Aug 16 2009
Caring for an older cat
When I was younger we had cats but they never seemed to live long enough to die of old age. Some of them decided to live with neighbors and since we lived on a main road, many were killed by cars. It has only been the last 20 years of my life that I have been fortunate enough to have several cats for their entire long lives.
I have now become accustom to what to look for in an older cat that is getting closer to the end of their lifespan. They get thinner and I provide more canned cat food for them as they can’t seem to gain any weight. Their coats get thinner and harsher. The shine they once had, is diminishing. I think it has a lot to do with the fact they don’t lick themselves as much as they use to. If they are an outdoor cat, they stay very close to the house.
Our oldest cat, Boots, is about 16 years old and has gone blind. She can see things only very close up and she stays on our back porch. In the past few weeks I have noticed she is starting to drop some weight. I make sure she eats all of her food everyday. I’ll take time to brush her since I haven’t seen her groom herself in some time now. She likes to sleep all day and most of the night. I can tell her body is slowing down.
The whole family will miss boots when she is gone. She is my daughter’s first cat. Boots showed up pregnant on our doorstep 11 years ago and never left.
Cats adapt really well. If your cat is healthy and fit she should be alright with her accompanying you on your trips. It might take her a week to adjust to her new surroundings. It would probably better to take her with you than leave her with a cat sitter or boarded. She would undergo unnecessary stress at missing you.