As one of the best veterinary clinics in Colorado Springs, Ponderosa Veterinary Clinic is dedicated to ensuring your pets live healthy and joyful lives. We understand that as your pets age, it can become difficult to know how to care for them properly. With our cat resources, you’ll be prepared to provide your cats with the best care possible throughout every stage of their lives. One of the most difficult stages to navigate in your cats’ lives is their senior stages. Whether it’s having less energy or having more health issues, it can be difficult to make sure your fur babies are comfortable and happy. Our team of veterinary professionals has created a blog to help you care for your senior cats, and make sure they’re as happy as possible.
What Is A Senior Cat?
Generally, cats are defined as a senior once they’ve reached age 11. From 15 and on, they’re considered super seniors. It’s important to be aware of your cat’s normal behaviors and attitudes because cats can develop senior behaviors at any age. This way, you’ll know if your cat is acting strange and can be aware if you should treat her as a senior cat, even if she isn’t quite 11.
Senior Cat Health
Just like people, keeping up on dental and wellness visits become even more important as your cats age. Make sure to schedule regular wellness exams to make sure the health of your senior cats is in tip-top shape. As your cats begin to age, it’s also important to keep up on their vaccinations and dental appointments. Maintaining regular veterinary visits will help ensure your cats live long, healthy lives.
Activities For Your Senior Cats
It’s important to keep your cats active and moving, especially as they begin to age. Some activities you can do to help make sure you cats are maintaining optimal physical health include:
- Brain Games
- Yep, that’s right! You can play brain games with your cat to help stimulate their cognitive abilities. One of the easiest ways to do this is to play food brain games. Instead of feeding your cats with large meals, try hiding smaller portions of food throughout your home. Hide some in low spots and some in higher spots so your fur babies are encouraged to move and practice their climbing skills.
- Toys
- As a cat parent, you know how much your cats love to play and interact with you! As your cats begin to age, it may become harder for them to play with certain toys, or their interests in certain games may change. Some toys that tend to be easy for senior cats to enjoy include lasers, catnip toys and feather wands.
- Towers
- Cat towers are a wonderful way to encourage your cats to exercise and move regularly. Towers are a great way to encourage your cats to climb and jump throughout the day. You may also want to consider placing your cat tower next to a window so they can use it to look outside and enjoy “cat TV.” If your senior cats aren’t able to jump as high as they used to, make sure to take this into account when choosing a tower for your home.
Ponderosa Veterinary Clinic Provides Premier Care For Your Senior Cats
At Ponderosa Veterinary Clinic, we have the knowledge and resources to help make sure your cats live long and healthy lives. Whether you recently adopted a senior cat, or have cats that you’ve grown up with, our team will help you prepare for this phase of their lives. It can be difficult to transition from caring for a spunky, lively cat to a more calm, older cat, but we’re here to help make the transition seamless. If you have any questions about senior cat care, please feel free to contact our knowledgeable team today!
