Warning signs in older cats that you should not put down to age
"Well, they are getting on" is the phrase that delays the most diagnoses in elderly cats. Old age is not a disease, and most of the changes we see in an older cat have a specific cause, often a treatable one. These are the signs you should not let slide.
Losing weight for no reason
This is probably the most important sign and the one most often missed, because it happens gradually and is not noticeable at home. An older cat that is losing weight has a cause until proven otherwise: kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, digestive problems such as chronic enteropathy or intestinal lymphoma, dental problems that stop them eating properly, or a tumour. If they eat with a big appetite and lose weight, hyperthyroidism or diabetes is the main suspicion; if they eat little and lose weight, kidney disease, mouth pain or other causes. Weigh them every month on the same scales: losing ten per cent of their weight without trying already justifies a check-up.
Drinking and urinating more
Bigger or more numerous litter clumps, a cat spending longer at the water bowl, seeking out taps or glasses. In an older cat, the most common causes are chronic kidney disease, diabetes and hyperthyroidism. All three are diagnosed with blood and urine tests, and all three are treated better the earlier they are found. Do not restrict their water: they drink more because they need it. Measure it for a few days and book a check-up.
Ravenous, restless, yowling
Hyperthyroidism, one of the most common diseases in cats over ten, is caused by a benign enlargement of the thyroid gland that produces too much hormone. The cat eats with an enormous appetite but loses weight, is restless or more active than normal, yowls more, especially at night, sometimes vomits, has an unkempt coat, drinks more and may have a racing heart. Many owners think their cat is better than ever because they have so much appetite and energy. It is diagnosed with a thyroid hormone test and there are several effective treatments: medication, a specific diet, surgery or radioactive iodine, which can be curative.
No longer jumping, or jumping in two stages
A cat that used to leap onto the worktop or the wardrobe in one go and now gets onto a chair first, or no longer goes up at all, that gets down carefully, sleeps more and plays less, probably has arthritis. Arthritis affects most elderly cats and almost never causes an obvious limp, which is why it is so underrated. It can also show as less grooming of the back, toileting outside the litter tray because getting in is hard, more irritability when touched, or very long claws because they no longer use the scratching post. There are effective treatments for cats: it is not something you have to accept.
They have stopped grooming
A cat that was always immaculate and now has matted, greasy fur with dandruff or knots along the back and hindquarters has not lost the habit: something is stopping them. The most common causes are joint pain, which stops them twisting round, mouth pain, obesity and illnesses that sap their energy. It is a very useful sign, because you can see it at a glance.
Yowling at night or seeming disorientated
Loud night-time yowling in older cats has several possible causes: hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure, which can cause disorientation and even blindness, pain, deafness or loss of sight, which make the cat feel insecure and call out, and cognitive dysfunction syndrome, a kind of brain ageing similar to dementia. The last of these is diagnosed by ruling out the others. If they also get lost in the house, stare at the wall, change their sleep patterns, forget the litter tray or interact less, mention it at the appointment: there are management measures and treatments that help.
Litter tray changes
Peeing or pooing outside the litter tray, more urine, harder faeces or days without passing any, diarrhoea, straining, blood in the urine. In older cats, constipation is common because of dehydration, kidney disease or arthritis making it hard to get into position. Toileting outside the tray is usually due to pain, a tray that is hard to use or a disease that increases urine output, rather than a behaviour problem. And in an older male, going in and out without managing to urinate is an emergency.
Bad breath, drooling, eating oddly
Almost every older cat has some dental problem, such as periodontal disease or tooth resorption, which causes pain even if they keep eating. Bad breath, drooling, chewing on one side, dropping food or preferring wet food are clues. An ammonia smell can point to kidney disease; a lump or sore in the mouth that does not heal, to a possible tumour. Eating does not mean their mouth does not hurt.
Eyes, breathing and lumps
Sudden blindness with very dilated pupils, or blood inside the eye, can be due to high blood pressure and is an emergency. Fast breathing at rest, with more than about 30 or 40 breaths per minute while asleep, or with the mouth open, may indicate a heart or lung problem. And any new lump, especially in a female cat's mammary glands, on the skin or in the mouth, should be seen by the vet: in female cats, most mammary lumps are malignant, and operating early is what changes the prognosis.
Hiding or a change in character
An older cat that spends more time hiding, no longer comes to say hello, is irritable or hisses when they never used to is almost always feeling unwell. Cats hide pain and illness, and a change in behaviour is often the only visible sign. Do not put it down to character or age: it is a reason for a full check-up, with blood tests and blood pressure. And remember that from age ten, six-monthly check-ups pick up many of these things before they show.
In an older cat, losing weight, drinking more, eating ravenously, yowling at night, no longer jumping, no longer grooming or hiding are not just age: they are often treatable diseases. Weigh them every month, book a check-up every six months from age ten and do not settle for "they are just getting old".
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.