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Older cats

Purr by Zazie Todd, the Science of Making your Cat Happy

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This book has something for everyone whether you are beginning your feline journey or are an experienced cat owner.

This extremely readable book has a mix of anecdotes about the authors own cats, which I found interesting and this made the book feel more relatable. There are cat expert opinions and lots of references to scientific studies written in a way that is easy to understand.

Books on feline welfare and behaviour have long been lacking compared to dogs and I welcome this book to my shelves. Cat owners will find this a readable and helpful guide to making their cats lives happier and stress free, which benefits all the family. I especially liked the training plan (yes you can train cats!) to train cats to like the cat carrier, however I would have liked to have read more about training with cats, but may be that’s for another book?

The chapters on problem behaviour and environmental enrichment were useful but I would have liked more detail, photographs or plans for environmental improvements would have been in my opinion helpful.

The chapters on senior cats and special needs cats was informative and interesting. The chapter on end of life was a hard read, but I’m glad I read it as I live with an older cat and it gave me lots to think about, this subject is often not talked about enough or mentioned in cat books.

I would recommend this book to people who are beginning their cat owning adventures and also experienced owners who want to know how to improve their cats lives a little better.

I hope this book does well as spreading education about the cat is invaluable for their health both physically and mentally.

“I was given this book as an advanced copy from Greystone Books in return for an honest review”

This book is published in May 26th 2022 in the UK and is available from the usual places ISBN: 978-1-77164-814-1

Feline Senile Dementia- yes it exists….

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Many people are surprised when they hear about Feline Senile Dementia or Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS), it is similar to human dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Cats not only show signs of aging but can develop symptoms such as:

  • Increased vocalization, especially at night.
  • Litter box issues, such as not getting in it or forgetting where it is.
  • Becoming disorientated and confused, often wandering , pacing and restlessness.
  • Constipation and incontinence.
  • Mood changes and sometimes aggressive.
  • Avoid human contact (if this is out of character for them)
  • Relationship changes with family (both human and animal)
  • Sleeping longer and sleep patterns changing at night.
  • Staring blankly at nothing.
  • No interest in food.
  • Becoming nervous, fearful and clingy.
  • Grooming issues, too much or not at all.
  • Difficulty in learning new things.

If you think your cat maybe showing these signs it is best to get them checked at your vets to rule out any other health problems seen in older cats before a diagnosis of CDS can be established. Other health issues with older cats can be hyperthyroid, kidney disease, brain tumour, heart disease, sensory decline or joint disease. There is no cure for CDS but early diagnosis may help to slow it down and give your cat a better quality of life by making a few changes.

Changes can be made to the cats diet, environment and sometimes in severe cases medication maybe prescribed by your vet. Playing with your cat and providing puzzle toys for cats, can help with keeping the brain active and help to slow down cognitive decline.

It is really important to remember that its not just a case that your cat is “just getting old” but a case of identifying if your cat could be suffering from a health issue that can be helped, if not cured then quality of their later years made as comfortable and stress free as possible.

I will post another blog soon about environmental changes you can make for you cat in their later years.

Love and Purrs Rachel and Mr Ringo xxx

The Charm of the Older Cat

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When we were first married my husband and I decided to adopt a kitten, off we went to the nearest animal rescue centre looking for our dream furry baby to complete our little family. Two weeks later after approval from the RSPCA we returned from our second visit with two 12 year old female tabbies! How did one kitten turn into two 12 years old? The charm of the older cat is what happened……. when I saw them in the cat pen I was totally bewitched……..

The one called Tammy was very vocal and told me in her feline way that she was the cat for me and she was here to completely take over my life, oh and her quiet hiding sister was part of the deal, a kind of feline buy one get one free! When my husband saw the quiet sister called Giz, he was totally in love! I remember him saying what a beautiful face she had and he had to have her. So home with us they came, totally taking over our tidy pristine home so typical of newlyweds with no kids……

Gizmo, or “The Giz” to her friends

It soon became apparent that the rules in our house about the cats would soon go out the window. The rule of no cats on the bed was redundant after only a day, the one about only being allowed in certain rooms followed soon after. The rule that the cats only needed one bed each was soon forgotten, everything and everywhere was a cat bed. As all cat people know, the house is theirs; we just pay the bills and clean it!

Apart from falling in love with our retired felines, it made perfect sense to adopt older cats, they didn’t venture very far so I wasn’t worried about them staying out all night like naughty teenagers. They weren’t really into fighting, but Giz did see a dog out of the garden once, when a fence was down…..in fact Giz was quite a character where dogs were concerned and often slept in my mother’s dog’s bed when it stayed and ate all the dog biscuits, poor dog only had one eye and would often sit on Giz in the bed and receive many a cat paw in the face.

Tammy or “Tam”

Giz was a very plump older lady and many people thought with her young tiny head, she was pregnant until I told them how old she was and she wasn’t interested in that type of thing! Poor Giz was on a diet the whole time she lived with us, but she was never going to get into a bikini any time soon. We had to fit a larger cat flap for her as she got stuck in the first one…..I believe that sadly due to both her and Tammy  being in the rescue centre for a long time due to their age, this made her eat too much as she was most likely very bored. It’s very sad indeed that most people go for kittens over older cats in rehoming centres; they think they won’t live so long but both Tammy and Giz lived to 19 and 23!

