Ageing Fabulously

Watch
Video

How to ensure your cat stays fabulous into old age:

From the outside, a cat’s ageing isn’t obvious. But it’s still aging on the inside.
Kittens are considered to be ‘adult’ cats at 12 months of age. The average life expectancy varies greatly depending on breed, lifestyle, health and activity levels, it is generally about 12-14 years but many cats live a lot longer than this and some even reach their 20’s. When an adult cat turns 7 they are considered ‘senior adult’ cats and some dietary and lifestyle changes are expected.

How to care for a cat in her senior years:

Caring for adult cats into their senior years includes:

• Annual vaccinations
• Regular worming and flea prevention treatments
• Body condition health-checks to ensure their [link]healthy weight maintenance[insert link to the “How can I tell if my cat is overweight?” article]
• Vet or vet nurse oral care check once or twice a year
• Tooth-brushing daily, or oral care treats designed to reduce plaque and tartar.
• Regular grooming at home
• Changing onto a senior diet tailored to meet the changing needs of an aging cat
• Quiet time to sleep and relax in a special calm place
• Daily exercise
• Puzzle feeders can help older cats stay agile and move around in the quest for dry food or treats

Cats are great sleepers and even in their younger years can regularly enjoy 16 hours of sleep per day! You may notice that as cats grow old they sleep longer but lighter so it’s important to let them rest but encourage regular movement in order to maintain muscle mass and healthy bodyweight.

As with all cats of any age, clean fresh drinking water must always be available.