Senior cats require proactive preventive care and regular monitoring to detect and manage the multiple conditions that affect quality of life in older age.
Senior cat welfare is disproportionately compromised by the attribution of disease signs to normal ageing. Hyperthyroidism causing weight loss and hyperactivity, CKD causing reduced appetite and increased drinking, and arthritis causing reduced grooming and activity are all treated as inevitable ageing when they are conditions requiring management. The welfare cost of unrecognised disease in senior cats is years of unnecessary discomfort that responds well to treatment. Early detection through regular senior wellness screens allows intervention before significant decline, maintaining quality of life at a level that is genuinely achievable for most conditions affecting older cats.