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Cats usually live longer than most dogs and it is no longer unusual for them to live until 20 or beyond. How long an individual cat will live depends on many factors such as genetics, whether kept indoors or not, type of diet and of course the appropriate veterinary care he/she receives.
The rule of thumb is that at about age 7, a cat is considered to be middle-aged. At age 12 and above, a cat is considered to be in old age.
CAT'S AGE HUMAN AGE EQUIVALENT
6 months............................................................................ 10 years
8 months ........................................................................... 13 years
10 months .......................................................................... 14 years
1 year .............................................................................. 15 years
18 months .......................................................................... 20 years
2 years ............................................................................ 24 years
4 years ............................................................................. 32 years
6 years ............................................................................. 40 years
7 years ..............................................................................44 years
8 years ..............................................................................48 years
10 years ..............................................................................56 years
12 years ............................................................................. 64 years
14 years ..............................................................................72 years
16 years ..............................................................................80 years
18 years ..............................................................................88 years
20 years ..............................................................................96 years
21 years ............................................................................100 years
Middle Aged Examination
As you can see, a seven year old cat is well into his 'forties'. And since one year for a cat is equivalent to four human years, many changes can take place in what for us, is a fairly short period of time. This is a common age for acquired heart disease to show up, often a form of heart muscle deterioration and we would make recommendations for further evaluation if we had a suspicion of this. Cats are notorious for "hiding" their disease and this is no more true than for heart disease. There is now a blood screen that can be used to see if further evaluation is warranted and lets us know if the heart is "stressed".
All our regular or annual examinations are booked for 30 minutes so we have lots of time for a good exam as well as discussions with you about preventive and ongoing care.
Senior Cat Examination
At 12 years of age, we recommend a physical exam every 6 months with one of those exams incorporated into our Annual Senior Examination. In addition to a complete examination, we also include looking at the back of the eye, just like your eye doctor does to screen for high blood pressure
We take a thorough history and discuss preventive health care and quality of life issues including discussions of arthritis, gastrointestinal health, weight management and others. All this is included in the routine annual exam and vaccines, once your cat is 12 years old. We book 40 minutes for this appointment to be sure we have enough time to complete the exam and answer your questions. Some procedures may be scheduled at a later date to complete the picture, such as blood pressure measurement, X-rays or ultrasounds.
We also recommend senior blood and urine screening which includes a screen for thyroid, kidneys, liver, acid/base, electrolytes, pancreas, cholesterol, anemia and others too. After the blood results are back - hopefully we can give your cat a clean bill of health. If there are areas of concern, we come up with a workable solution for any treatments that are needed, that works for you, your cat and your schedule.
Other tests that may be warranted based on the exam and blood tests include:
- blood pressure assessment - done very similarly to your own blood pressure, but with some special equipment designed for cats
- xrays
- abdominal ultrasound
With our comprehensive examinations and thorough screening, many health problems which are not readily detected in other ways can be caught early on and appropriate steps taken to ensure continued well-being and a longer life for your cat.
Dr. Sharon Rosenberg
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