Elder Feline

Elder – Feline – Age > 12yrs

Our Preventative Healthcare Plans allow our attending veterinarians to offer a reward program, based on professional services, for preventative screening. Your veterinary team will evaluate your pet’s predominant breed, age, medical history, lifestyle, and condition to create a Health Risk Assessment (HRA)—identifying your pet’s risk for potential disease. During this evaluation, we can have a family discussion, creating actionable items and a vaccination plan. Our goal? To guard your pet against infectious diseases, and allow us to manage other non-infectious diseases or conditions should they occur.

Components of Age and Lifestyle Program

  1. Comprehensive Physical Examination

  2. Complete Urine Chemistry and SediVue Analysis

  3. Elder Metabolic Panel, Complete Blood Count, Electrolytes

  4. Screen for Hyperthyroidism

  5. Annual Healtcare Planning (Based on Medical History & Lifestyle)


Six Month Follow-up

  1. Courtesy Physical Exam - A Follow Up

Elderly Indoor Cats - Healthcare Information

Characteristics: Elderly cats are average of 75 - 85 yrs old in human years. They may appear aloof, or come off as a bit grumpy. This may be a sign of arthritis or sensory issues such as hearing loss. Cats older than 8 do not compete well for resources inside or outside of the home. Elderly cats enjoy the here and now and are dependent on you for their care and comfort. 1 in 3 cats older than 10yrs can develop arthritis. 2.5% of cats over 12yrs develop CDS/Dementia.

Indoor Elderly Cats are Prone to: Hyperthyroidism; cardiac disease; cancers; kidney disease; periodontal diseases; endocrine disorders; skin injuries; joint diseases; a more severe response to infectious diseases due to a diminished immune system; CDS/dementia.

In addition to healthcare: Older cats are less agile as arthritis develops. Regularly engage your cat in light play, as desired, for circulatory & joint health. A pet fountain and canned food help provide proper nutritional and hydration resources. Introducing changes in family structure such as introducing a new pet, may be difficult for an elderly cat. New pet adoptions should be very carefully planned. A litter pan ramp, more than one litter pan per cat, and ensuring that a litter pan is on each floor of the home that your cat regularly accesses, should provide your cat with adequate hygiene resources to help avoid house soiling. Your cat may not groom him/herself well due to arthritis. You may wish to add holistic supplements or consider acupuncture or a cold-laser physical therapy regimen to manage pain.