Tammy was quite vocal and very demanding and would often pat my eyelids with a paw in the mornings if I didn’t get up and feed her when she wanted but there was a softer side to her and she always knew when I was feeling sad or poorly and would be by my side. She was also a very fussy eater and often had me cooking her chicken or fish instead of her usual cat food. She could also pee for England and I will never forget my vet trips in the car when that tail would suddenly pop out from the cat carrier and point, followed by projectile pee aiming at the dashboard!

Tammy and Giz were the inspiration for me setting up my cat sitting business 16 years ago and I’ve never looked back. Many people come to me as they need someone who can care for their older cat, with love, care and being able to give medications. I have a few tricks to help giving tablets and I’m also happy to give insulin injections. As part of my role as a cat sitter I sometimes have the responsibility to take poorly cats to the vets, sadly sometimes this means being there for the cat on their final journey, I would also never leave a cat alone to be euthanized, they are friends after all and I want to say goodbye.  I get to meet many cats and it’s the older cats that have so much  charm and character and I would recommend adopting older cats every time. So when you think about getting a kitten, take a moment to think if you could have an older cat in your life in their retirement years.

This blog post first appeared on katzenworld.co.uk on March 30th, 2019

Tips for the Older Cat

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Hi everyone, I have been observing Mr Ringo recently and notice he seems to be slowing down a bit.  He has always been the kitten of the family and sometimes you forget they are getting older.   He was 14 this year and next year he will be classed as geriatric in the veterinary world, but please don’t tell him as he’s very vain!  So here are a few tips for helping your more mature feline…..

  • If you are noticing your cat is getting slower it’s worth mentioning to your vet to see if they can check for any pain. Arthritis is very common in older cats and very painful.
    To help your cat get around provide stools or shelves to aid jumping up onto things and getting down easier.
  • Try raising the height of your cat’s bowls; this can help with any joint problems in the neck area.
  • Provide more water bowls around the house and garden, older cats will often drink more, if you notice more drinking this can often be a sign of health issues and should be checked with your vet.
  • Older cats often need to eliminate more often, so providing more litter trays can help them. You may also want to get trays with lower sides to aid stiff legs.
  • They may also find grooming more difficult, so you may wish to help them by gentle brushing (if they let you).
  • Try to check the cats claws as they may not be using them as much and often the claws become long and thicker and can even grow into the paws pads. If you are unsure about claw clipping ask your vet to help.
  • Sometimes older cats can become confused and disorientated, so make sure they are microchipped in case they get lost. Often confusion and restlessness can be a sign of illness, so be sure to mention this to your vet.
  • Provide a heat pad for your cat, Mr Ringo has one that plugs in and fits in his cat bed.
  • Lastly ensure your cat is having a health check once a year, much better to pick up illness or discomfort sooner rather than later.

Mr Ringo is off to see Dr Sue this month, I like him to have his booster, microchip checked and a urine test to check his kidneys. He also gets weighed (sigh!)

Bye for Meow,  Rachel and Mr Ringo xx

How it all began…..

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I have been running Portsmouth Cat Sitting for 14 years now and people often ask how it all started? It started when two lovely older cats Tam and Giz came into my life. When I met my husband I was a dog person (shoosh! don’t tell any cats), but hubby was a cat man and had a wonderful old cat called Tiger. I instantly fell in love with Tiger and after she passed away we decided to adopt a kitten from the RSPCA. Well after looking for a kitten, we saw two 12 year old tabbies who had been in the rescue centre for 4 months! My hubby wasn’t keen as he was worried they wouldn’t be around for long as they were getting on in years, but I loved them straight away,(well one of them, the other one was hiding). We went home to think on it and if they were still there the following week we would have them.

When we returned they were still there! I was so excited! My husband fell in love with Giz, she was shy but had the most beautiful face we had ever seen on a tabby. She was also very large and needed to go on a diet if she was ever going to squeeze into the catflap! Tam was her sister and was a little slimmer, she came with loads of catitude and I bonded with her straight away. After waiting a week for a home check, we took them home. Tam settled in straight away but Giz took much longer and hid in the conservatory for about a month but would come out for her meals (no surprise there).

One occasion when we were going on holiday we had problems finding family or friends to cat sit and eventually had 3 different people covering the cat feeding and I worried about them when we were away. I then had this idea that someone could start a business in Portsmouth doing cat sitting. I would be happy paying someone to pop in to see my cats everyday and check they were ok and fed. It would be peace of mind while away. If I would be happy paying, surely other people would too?

So the seeds of my business were sown and I later left my job and set up Portsmouth Cat Sitting. My two darling cats were my inspiration and I think of them everyday and thank them for my wonderful job. The cats were 12 years old when we adopted them, we would never know how long we would have them for, Tam lived until she was 19 and Giz was 23!!! She never did lose all the weight but she did use the catflap! RIP my girls xxxxx

Tammy or “Tam”
Gizmo, or “The Giz” to her friends