Toothache.
If you think your cat has toothache but is too old for an anaesthetic, think again. Advances
in anaesthesia do mean that even cats considered to be really rather old can sail through
and make rapid recoveries so don’t consider your cat too old to have rotten teeth and the
accompanying pain attended to.
These are just a few of the conditions specifically associated with older cats. As veterinary
surgeons, we are frequently reminded by experts that they are not small dogs ! This may
be a message passed on from the cats themselves, obviously terribly insulted by the
merest consideration that this might be the case ! In the problems they develop, how we
recognise them, and then treat them, then most certainly, they remain both unique and
some may consider quite contrary. As Garrison Keilor wrote, “Cats are intended to teach
us that not everything in nature has a function.”
Free Senior Healthchecks at Wright and Morten.
Identification of some of these problems, especially kidney problems can be hidden from
routine examinations so a few other simple checks can help us to identify when they may
be developing.
We offer a free service to make these additional checks. To make it easy for you and to
allow us time to obtain and check urine samples, along with checking blood pressure, we
can admit your cat in the morning, complete the checks and have the results, and your cat
ready to go home during an appointment in the afternoon or evening.
Blood Sampling.
A blood sample may also be completed if you would
like us to perform these tests. They allow a far more
comprehensive and thorough examination of your cat.
This blood sample is a special offer only available at
the time of the booster and health examination. The
cost of this blood sample is £15. It is important that
should you wish us to perform this blood sample,
that you should withhold food on the morning of the
appointment so that the sample results are not altered
by the meal.
How long can nine lives last ?
Mature cats,
Healthchecks.
their
problems,
and
Senior
‘It has been the providence of Nature to give this creature ,the
cat, nine lives instead of one.’
The Instructive and Entertaining Fables of Pilpay
Cats have long been recognised as having an amazing capacity to recover from some of the
insults that life throws it’s way and in these days of better diet and better healthcare, a cat’s
nine lives are lasting longer and longer. We no longer consider cats of ten years or more as old,
but we do recognise that their bodies change. With advancing years, a number of conditions
tend to stand out as being seen most commonly in the more mature cat.
The first condition that should be mentioned is kidney failure for the simple reason that many
cats do succumb to this in later life. We very rarely know what actually causes the initial
damage but the result is that the ability of the kidneys to filter blood and remove waste
products is impaired. One of the signs recognised
early on in the disease is an increased thirst and
increased urination. You may notice your cat suddenly
drinking like a fish from all sorts of locations. Cats are
originally desert dwellers and have a great ability to
concentrate their urine and conserve water. Once the
kidneys are damaged, affected cats are noticed to
pass more urine which is more dilute than it should be.
Although collecting urine samples from cats is always
quite a challenge for the owner, and often for the vet, samples are incredibly useful. Checking
urine samples can give us an early warning about the kidneys but also help spot problems such
as diabetes and cystitis.
A product of the metabolism, Urea is the substance that causes many of the problems and it
rises because damaged kidneys fail to remove it from the blood. As it rises, a cat’s appetite
will get worse and they will lose weight,but they also lose protein through the damaged
kidneys. In severe cases, we also see vomiting, ulcers in the mouth and sometimes depression
because of its affect in the brain.
We cannot reverse the damage to the kidneys but we can manage renal failure in a number
of ways. By changing a cat’s diet to one of the diets specifically designed for the condition,
we can reduce how much urea is produced and therefore improve the way the cat feels.
We can also improve their appetite and attend to some of the imbalances that result from
failing kidneys.
High Blood Pressure.
Whilst stress is a major factor for humans with high blood pressure, you might not expect such
a problem for cats ! It can be a knock on effect of kidney failure, but may also occur with any
individual, of possibly any age. Not only does high blood pressure result from failing kidneys,
it accelerates the damage so it is vitally important to identify it. High blood pressure can also
cause other problems such as bleeding into the eyes which can easily result in blindness. The
old adage of prevention being better than cure is especially appropriate with a problem that
can suddenly leave your cat blind without any apparent warning. Blood pressure is measured
in a technique incredibly similar to that used in a Doctor’s surgery. It isn’t always easy but most
cats accept it remarkably well.
Hyperthyroidism.
One problem that results in some of the symptoms already
described is called hyperthyroidism. There are two thyroid
glands and they are located in the neck. Thyroid hormone
controls the speed of the metabolism, that is how quickly the
body works. Hyperthyroidism generally develops as a result of a
benign tumour, so it is a form of cancer, however mostly, it is one
which we can not only treat, but very often cure. Most of the
changes develop gradually. They generally develop an incredible
appetite but whilst they may eat everything in the larder, they
generally lose weight quite quickly. Some of these cats are described as Morris Minors that
turn into Porsches !
Some sickness and diarrhoea may be seen. Their coat deteriorates and they take on a scruffy
and unkempt appearance. The more serious side of this condition is the effects that this
hormone has on the muscle of the heart. Like a bodybuilder’s biceps, the muscle generally
thickens and gets much larger. This leaves less room for the blood and the heart rate must rise
in order to pump the blood. As the heart rate,
or if you like, pulse rate goes up, the rhythm may
also fail. ‘Heart failure’ means that the cat’s heart
cannot cope with the volume of blood and as a
result of this, fluid is forced from the blood out
into cavities such as the abdomen where we
get ‘ascites’ or around the lungs where it stops
the lungs filling with air. Humans in heart failure
often develop a cough but this rarely happens
in cats. Cats develop difficulty with their breathing and the rate of breathing gets greater and
the depth much shallower and results quite possibly in severe weakness, even collapse.
Once diagnosed by a blood sample, we may treat this condition quite successfully with
medications and then quite possibly with surgery.
Arthritis.
One might not consider a seven year old cat old, but certainly
their joints do seem to age quicker than the rest of them. So why
is it that we don’t seem to see that many as suffering from arthritis
? Cats will be mostly seen to change their behaviour. They are
sometimes referred to as the ‘Four faces of feline Pain’. Signs to
look out for are a reluctance to jump up onto your lap, or onto
furniture. You may also observe them being reluctant to use their
cat flap which could be most obvious from their use of a cat
litter tray, or a loss of house-training. Some may be seen to sleep far more and some others
may begin to look rather scruffy as they tend to groom less. Some cats may become very
grouchy or they may seem far more withdrawn. So whilst some individuals seem to exhibit
the very typical stiffness and may have creaky joints, many others certainly won’t. Arthritis is
certainly difficult to confirm in cats with many apparently normal joints on x-ray having quite
advanced damage to the cartilage, rather the expected very abnormal appearance seen on
this x-ray taken of Gareth’s cat , Felix, with severe arthritis in the hip joint on the left side.
We have struggled in years gone by to identify tis problem and to actually help with safe
medicines but now we do have medications known as anti-inflammatories which are reliable
and safe for long term use in cats so there is help available. We can also turn to a number
of supplements shown to help as well as a special diet enhanced with a specific balance of
omega 3 fatty acids (fish oils) which is clinically proven to work. We also have a course of
injections which slow the progress of arthritic change and reduce the amount of inflammation
and pain.