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The Cat Care Clinic’s Wellness Program for the Older Adult Cat

WHY

Why is preventative health care so important, especially for the older adult cat? Most health problems in cats occur during the first six months of life, or in the "golden years". These health problems are usually treatable, and even if not curable, your cat can have a high quality of life for many additional years with a combination of veterinary and home care. With our geriatric program, we regularly monitor older cats in order to detect problems early - when they can be best managed or treated. In addition to increasing the quality of life for your older cats, you benefit by having controlled health care costs since early disease detection is less costly than treating a cat during a crisis episode.

WHAT

The Cat Care Clinic’s Wellness Program provides you with written information individualized for your cat, as well as follow up phone consultations to discuss test results and follow-up recommendations. The program consists of the following:

Veterinary care

We follow the recommendations of the American Association of Feline Practitioners for delivering optimal feline preventative healthcare. The following is a brief overview of the guidelines, with detailed information as to how these benefit you and your cat on the additional pages:

  1. Comprehensive physical examinations
  2. Diagnostic testing
  3. Managing Common Geriatric Diseases
  4. Dentistry
  5. Nutritional Advice
  6. Public Health Concerns and Infectious Diseases
  7. Client Education
  8. When it is time to say goodbye

Home Care

  1. Love and attention
  2. Preventing illness when possible
  3. Making a comfortable and safe environment for the older cat
  4. Good nutrition
  5. Dental home care
  6. Nursing Care
  7. Recognizing signs of illness
  8. Understanding what you and your veterinarian can do to help care for your cat by obtaining advice for home and medical care

Please ask or call for more information on the program, and to discuss your cat's care. Our doctors and staff are available to help you give your cat the best chance for a comfortable and long life.
 
 

- OVER -

WHEN - How old is old?

Old age is not a disease. As with people, the age at which a cat becomes "geriatric" varies. A cat becomes "geriatric" between the ages of seven and eleven. The average cat’s life span has been twelve to fifteen years of age. However, with improved health care, we are seeing many cats between fifteen and twenty years of age. A few of our patients have reached their 24th birthday! According to surveys conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association Center for Information Management, the percent of owned cats six years of age and over has risen from 24% in 1983 to just over 47% in 1996 – nearly a two-fold increase in 13 years.

How old is my cat in human years?
 

Cat’s age Human’s age Cat’s age  Human’s age
3 months 2-3 years 10 years 60 years
6 months 14 years 11 years 62 years
1 year 18 years 12 years 63 years
2 years 24 years 13 years 68 years
3 years 30 years 14 years 72 years
4 years 35 years 15 years 74 years
5 years 39 years 16 years 76 years
6 years 41 years 17 years 78 years
7 years 45 years 18 years 80 years
8 years 48 years 19 years 82 years
9 years 55 years 20 years 85 years


 

The veterinary health care team at the Cat Care Clinic is committed to strengthening and protecting the unique bond that exists between people and their cats by providing exceptional service and medical expertise in a warm and compassionate atmosphere of healing.

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