cues and 4… 7 min read

Cat Heart Murmur Grades 1-6 and the 30-Breath Rule What grades 1-6 mean, why grade 3 sends a cat to echo, how often to screen for HCM, and how to count resting breathing rate… 7 min read

Senior Cats and Sun: 15-Minute Limits at 30 C Heat tolerance drops after 11. Sun sessions of 15 minutes, a room at 24 C, and the 30 C cutoff that keeps an old cat out of… 7 min read

Senior Cat Ramps: 15-20 Degree Slope, 3 Routes to Fix Ramp length that matches a 15-20 degree slope, a litter box lip under 15 cm, a friction coefficient test, and the 3 routes… 7 min read

Home Hospice for a Senior Cat: 5 Daily Numbers Five daily indicators with red lines, how to score pain and resting breathing, the 24-hour vet plan, and a home layout that… 8 min read

Water Plan for Senior Cats: 50-60 mL/kg, 3 Bowls A worked water plan for cats over 10: 50-60 mL/kg a day, 70-80% of it inside wet food, 3 bowls more than 1.5 m apart, and urine… 7 min read

High Calcium in Older Cats: Ionized Ca Over 1.4 How to read ionized calcium above 1.4 mmol/L in a cat over 10, tell lymphoma from primary hyperparathyroidism, and run PTH and… 7 min read

High Blood Pressure and Blindness in Old Cats Why a systolic reading over 180 mmHg detaches the retina, the 3 eye checks that catch it, and the 6 month recheck that pairs… 8 min read

Thyroid Baseline for Cats Over 10: T4 Above 2.5 Build a thyroid baseline for a cat over 10: T4 above 2.5 ug/dL, free T4 in the grey zone, 10% weight loss, heart rate over 200… 7 min read

Pills, Iodine or Surgery: Choosing Feline Thyroid Care Compare methimazole, radioiodine and surgery for a hyperthyroid cat: onset in 2-4 weeks, monitoring at 3 weeks and 3 months… 8 min read

Methimazole Monitoring: Day 14 to Month 3 The fixed blood schedule for a cat on methimazole: day 14, then every 3 weeks three times, the T4 and ALT targets, and the 5 to… 8 min read

Cat Insurance at 8: Premiums Jump 40-80% A cat insured at 4 for 22 a month is quoted 34-48 at 8. What the 40-80% senior jump, permanent exclusions and a 500 deductible… 7 min read

Iodine-Restricted Diet: Under 0.2 mg/kg Dry Matter How an iodine-restricted diet works in hyperthyroid cats: the 0.2 mg/kg DM ceiling, 4 to 8 weeks to effect, T4 every 4 weeks… 7 min read

Joint Supplements for Cats: Doses With Evidence Which joint supplements have a real feline dose, how to read a label in milligrams, and the 3 month score that decides whether… 7 min read

Low-Entry Litter Box for a Senior Cat: 10 cm Rim A 10 cm rim, a 60-70 cm floor and one box more than cats. How to measure, place and check a box for an arthritic cat, with… 7 min read

Liver Enzymes in Old Cats: ALT 100 Means Recheck ALT over 100 U/L earns a recheck in 2 weeks, not a scan. How ALP, GGT and bile acids separate liver from thyroid, arthritis and… 8 min read

Mobility Scoring for Senior Cats: 5 Items, 4 Weeks A 20 point home score for jump, run, stairs, grooming and walking, taken every 4 weeks, with a 2 point change as the trigger to… 6 min read

Senior Cat Muscle Loss With a Stable Weight Muscle condition score beats the scale: 3 palpation sites, a 5 percent loss in 6 months as the alarm, and what a flat weight… 6 min read

Senior Cat Nails: Trim Every 4 Weeks, 2 mm Back A senior cat stops wearing down nails at 10 and they still grow 2-3 mm a month. Trim every 4 weeks, 2 mm from the quick, before… 7 min read

Senior Cat Nails: 2 mm Thickness, 4-Week Cycle After 11, claws thicken to 2 mm and stop wearing down. Trim every 4 weeks, stay 2 mm from the quick, and check 3 paw-pad spots. 6 min read

Senior Cat Sleep: 20 Minute Naps, 3 Night Wakes A cat over 11 sleeps 16 to 20 hours in 20 to 40 minute bouts. Count the night wakings against a 3 wake threshold and reset the… 6 min read

Old Cat Yowling at Night: 5 Causes in Order A senior cat yowling at 2 am usually has a medical cause. Check blood pressure, thyroid, pain, cognition and hearing in this… 6 min read

Senior Cat Dropping Kibble: 5 Signs of Mouth Pain Kibble dropped at 5 pieces a meal, chewing on 1 side, wet food only. Five signs, a 10 kibble test, and the 2 week deadline… 6 min read

Senior Cat Pain: 4-Level Scoring and Safe Drugs Score senior cat pain on a 4-level ladder and the grimace scale, check kidney values before any NSAID, and use 5 house changes… 7 min read

Scoring Senior Cat Pain at Home: 5 Items, 0 to 4 A daily 5-item score of posture, jump, coat, appetite and interaction, 0 to 4 each, turns vague worry into a trend a vet can… 8 min read

