Older Cat Diseases

When you buy a kitten, you generally never think that someday the kitten will get old. However, aging, whether it is in cats or in humans, is natural. Just like in older humans, the chances of older cats developing a geriatric disease increase. To make sure the golden years of your cat remain healthy, it is important to have an understanding of the various older cat diseases that can occur.

Arthritis

When your cat is in its younger years, it can drive you crazy with its incessant jumping and dashing around the house. As cats progress in age, they tend to slow down considerably--part of that is due to arthritis.
Stiffness and limping are two common symptoms of feline arthritis. Although cats rarely show they are in pain, arthritis can indeed be painful for them. Fortunately, a veterinarian can lessen their pain by prescribing various medications.
Because arthritis causes an increased amount of inactivity in cats suffering from it, that also leads to a loss of muscle mass and tone. Arthritic cats usually do not become completely lame, but they often lose weight and urinate in areas other than their litter box. If you have an arthritic cat, be sure to put its food, water and litter box all on one level to facilitate easier access.

Dehydration

It is important that you always keep water within easy access of the cat. As a cat gets older, it often develops a habit of not drinking enough water. This can, in turn, lead to severe dehydration, which results in a compromised immune system and poor circulation.

Hyperthyroidism

This is a common geriatric feline disease and occurs when the thyroid gland becomes overly active. Symptoms of this disease include vomiting, an increase in energy and an increase in appetite but a loss in weight. Hyperthyroidism also sometimes occurs in conjunction with tumors and hypertension.

Kidney Failure

Out of all the organs a cat has in its body, the first to be affected with age are the kidneys. Signs of kidney failure can include frequent urination and drinking. However, these symptoms can also be indicative of other conditions such as hyperthyroidism. It is important to have the cat checked by a veterinarian.

Diabetes

The symptoms of diabetes are similar to kidney failure in that they are often marked by an increase in the amount of water the cat drinks as well as frequent urination. A common geriatric disease amongst cats, diabetes is usually treated by a change in diet (for example, less food if the cat is overweight to begin with) or insulin shots.