Felinoterapie, NCHK

Tabitha Kucera is an American veterinary technician, certified behavioral consultant and dog and cat trainer. This article is based on her Friends For Life presentation: Caring for Senior Felines - YouTube 
Tabitha Kucera is also involved in Jackson Galaxy's projects for better socialization, clicker training and successful adoptions of shelter cats.

Although age is not a disease, cats over the age of 7 can often develop diseases associated with older age. From this age onwards, cats are considered senior citizens. However, the relationship between disease and age is very individual. While one cat is still lively and active at 12 years of age, another is already showing signs of old age.

Illnesses and problems in senior cats include reduced mobility, overactive thyroid, kidney disease, vision problems or arthritis. Genetics play a large role in the onset of disease, even in relation to vitality at older ages.

A senior cat should be examined by a veterinarian at least twice a year. It is very important that the vet has known the cat for a long time, so that we have a good relationship with him and together we form a team. A veterinarian who knows the cat well knows what anomalies, if any, are present during a regular examination and is able to effectively select the necessary treatment. A veterinarian who does not know the cat would be in a much more difficult position in this regard and the chances of the cat's health improving may not be as high.

Attention should be paid to sudden changes in behaviour that may be indicators of incipient health problems.

In cats, it is very necessary to follow a regular daily routine. Disruption of this routine is usually perceived by the cat as a loss of control over the environment. The older the cat - and also the human - the harder it is to cope with any changes. This includes, for example, the arrival of a new kitten or puppy into the household. Although people believe that if a cat's long-time feline partner dies, a new kitten can help her overcome the loss, the opposite is often true. In addition to the loss of a partner, an older animal has to cope with the foreign smell and behavior of a lively, playful kitten. An older cat's relationship with humans and quality of life can be seriously disrupted by the arrival of a kitten. The kitten habituation phase can take 3 weeks to 6 months and may not be successful.

If we have an older cat and a human baby joins the family, the cat's whole former world will also collapse. It is therefore a good idea to prepare and train her slowly for the change, so that we don't get unpleasant surprises in the form of puddles around the cat's litter box or other places.
As already mentioned, cats love routine. For them, regular repetition of the same patterns of household activities means control over the environment and predictability of what will happen. Big changes in particular can completely derail a cat.

These include :
    - moving house
    - deaths in the family - including deaths of other pets
    - the arrival of a new family member - including pets
    - change in work routine - working from home, lockdown, going on maternity leave, retirement

In order to help an older cat enjoy life as she was used to, we should make gradual changes to make daily activities easier.

These include :
    - Maintaining a normal routine
    - getting heated and unheated beds
    - furnishing the environment with rugs or yoga mats
    - equipping the environment with vertical and horizontal scratching surfaces
    - adding steps or ramps to favourite places where an older cat would now find it difficult to get to
    - incorporating led lights around the cat's litter box and in dark areas for better orientation at night
    - provision of raised water or food bowls, wide enough so that the cat's whiskers are not hurt by touching the edges of the bowl
    - try the cat litter that best suits your cat - usually soft and unperfumed, older cats have very sensitive paw pads and are not comfortable walking on pellets or silica gel
    - open toilets with lower entrance and higher sides - can be made from plastic storage boxes, lined with old yoga mats or linoleum
    - all resources should be easily accessible and located where we humans are in the apartment

Getting used to the ramp or steps should be gradual. If the cat is distrustful, we can place treats on the ramp or steps and lure the cat to them.

Older cats also need help with grooming and cleaning the eyes, ears and possibly the anus. They should be brushed and combed daily, as this provides them with a massage as well as some much needed cuddles. We should also not forget to clip their claws regularly. Caring for a cat should be a pleasurable experience and an opportunity to earn a reward. We must be especially gentle when touching older cats and we must pay attention to their joints (hips, knees), because old cats often suffer from arthritis just like humans. 

We should train the cat in advance, accustoming it to the possible veterinary care it may need in its old age.

Even older cats will greatly appreciate environmental enrichment in the form of scents - for example, shanta, cinnamon, valerian, silvervine (silver actidinia), lavender, which can be used to fill larger toys designed to be kicked with the hind legs. But of course, play preferences vary between cats and what suits one cat may not suit another.

Cats also love exploring paper bags. It's certainly great fun, we should just always cut the ears off the bag so the cat doesn't get his head caught in them. 

Also, we should only leave a few toys for the cat at a time and hide the others so they don't get stale. After a while, we can rotate the toys again. Food puzzles are very popular, including home-made ones, for example, made from a plastic food container into the lid of which we have cut round holes of different sizes.

Popular activities and toys include :
    - clicker training
    - throwing and 'hunting' for treats
    - playing with things from 'outside' that have a different smell that is interesting to cats
    - sniffing rugs
We should also allow the cat to be outdoors - possibly on a basket, in a carrier, in a catio or on a screened balcony.