Proactive Care for Senior Cats
November 3, 2025
Dr. Jamie Wells
Age is not a disease: this much is true for humans and felines alike. However, cats of advanced age are frailer than their younger counterparts, which makes them more likely to suffer from illness, chronic pain, and decreased quality of life.1 Cats age at an accelerated rate compared to their human caretakers, which necessitates a careful watch for changes which can clue us into medical problems. Proactive management of these diseases can significantly prolong both quality and quantity of life, so understanding the recommended preventative care and monitoring is particularly important for senior cat caretakers.
Veterinary Visits and Diagnostics
Most veterinarians will recommend a minimum of biannual examinations for senior cats, or even more frequently for cats with known disease. While the age at which cats should be considered “senior” is a hot topic of debate, generally most veterinarians will recommend increasing the frequency of wellness visits starting at seven to ten years of age. These regular evaluations allow for prompt discovery of changes in vital signs (e.g. weight, heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature), body and muscular condition, and changes to body systems that could be indicative of disease. Each veterinary physical exam is standardized to include an evaluation of the eyes and ears, mouth and teeth, lymph nodes, thyroid gland, cardiac and respiratory systems, abdominal cavity, skin and coat, bones and joints, and rectum. Changes found on physical examination may prompt additional diagnostics to screen for disease.
Regular preventative lab work is recommended to evaluate for changes which may not be immediately evident or to detect subtle changes before they appear on physical exam. A basic panel should include a complete blood count to detect changes in white and red blood cells, a serum biochemistry panel to assess metabolic and organ health, and urinalysis to evaluate kidney health in conjunction with blood values. A thyroid hormone level is also useful in cats given their propensity for hyperthyroidism. Cats with exposure to the outdoors should have a fecal screen and feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency (FeLV/FIV) testing, given increased risk of exposure. Ideally, this group of tests is performed at least annually. Most veterinarians are able to bundle these tests while sending them out to the laboratory to secure a better price for the cat owner.
Finally, monitoring of blood pressure is recommended to screen for hypertension in cats ten years or older.1 While blood pressure measurement can be more challenging in pets than in humans, it should still be considered an essential vital sign and should be monitored during wellness exams given the risk for organ damage from uncontrolled hypertension, which can present with acute onset blindness, kidney failure, or stroke.
Weight and Appetite Monitoring
One of the simplest and most cost-effective tools to monitor for early changes in your senior cat is your bathroom scale! Simply weigh yourself and then weigh yourself while holding your cat and subtract the difference to calculate your cat’s approximate weight. Monitor about once a month to track your cat’s normal weight value and watch for unintentional weight gain (which could necessitate diet change to avoid obesity) or loss (which could be indicative of early disease or nutritional deficiency). If you are actively working on a weight gain or weight loss program, weigh your cat more frequently (once or twice weekly) to evaluate for the desired change.
Similarly, evaluating your cat’s appetite daily is an excellent (and free!) monitoring tool. Decreases in appetite lasting more than a few days, or complete inappetence lasting any longer than 12-24 hours should prompt a veterinary visit. Increases in appetite can also indicate disease such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or chronic gastrointestinal disease.
Litter Box Habits
Clean the litter box at least once daily to keep track of your kitty’s normal output. Increases in urine clumps (often noted alongside increases in thirst or time spent at the water bowl) are often an early sign of kidney failure, hyperthyroidism, or diabetes. Be on the lookout for small, hard stools, as they can be an indicator of constipation, which is often associated with underlying dehydration. Straining at the litter box and a complete inability to urinate should be treated as an emergency and prompt immediate veterinary attention.
Pain Management
Orthopedic (joint) pain is incredibly common in cats as they age. Over 60% of cats age six and older have evidence of degenerative joint disease in at least one joint, increasing to over 80% in cats over fourteen years.2 Changes in movement patterns and activity levels generally involve a very gradual change, which makes it challenging to make note. Evaluation by a veterinarian can be useful in pointing out changes if it is difficult for owners to evaluate fully at home. Indications of joint pain include hesitation in jumping up or down from elevated surfaces, stiff gait, lameness (limping), decreased activity levels, elongated claws from decreased use of scratching posts, urinating or defecating outside of the litterbox, and changes in interactions with human and animal family members.
Other sources of pain include oral/dental pain, abdominal pain (from gastrointestinal disease, kidney disease, urogenital disease, or cancer), sources of infection, and nerve pain.
Dental Care
Seventy percent of cats have some level of dental disease starting at just age two!1 By the time cats reach advanced age, they often have significant build-up of calculus (plaque) and tartar, which serve as a source of chronic inflammation and pain. Long-term dental disease can lead to tooth root infection, tooth loss, damage to the jaw, and can contribute to systemic disease in other organs.
Complete evaluation of the oral cavity requires general anesthesia, which can be nerve-wracking for senior cat owners. Your veterinarian can evaluate for safety under anesthesia with physical examination, particularly evaluation of the heart and lungs, as well as with monitoring blood work values. Even cats with comorbidities, including kidney failure and heart disease, can be safely anesthetized with careful selection of drug protocols and monitoring. Age is NOT considered a reason to avoid a dental procedure in your cat. Cat caretakers often note significant increased quality of life following a dental procedure in which diseased teeth are removed, and the healthy teeth are cleaned and polished.
Nutrition
Senior cats have increased calorie and protein needs relative to adult cats.3 Cats with certain diseases may require modified diets. For example, cats with chronic kidney disease benefit from restricted phosphorus content and cats with heart disease may benefit from sodium restriction. The best diet option for the senior cat is an extremely individual evaluation which incorporates the cat’s body and muscular condition scores, overall health status, specific nutrient requirements, flavor and texture preferences, and owner budget.
The addition of supplements for joint health, behavior, gut health, and urinary health should be discussed with your veterinarian. Omega-3 fatty acids can be helpful for older cats suffering from osteoarthritis, dermatological disease, chronic kidney disease, and cardiac disease. Not all supplements are safe or effective for cats, and they can often be quite expensive over time, so it is recommended to inquire about supplement sourcing and appropriate dosing with a veterinarian prior to start.
Unfortunately, cats tend to visit the veterinarian only half as much as dogs, with about one-third of cats not seeing a veterinarian even once per year.4 This gap leaves a significant number of cats, especially senior cats, susceptible to illness and pain which can be appropriately treated, extending quality and quantity of life. Screening with diagnostic labs alongside home monitoring for changes in weight and appetite, litter box habits, and watching for evidence of pain can lead to early detection of disease. Optimizing the senior cat’s health by taking into consideration their nutrition and dental care will further benefit their long-term health. By equipping the cat caretaker with knowledge of clinical signs of disease and combining veterinary care with at-home monitoring, a significant number of senior and geriatric cats can live longer, healthier, and more active lives.
Sources
- Ray M, Carney HC, Boynton B, et al. 2021 AAFP feline senior care guidelines. J Feline Med Surg. 2021;23:613-638.
- Bennett D, Zainal Ariffin SM, Johnston P. Osteoarthritis in the cat: 1. How common is it and how easy to recognize? J Feline Med Surg. 2012 Jan; 14(1): 65-75.
- Laflamme D, Gunn-Moore D. Nutrition of aging cats. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2014 Jul; 44(4): 761-774.
- Rodan I, Sparkes AH. Preventive Health Care for Cats. The Cat. 2012: 151-180.