How to Live with Older Cats

Welcome to Living with Older Cats. This post provides tips and techniques for cat owners as their loved best friend ages and both their physical health and psychological wellbeing may change. If you have questions or comments not covered in How to Live with Older Cats, I welcome your emails at 1catnap@gmail.com


Living with an ageing cat is not the same as when they were kittens.

There are special diets, health concerns and stress reduction considerations I want to discuss in this chapter.

First of all, I am not a veterinarian and have no official expertise beyond my own varied experiences during a lifetime of living with my furry friends. I have, you will find, plenty of opinions based on my long experience with having a kitty as a family member. After all, they say that the main ingredient in truth is consensus, and so I agree with myself and hope to hear from you also.



Health Changes in Aging Cats

There are many similarities regarding the health concerns of your aging parents and your aging feline, and many of the same considerations should be given.

First and foremost I recommend regular visits to the vet from an early age on. This will make your cat accustomed to be “put in the box” and she will learn that she will always be returned back to her own territory.

An acutely sick cat does not need to be freaked out by stressful new experience, and it is very important to give her all the shots and also a background history with a vet who then, if there ever is a need, will have a history on his patient.

Longevity remains an issue of genetics as well as early care (just as in us humans). Prevention counts!

Aging is usually slower in female cats, and often the first symptoms are psychological changes (more on that later on). Spaying (female) or neutering (male) your cat can extend its lifespan 1.5 to 2 times longer compared to non-neutered cats.


I love my cats – all of them, past, present and future – and I’ve cared for more than I have fingers and toes.
And they all chose me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that makes me special in any way, I hold the opinion that all cats decide who’s lap they jump up to, and even non-cat-lovers will be the recipient of a soft swish on their trouser leg or an uninvited and often unannounced jump into their lap.


What I mean to say is that I never bought a kitten from a pet store or sought out a purebred for bucco lineage and bucco bucks. All my cats showed up at my back door, sat patiently waiting in my garden, or slunk in when I opened my front door to grab the paper with an urgency and deliberation as if a fox was at their heels.

One sauntered into my kitchen on a sunny summer day when I keep the door open to the garden and seemed to prefer my menu options in the bowls by the stove to her own selection in her own home. This pattern repeated itself all through the summer, and by fall Cleo was part of our cat family and accepted by all members. (No, I did not kidnap her, and Yes, I tried diligently to find her proper owners by posting flyers and inquiring in my neighborhood – all to no avail). So Cleo stayed with us till her end.

Some cats were adopted from friends who couldn’t or wouldn’t care for them anymore. Which brings me to a sore point: the average lifespan of a cat, nowadays, hovers around 20 years, and to “take on” a kitten is surely not an impulse decision and should not be the first pet on your young child’s birthday list. Consider a rabbit instead (I mean nothing derogatory, fact is they have a shorter lifespan with less human attachment).

Owning a cat as a pet is a long-term commitment and shouldn’t be taken lightly, even today with all the pleas from pet shelters. In my experience felines are territorial and even though they may not always show it, they do bond with their “parents”.

The sole queen of our current household is Cinnamon, and she was found 17 years ago in a drawer in an empty file cabinet in my neighbors furniture storage warehouse as a blind, flea infested three-day old fur ball of a kitten.
More on her in a later chapter.

I’m ready for a quick nap, but always happy to hear from you at email
1catnap@gmail.com


Look for Caring for Your Older Cat – part 2 on my next post here at How to Live with Older Cats.