Cats are living longer than ever due to improved veterinary care and nutrition, but cognitive and physical aging presents specific welfare challenges that owners and vets increasingly need to understand and address.
Senior cat welfare is among the most active frontiers in companion animal medicine, driven by the reality that millions of cats are now living into their late teens with conditions that cause chronic, often underappreciated pain. An arthritic cat that appears simply to be moving less is not necessarily ageing gracefully — it may be in significant continuous pain that effective veterinary intervention could substantially reduce. The chronic underdiagnosis of feline arthritis in particular represents a large-scale welfare gap: most owners do not recognise the signs, most cats do not vocalise pain, and the consultation time required to identify subtle mobility changes is limited in busy practices. Proactive monitoring, owner education, and appropriate analgesia for senior cats represent high-impact, accessible welfare interventions.