Senior cats face multiple age-related health challenges. Quality of life assessment guides both medical management and end-of-life decisions.
Senior cat welfare requires proactive management of multiple age-related conditions, most of which are treatable and many of which cause significant pain when unmanaged. The key welfare challenge is recognition - cats mask illness effectively, and owners often attribute signs of pain and disease to normal ageing. Regular senior health checks, proactive pain assessment and quality of life monitoring are the foundations of good geriatric cat care.