Cats age gracefully but silently suffer from multiple age-related conditions. Proactive senior wellness care dramatically improves quality of life in the final years of a cat's life.
Senior cat welfare suffers from both the medical complexity of aging and the stoic nature of cats that conceals suffering until advanced. A cat who stops jumping to her favorite perch may have osteoarthritis severe enough to make jumping painful; a cat who grooms less may have dental disease causing oral pain; a cat who sleeps more may be experiencing the fatigue of hyperthyroidism or anemia from kidney disease. Wellness-centered senior cat care requires proactive investigation of behavioral changes rather than acceptance of "she's just getting old." The welfare return on adequate management of age-related conditions in senior cats is remarkable: cats who receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment for multiple age-related conditions often experience significant quality of life improvements even in advanced age.