One of the most important things we can do as pet owners is to be continually vigilant. Our cat's behaviors may become as commonplace as the carpeting, but they shouldn't be. Our awareness needs to be consistent, every single day, especially with an older animal in the home.
Older cats can have troubles with hearing, eye sight, and balance among so many older things. Like their human counterparts, these changes reflect their advancing age. But sometimes these lifestyle changes come along quickly. This can cause behavioral changes that are subtle. If we're being aware as pet parents, we can catch the changes.
Take Maui, for instance. She's deaf. How do we compensate for her deafness? We gently pat her to wake her up for food and we flick the light switches so we don't startle her. We also tap our hands on the floor when we want her to come to us. The whole family makes an effort not to scare her but rather engage her in different ways since she can't hear us. Yes, we still talk to her constantly and she sometimes talks back. More than anything, Maui needs to be engaged in her silent world.
It wasn't difficult to figure out what worked the best. We just found ways to communicate with her. She still is very vocal although we've noticed that her volume control seems to be broken :) She meows very loudly now whereas she never did before. Of course, she's talking to us. What we've found is that she says "jump" and we don't even ask how high. We just do!
Showing posts with label Activity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Activity. Show all posts
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
8 Ways to Improve your Old Cat's Health Right Now
Want to have immediate impact on your elderly kitty's health immediately? Try the following:
1. Feed a high quality wet food. Forget the grocery store brands. Choose a brand that lists meats in the ingredients first. And limit the cat chow intake too.
2. Add a little water to the wet food with every feeding to make gravy. Some cats are notoriously finicky water drinkers. Boosting their water intake is always a bonus, especially for kidney function.
3. Pitch those plastic cat dishes. Plastic retains the smell of all the food you've put in the bowl. Get a glass dish or bowl and use that instead.
4. Spruce up that water bowl with a cat fountain. Cats fountains encourage kitties to drink and play in the water. Models start at $35.
5. Give kitty a good grooming with a wide comb and brush. Older cats aren't as flexible and sometimes, it's just too much to reach all those spots on the body. Your cat will love the attention as much as you love showering him or her with attention.
6. Clip those claws carefully.
7. Break out the toys for some playtime. Why not give your old kitty a little exercise with a laser light or even a string?
8. Have yourself a good snuggle session with your cat. As kitties age, the might be shy or less inclined to seek you out for attention. A few pats and strokes will remind you both of why you have each other.
1. Feed a high quality wet food. Forget the grocery store brands. Choose a brand that lists meats in the ingredients first. And limit the cat chow intake too.
2. Add a little water to the wet food with every feeding to make gravy. Some cats are notoriously finicky water drinkers. Boosting their water intake is always a bonus, especially for kidney function.
3. Pitch those plastic cat dishes. Plastic retains the smell of all the food you've put in the bowl. Get a glass dish or bowl and use that instead.
4. Spruce up that water bowl with a cat fountain. Cats fountains encourage kitties to drink and play in the water. Models start at $35.
5. Give kitty a good grooming with a wide comb and brush. Older cats aren't as flexible and sometimes, it's just too much to reach all those spots on the body. Your cat will love the attention as much as you love showering him or her with attention.
6. Clip those claws carefully.
7. Break out the toys for some playtime. Why not give your old kitty a little exercise with a laser light or even a string?
8. Have yourself a good snuggle session with your cat. As kitties age, the might be shy or less inclined to seek you out for attention. A few pats and strokes will remind you both of why you have each other.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month
How about that?
November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month. What better way to brighten your own home, lift your spirits, and the life of an animal than by choosing to adopt an already trained, older companion animal?
Did you know that cats are considered senior at 7 years old? And dogs at 5? Pretty amazing but then older animals dietary and physical activity needs change early so it's important for pet parents to be attentive to any little changes in their lives, including the addition of birthdays.
I adopted 2 cats this year as carefully chosen companions for Maui. She was so terribly lonely with the loss of her brother. She's deaf and howled herself and us right up the wall. After contacting a wonderful rescue organization called Friends of Montgomery County Animals, I found O'Malley, a gentle orange tabby who was recovering from being hit by a car. My handsome orange boy did the trick. He became her fast four-legged friend who checked on her, tried to get her drawn into rather undignified playtime, and generally gave her incentive to get out of bed in the morning. A few months later, we adopted Clyde (2 y.o. ragdoll) to help O'Malley shower attention on Maui and be a romping playmate for O'Malley.
Maui is in cat Heaven now. She's got Clyde who she can snuggle up to at the storm door as they gaze out at the world and he piles into her cat bed to keep her warm. He cleans her face, rubs on her, and pays attention to her (including stealing her food!) Another kitty to give Maui reason to get moving each day.
This adoption story has a purpose. These 2 cats aren't old but they didn't have homes. We took them in, retrained, and enjoy them immensely. We've remedied a situation with Maui that was truly heartwrenching. She's a happy girl again. Our animals are literally the center of this household. Hey, they can't open cat food cans for themselves, can they? Must be that opposible thumb thing :)
Here's a link for elderly cat and dog care products that looks really comprehensive: http://www.seniorpetproducts.com/ Pretty easy name - won't be easy to forget.
And here's a link to an article about November being Adopt A Senior Pet Month: http://www.nwsource.com/shopping/pet-stuff/blog/november-adopt-senior-pet-month?cmpid=2342
Cheers!
November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month. What better way to brighten your own home, lift your spirits, and the life of an animal than by choosing to adopt an already trained, older companion animal?
Did you know that cats are considered senior at 7 years old? And dogs at 5? Pretty amazing but then older animals dietary and physical activity needs change early so it's important for pet parents to be attentive to any little changes in their lives, including the addition of birthdays.
I adopted 2 cats this year as carefully chosen companions for Maui. She was so terribly lonely with the loss of her brother. She's deaf and howled herself and us right up the wall. After contacting a wonderful rescue organization called Friends of Montgomery County Animals, I found O'Malley, a gentle orange tabby who was recovering from being hit by a car. My handsome orange boy did the trick. He became her fast four-legged friend who checked on her, tried to get her drawn into rather undignified playtime, and generally gave her incentive to get out of bed in the morning. A few months later, we adopted Clyde (2 y.o. ragdoll) to help O'Malley shower attention on Maui and be a romping playmate for O'Malley.
Maui is in cat Heaven now. She's got Clyde who she can snuggle up to at the storm door as they gaze out at the world and he piles into her cat bed to keep her warm. He cleans her face, rubs on her, and pays attention to her (including stealing her food!) Another kitty to give Maui reason to get moving each day.
This adoption story has a purpose. These 2 cats aren't old but they didn't have homes. We took them in, retrained, and enjoy them immensely. We've remedied a situation with Maui that was truly heartwrenching. She's a happy girl again. Our animals are literally the center of this household. Hey, they can't open cat food cans for themselves, can they? Must be that opposible thumb thing :)
Here's a link for elderly cat and dog care products that looks really comprehensive: http://www.seniorpetproducts.com/ Pretty easy name - won't be easy to forget.
And here's a link to an article about November being Adopt A Senior Pet Month: http://www.nwsource.com/shopping/pet-stuff/blog/november-adopt-senior-pet-month?cmpid=2342
Cheers!
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