Page 245 - The Complete Cat Breed Book (DK)

HEAL TH 243

TOP TIPS
How to keep your cat stimulated
mentally and physically as he ages:
■ Groom your cat daily if he lacks the
motivation to groom himself in old age.
■ Provide plenty of toys.
■ Include antiaging antioxidants, such as
zinc and selenium, in your cat’s meals.
■ Grow cat grass for him to nibble.
■ If he is trained to walk on a lead, keep
up this exercise for as long as possible.

OVERWEIGHT CAT
If you cannot easily feel your cat’s ribs
or see a waist toward the back of his
abdomen, he is overweight.

Weight problems Caring for an older cat
Various health problems are associated with obesity, including Most well-cared-for pet cats can live to the age of 14 or 15,
diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and arthritis with some occasionally reaching 20. The trend for cat life
and mobility problems resulting from strain on joints. Weight expectancy is climbing, with advances in disease prevention,
gain may also make it difficult for your cat to groom himself. a better understanding of diet, improved drugs and
If your cat is noticeably gaining weight, switch him to a treatments, and more cats being kept indoors.
low-calorie diet, provide fewer treats and meals, and increase By about age ten, you may notice signs of aging in your cat:
his levels of exercise. Neutered cats are particularly at risk weight loss (or gain), deteriorating eyesight, dental disease, a
of weight gain, as are indoor cats, which may not exercise decrease in mobility, less fastidious grooming, and a thinner,
enough. Outdoor cats can put on weight if other people feed less shiny coat. His personality may change too, with your cat
them too. Cats usually live longer if they are a healthy weight. becoming easily irritated and noisier, especially at night. As
Weight loss is also a cause for concern and should always a senior, he may occasionally feel disoriented and relieve
be checked by a vet. It may be a sign of a serious disorder, himself outside the litter box. You may want to start
such as an overactive thyroid gland. increasing his regular checkups by a vet to twice a year.
COMPARING LIFESPANS

Cat years
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

0 24 36 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75 78 81 84 87 90 93
Human years

It is often said that one year of a cat’s life equates to seven which is a far more advanced stage than that of a seven-
years of a human’s. But this does not hold, because life year-old child. By about three, a cat is roughly equivalent
expectancy for pet cats has risen in recent years. It also to a person in their early 40s. Each cat year from then on
ignores the different rates at which cats and humans corresponds to about three human years. Use the chart
develop: a one-year-old cat can breed and raise kittens, above to find an approximate human age for your cat.