Cats who are between 8 and 11 years old are usually considered middle aged and cats over 12 years old are considered senior. As years go by, there are quite a few changes you can expect to see in your older cat.

The first thing owners usually notice is that their cat seems to have slowed down a bit, being less energetic and spending more time napping in warm spots.Their eyesight and hearing may progressively deteriorate and their coat often loses shine. Their skin also becomes less elastic and it’s not uncommon for white hairs to appear.

There are several things you can do to help your older cat enjoy its golden years living a happy, active and fulfilling life.

Diet

Some cats might put on weight as they get older, since they are much less active while others might lose weight. This could be due to the fact that cats lose their appetite along with their sense of smell or due to some underlying medical condition. There are specially formulated senior diets available and prescription diets (if necessary) that can be of great help. Talk to your vet about the best option for your cat’s particular case.

Comfort

Older cats greatly appreciate a soft, warm and comfortable bed, preferably in a quiet place of the house. Litter boxes, food, water, sleeping spots and hiding places should be available and easily accessible to your cat.

It’s very common for older cats to suffer from arthritis or degenerative joint disease, a chronic painful condition that often causes mobility issues. If you cat suffers from arthritis having food and water bowls slightly raised from the ground can be very helpful. Litter boxes should also be large and low sided, in order for the cat to be able to get in and out of the box without any difficulties.

Take the time to help your cat with grooming, as older cats tend to groom themselves less and will benefit from the extra help. It’s also important to keep an eye on their claws. Since older cats are much less active their claws can grow too long and because they are curved, they can even grow into the cat’s paw. For this reason, in some cases, it might be necessary to regularly trim their claws.

Health care

Common health problems of older cats include arthritis, dental disease, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, lumps or growths (which can turn out to be either harmless or cancerous), dementia and reduced brain functions.

It is recommended for senior cats to keep up their vaccination and worming plans and to visit the vet for check-ups twice a year. It is not uncommon for owners to assume that a certain health issue is related to your cat’s advanced age when it could actually be due to a treatable medical condition.

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Kennel cough, or infectious tracheobronchitis, is a highly infectious disease of dogs that affects their upper respiratory tract. The most common clinical sign is a persistent, dry, hacking cough but some dogs can become depressed, develop a temperature and even present sneezes and a running nose.

Kennel cough is just a general term for contagious upper respiratory tract infection as this disease can be caused by several agents, both viral and bacterial. The most common pathogens involved are a bacteria called Bordetella and a virus called Parainfluenza.

Kennel cough is not a dangerous disease and has a very good prognosis. Most dogs will recover fully in a few weeks without any treatment. However, this disease can become more serious for vulnerable groups of pets such as very young or very old dogs and dogs that may be debilitated due to some other disease.

Despite the fact that dogs can handle the infection on their own treatment can help reduce the duration of the disease, the general discomfort and make the cough less severe.

This disease is highly contagious and will quickly spread between dogs that are in close contact with one another. The infectious particles (bacterial or viral) will travel in small droplets of fluids and mucus of affected dogs and they will spread it when they cough or sneeze. For this reason it is highly recommended not to mix a dog when he or she is sick with other dogs.

Any occasion that might involve gathering several dogs such as puppy parties, dog shows or staying in kennels is an excellent opportunity for the disease to spread around. Since the agent can survive in a dog’s environment for a long time, dogs can even get infected by walking through an area where an infected dog has been.

The best way to prevent your dog from getting kennel cough is to vaccinate against the disease. The vaccine is a bit different from regular vaccines as it is given as drops into the dog’s nose (intranasal). The vaccine is not 100% effective but it is recommended if your dog is going regularly into kennels, if it frequently comes in contact with other dogs or if you have many dogs in your household. Most kennels will not let you board your dog if or she is not vaccinated against kennel cough.

Most of you have probably heard of toxoplasmosis. It is a disease of cats caused by a microscopic parasite called Toxoplasma gondii that can affect humans. Although cats are the parasite’s definitive host, it can also affect most warm blood animals.

This parasite is extremely well adapted to its host and most cats infected with toxoplasmosis do not show any signs. Cats usually become infect by eating raw or uncooked meat containing T gondii cysts. This can happen when they hunt for rodents for example.

The disease also goes unnoticed in most affected humans, causing in some cases just mild flu symptoms. This disease can be more serious if the affected human has a compromised immune system, such as someone undergoing treatment for cancer for example, the very young or the elderly. The parasite can also affect pregnant women’s unborn babies. For these reasons, toxoplasmosis raises understandable concerns.

It is important to clarify that a human is far more likely to get toxoplasmosis from unwashed fruits and vegetables, consuming undercooked or cured meat, and from touching its mouth while gardening than from being in contact with a cat. The disease is not passed on by stroking a cat or through a cat’s bites and scratches.

The feline immune system responds very quickly after infection and cats will shed oocysts in their faeces for 10 to 14 days after being exposed to the disease. The oocysts become infectious one to five days after being passed and we can only be infected if we ingest these infectious oocysts. After a cat’s first infection they are very unlikely to shed oocysts again in their lifetime and if that does happen they will shed a very low number of oocysts.

If a few basic hygiene preventative measures are followed the risks are reduced even more and you have nothing to fear from your cat. These recommendations are especially important if you belong to one of the vulnerable groups (being immunocompromised, being pregnant or considering getting pregnant):

• Make sure you cook all meat thoroughly and avoid eating cured meats
• Please don’t forget to washall cooking utensils and surfaces that came in contact with any uncooked meat
• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove any traces of soil
• Use gloves when gardening and wash your hands afterwards.
• Don’t feed your cat raw or uncooked meat and if possible, try to discourage him or her from hunting rodents and birds.
• Ask someone to clean your cat’s litter box for you. If this is not possible wear gloves and wash your hands afterwards. The litter box should be scooped every day and litter trays should be regularly disinfect using hot water.

If you have any questions about toxoplasmosis contact your vet and ask for advice.

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