Resting Breathing Rate in Old Cats: The 30 Count Count 30 seconds twice while the cat sleeps: under 30 breaths a minute is normal, 40 or more means go now. How to build a… 6 min read

SDMA Over 14 in Cats: 6 to 18 Months Early SDMA above 14 µg/dL flags kidney disease 6 to 18 months before creatinine. Take the 6 month panel after 10, read the slope, and… 6 min read

Sedating a Senior Cat for Grooming: Safety First Mats on an old cat need clipping, not combing. How prescription gabapentin is timed 2 hours out, the 3 contraindications to… 6 min read

Vomiting in Cats Over 10: Frequency, B12, 8 Week Trial One vomit a month in a cat over 10 is a finding, not a habit. How to separate hairball from chronic enteropathy and run an 8… 7 min read

Senior Cat Sitter Sheet: 6 Med Fields, 2 Checks A one-page handover sheet for an old cat: 6 medication fields, food weighed in grams, 3 emergency numbers and 2 camera checks a… 6 min read

Senior Cat Lumps: 1 cm Record, 20 Percent Rule Three common lump types, a caliper and a notebook, the 1 cm record rule, and why 20 percent growth in 2 weeks means a needle… 6 min read

Senior Cat Sleeping More: Normal vs. a Problem Older cats sleep 16 to 20 hours and wake 3 or more times a night. Here is how to tell aging apart from pain, thyroid disease… 6 min read

Senior Cat Sleep Setup: 5 cm Pad, 22-24 C, 40 dB Sleep setup for a cat over 10: 5 to 8 cm of memory foam, 22-24 C at bed height, 2 dim night lights, under 40 dB of noise, and 2… 7 min read

Senior Cat Sleep: 16-20 Hours and Night Waking Older cats sleep 16 to 20 hours a day and wake more than 3 times a night. Use the 5-item screen and 4 room changes to tell… 7 min read

Senior Cat Warmth: Room 22-24 C, Pad 38 C Old cats lose heat faster and stop seeking warm spots. Set the room to 22 to 24 C, cap heating pads at 38 C, and treat a body… 6 min read

Hyperthyroidism Hiding Kidney Disease in Old Cats An overactive thyroid pushes GFR up and creatinine down, so kidney disease hides. About 30% of treated cats show CKD within… 6 min read

Senior Cat Tooth Extraction: 10-Day Recovery Soft food for 24 hours, 200 to 250 kcal a day, prescription pain relief for 3 to 5 days, and a recheck at day 7 to 10. A day by… 6 min read

Travel With a Senior Cat: 4 Hour Legs, 20 to 26 C A cat past 11 needs 4 hour legs, a 10 to 15 minute stop every 2 hours and a cabin at 20 to 26 C. Here is the pre trip check… 7 min read

Senior Cat Peeing Outside the Box: 40% Pain Link Roughly 40 percent of senior house soiling traces to pain or mobility. Run a 48 hour workup, then fix lip height, box distance… 7 min read

Cat Urine Gravity 1.020 to 1.035: The Grey Zone A specific gravity of 1.020 to 1.035 in an old cat is neither normal nor proof of disease. Measure it at home over 3 days… 7 min read

UPC in Senior Cats: 0.4 Recheck, 0.6 Treat UPC above 0.4 gets a recheck in 2 to 4 weeks, above 0.6 starts treatment, and every cat over 10 needs the test every 3 months… 7 min read

Collect Cat Urine at Home: Midstream in 2 Hours Collect midstream cat urine with 3 non-absorbent litters, keep it under 2 hours, and read specific gravity against the 1.035… 6 min read

Vaccinating a Cat Over 11: 3 Year Core Interval After the 1 year booster, core vaccines run on a 3 year interval. For a cat over 11, decide with 5 pre vaccine checks, risk… 7 min read

Talking to the Vet: 5 Questions, 1 Page of Numbers A 10 minute consult rewards preparation: 7 days of weight and food numbers, 5 ranked questions, and a 1 page decision record… 6 min read

Senior Cat Vet Visits: 6-Month or 3-Month Schedule A visit calendar for cats 11 and older: 6 baseline checks per exam, what each one catches early, and per-visit cost ranges in… 7 min read

Nuclear Sclerosis vs Cataract in Senior Cats How to tell age-related lens hardening from a cataract in 2 minutes, what the pupil says, and the 2-week furniture rule that… 7 min read

Senior Cat Vet Visit: 8-Point Prep and 6-Hour Fast An 8-point checklist for a senior cat vet visit: 6-hour fast with the diabetic exception, urine delivered in 2 hours, and a… 7 min read

Water Fountain for a Senior Cat: 3-Day Cleaning Rule 2 of 3 cats prefer running water. Set up a fountain for an arthritic senior cat: clean every 3 days, new filter at 4 weeks… 6 min read

Weighing a Senior Cat Monthly on a 5 g Scale A monthly weighing routine for cats over 11: 5 g scale technique, the 2-month decline rule, and why muscle score belongs in its… 7 min read