Cats can live until a ripe old age if their owners show much care, concern, love, and affection at every phase of their lives.
While every stage has challenges in its own right, the senior phase of life requires special attention from the cat parent fraternity. This is because a cat entering senior years often has different needs altogether.
A fur companion’s behavior can significantly change and so do its dietary requirements, ability to exercise, the number of hours it engages in play and sleep, physical health, litter box usage habits, and much more as it transitions from an adult to a senior cat.
Cat owners should make the required changes in their home setup and provide their senior felines with all they need to ensure peaceful final years. At the same time, they must consider being prepared with cheap pet insurance so they don’t need to think twice about providing medical care during unexpected health scenarios and medical emergencies.
Cat parents should contemplate purchasing cat insurance early on in their pet’s life because pet insurers don’t cover pre-existing medical conditions, and older cats are more vulnerable to chronic ailments that often require expensive treatments.
Reflect on purchasing a policy; in the meantime, read this article to learn how you can help your kitty entering its last leg of life.
- Cats require special diets and nutritional supplements if need be during the senior phase of their lives. They should maintain an optimum weight to lead a comfortable life with little health troubles. Seek your vet’s opinion and stick to their advice on health and lifestyle in the best interests of your furry best friend.
- To avoid urinary tract infections, renal disorders, tummy upsets, constipation, and other gastrointestinal issues, provide your kitty with access to fresh water at all times. Drinking water sufficiently ensures hydration and smooth functioning of the urinary system. You can incorporate significant portions of wet food into the diet so your senior cat gets some water from it.
- Felines are good at hiding pain and discomfort; often, their distress is discovered only on the vet’s table or after running diagnostic tests for potential health issues. Overweight and obese cats are more likely to suffer from arthritis and other orthopedic problems. Monitor your senior cat’s weight so you know when calories are adding up more than necessary.
- Pain in the teeth and gums, broken teeth, loose teeth, tumors in the mouth, and various other dental diseases can adversely affect a senior cat’s quality of life. You may never know when superficial infections transition to severe health issues, so let regular dental checkups be on top of your list.
- Provide your senior pet with a comfy bed that helps those sore joints rest, elevated food tables so it doesn’t have to strain its neck to eat food or drink water, a ramp instead of stairs so it can conveniently walk up and down places, and place litter boxes in accessible locations.
Do all that is possible in your capacity. Also, consider being prepared with cheap pet insurance in the least so your senior feline is covered for basic health benefits during testing times of health and emergencies.
Cat insurance can be that financial hand of comfort you may be looking for when unexpected illnesses take a toll on your furry pet’s health and vet bills seem to be soaring. Contemplate purchasing a policy so you and your pet can win the battle against pain and sickness.
