To a cat lived a happy and long life, she needs a good care. And old cats and little kittens need special care, because old cats and kittens have a weak body. How to care for old cats?
Caring for old cats
In cats, old age begins with 10 years. For each cat, the onset of old age passes individually, because much depends on her health. By external signs, you can see the approach of old age. In old age, the cat sleeps longer, it becomes not so mobile. Her hearing deteriorates, she does not immediately respond, if her name is named, reacts worse to external stimuli and reacts worse to movement.
How does a cat endure old age?
It will depend on how her youth passed. If she led an active lifestyle, well-fed, little sick, then the period of old age for her will be easy. But in healthy cats, there are age-related changes in their bodies, and therefore old cats need special attention and care.
Diet
Old cats eat much less than young. Therefore, to avoid obesity, you need to reduce the amount of food and cut fatty foods in the diet. If your cat eats feed, you need to buy a feed that is designed for older animals. If the cat eats only natural food, it needs to be crushed well, because old cats suffer from tooth problems. The cat should have access to drinking, fresh water.
They need vitamins, if the cat does not want to take them in pure form, you need to add them to water or food. Do not arbitrarily give vitamins, it is better to consult a veterinarian, avitaminosis is also dangerous, as well as hypervitaminosis.
Old cats lead a sedentary lifestyle, they lie in warm and peaceful corners. It is impossible to wait for the old cat from the old activity. But it needs to move a little, because hypodynamia threatens obesity and muscle problems. You have to play with the cat every day.
Old cats are prone to diseases, and sometimes suffer from several diseases in the complex. Typical ailments can be constipation, diarrhea, urinary incontinence. But they can also be associated with kidney disease or with diabetes. The cat should be shown to the veterinarian, he will establish the cause and prescribe the treatment.
And even in that case, show the vet if there is a smell from the mouth or other suspicious symptoms. But if the cat is healthy, you need to take it every 4 months for a preventive checkup to the vet.
Older cats are smaller than before they lick themselves, and their hair quickly slides. Even if the cat is short-haired, you need to comb it out every day. If the hair is not long, you need to massage the cat with a special glove in the direction from the head to the tail. When you massage, you need to feel the cat, if it does not have tumors, old cats are susceptible to oncological diseases.
In the elderly, cats are freezing, so the litter for the cat needs to be put closer to the battery. If in the summer the cat needs to put her a heating pad. Or that she was warmer, the cat does not interfere with wearing a special blanket.
Old cats become irritable and unsociable, meow at night to be noticed. They do not feel very confident in the presence of aggressive and young cats, they become jealous if you bring a small kitten into the house. This should be treated more tolerant.
Even if the old cat behaves and feels well, it also needs increased attention and care. Spend a lot of time with her, stroke her, talk to her kindly. And if she did something wrong, you do not need to scold her very much. For example, old cats go to the toilet past the tray, but it happens simply because they do not have time to reach it, and not because of harmfulness, and do not punish them for it.
Caring for an old cat is not an easy task, but it has been a member of your family for several years. You need to be patient, and give your cat your sincere care, because she deserved it.
Special care
If the cat has reached the elderly, she needs to pay attention. At this age, she needs peace and quiet, provide her with a warm and cozy corner. It is important that the bed is kept warm, they need to be located near the battery or closer to the sun, let the cat have two couches. The places where your cat likes to go, make it accessible. He is no longer able to jump from one jump to the windowsill, no longer that flexibility. Conveniently arrange bowls with water and food, cat's toilet.
Movements
If you have a large apartment, it is difficult for a cat to move around a large space. Let your pet have at his disposal one or two rooms, and there will be all that he needs. If a cat likes to walk through all the rooms, you need to take care that she is all available and comfortable. The most common diseases of old cats are: urinary incontinence and arthritis, which prevent you from reaching the tray. To ensure the cleanliness of the house, you need to put the trays in different rooms, then it will ensure normal living conditions for your animal.
Do not overload the elderly cat with active games, but you can arrange a walk on a sunny day. Never be angry if the animal has slept all day, and at night, waking up in the dark, burst into tears, because old cats feel abandoned and lonely, they want increased attention. You can teach a cat to fall asleep with you, then there will be no more "night concerts".
What to feed the old cat?
When the animal grows old, consult a veterinarian about what to feed such a cat. Eating old cats is different from the diet that was in young animals, hard and dry foods need to be excluded, the cat can break teeth about such food, and at this age it's hard to chew on tough foods. Often in old age, cats are capricious, change their tastes, and one must be prepared that the animal will require such food, which it previously refused.
Old cats eat often and in small portions. To prevent various diseases, the owners should lead the animal to the doctor, for regular examinations, elderly cats have frequent kidney diseases. Thus, it is possible to track age changes that may require urgent and special intervention.
In conclusion, we add that to care for old cats need patiently and with love, so that cats feel love and care.