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How to Care for Your Older Cat
Can you tell me who need utmost care and attention in your family? Of course the babies and also the old members of your family. The same is true of your feline friends; as they become old, they will expect more attention and care from you. In addition to the routine annual check-ups, vaccines and routine check ups, the old cats would demand a few things more:
- When the cat becomes aged it will require dental cleanings at regular intervals. They will also require additional blood tests and medications. Some cats even may develop chronic health problems that may require serge in your medical costs.
- In addition to the medical attentions, they will need attention in other areas as well. Just like human beings suffer from many behavioral disorders due to old age, the cats also develop certain behavioral problems as they age.
- You will need to be more patient and sympathetic to your feline friend as it grows old. Along with your love, the proper treatment and attention will help the aged cat to overcome the challenges of old age and its behavior also improve.
Problem with elimination
The most alarming problem with the old cats is that they suddenly develop an aversion to the litter box and urinate or defecate in the odd places outside the litter box.
- There may be medical causes for such an inappropriate behavior on the part of your old cat. So visit a veterinarian and identify the causes first to work out the plan for proper treatment.
- Sometimes the old cats resort to improper elimination because they no longer can handle the stress properly. In such cases you should take care to keep the stress factors away from the sight of the cat.
- In addition to that you can try this method of feeding the cat at the place chosen by it for improper elimination. You can also cover the carpet with double-sided tape, or use such products as motion detectors or pet repellents to prevent the cat from accessing the area for the purpose of elimination.
Just like the old men and women become irritated because of several physical impairments like loss of vision, hearing loss, arthritis and so on, the cats also become aggressive due to their physical incapabilities.
If you feel your old cat is becoming increasingly aggressive, you may consult a veterinarian who can suggest the possible solutions like medication or behavioral therapies like counter-conditioning or desensitization.
Nervousness
Along with the old age disabilities, some neurological diseases in cats may result into anxiety or tension in a cat. These problems are generally addressed by several antianxiety medications.
Changed activity patterns
Reaching in the old age, some cats exhibit extraordinary changes in their activity patterns. As for example their entire sleeping cycle may change as they reach the dusk of their lives.
There can be several reasons behind such changes in this sleep-awake cycle. In addition to pains, more frequent needs for urinating or defecating, and other neurological dysfunctions can cause such changes in their sleeping and activity pattern.
- The simplest way of tackling such a situation is to play with your cat before sending it to bed. You can also experiment with different feeding times.
- If the cycle is not improved even then, keep the cat outside bedroom at night.
- You can also take the help of medication to change the sleeping cycle.
- As the cats age, they typically develop a habit of vocalizing at night. This behavior has to be changed through the remote correction procedure. Choose a corrective action that should startle her enough to discontinue with her vocalizing.
A veterinarian will help you to chalk out an effective treatment plan, but it is your loving and sympathetic handling that can make the last years of your old friend most enjoyable.