Daily BiscuitsCaring for a senior cat
Cats are considered mature at 7 to 10 and senior over 10 (the 2021 AAHA/AAFP life stages). Common age-related issues are arthritis (often shown as reluctance to jump, not limping), kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, dental disease and cognitive decline. Help with low-sided litter boxes, ramps or steps to favourite perches, soft bedding, easy access to water, twice-yearly vet checks with bloodwork, and gentle daily play to keep weight and mobility up. Weight loss in a senior cat is never ājust ageā and should be investigated.
Source: AAFP Senior Care Guidelines; AAHA/AAFP 2021 Feline Life Stage Guidelines; Cornell Feline Health Center
Senior visits every six months, then every four
The 2021 AAFP Feline Senior Care Guidelines set the visit cadence: cats aged 10 to 15 should be examined at least every six months, and healthy cats over 15 every four months, with bloodwork, urinalysis, blood pressure and thyroid (T4) at least yearly and ideally with each visit. The guidelines also introduce four ācare budgetsā (financial, time, emotional and physical) that owners are encouraged to think about honestly. The Cat Prospective Ageing and Welfare Study (209 cats followed for up to seven years) shows why: average body weight peaks around age 10 (4.8 kg) and falls to 4.3 kg by 16, body condition declines after about 10.5 years, and muscle condition score drops from 30 to 15 between ages 7 and 16. By 14 a cat is more likely underweight than overweight, so the weight goal flips from restriction to preserving muscle with palatable, calorie-dense, high-protein food in smaller, more frequent meals.
Source: AAFP 2021 Feline Senior Care Guidelines; Cat Prospective Ageing and Welfare Study (CPAWS)
Kidneys, thyroid and cognition in older cats
Three conditions define senior cat care and all are common enough to screen for rather than wait for. Chronic kidney disease affects up to 40% of cats over 10 and around 80% over 15 (Cornell); early signs are drinking and urinating more, weight loss and dilute urine, and Cornellās home rule is that water intake above one ounce per pound of body weight a day suggests a problem. Hyperthyroidism, the most common hormonal disease of older cats, affects at least 6% of cats over nine and around 10% of older cats; the classic picture is weight loss with a good or ravenous appetite, restlessness and night yowling, and 15 to 51% of hyperthyroid cats also have underlying kidney disease. Feline cognitive dysfunction screened positive in 13% of cats aged eight and over in a 615-owner survey, with inappropriate vocalisation (40%) the most common sign, followed by disorientation and changed sleep. Each of these is why the guidelines add T4, bloodwork and blood pressure to every senior visit.
What a senior health screen actually finds
In 549 cats aged 8 and over (median 13.5 years) brought for routine screening, hyperthyroidism was found in 19.2%, azotaemic chronic kidney disease in 11.4%, hypertension in 7.1%, severe dental disease in 6.1% and bacteria in the urine of 9.7% of samples tested; a few cats had diabetes or suspected cancer. The authors note owners often dismiss the signs as age. The hyperthyroid rate is more than double the 8.7% seen in routine UK primary-care records for cats over 10, which the authors put down to actively looking. A yearly exam with bloods, thyroid and blood pressure from age 8 to 10 is the practical takeaway.
Arthritis is missed in most cats; a checklist finds it
Standard history and physical exam flagged orthopaedic problems in 1% of 502 cats, while the Feline Osteoarthritis Checklist flagged at least one arthritis-consistent behaviour in 39% of 437 cats: 9% under six, 38% at six to twelve, and 71% over twelve. About 60% of cats aged six and over are thought to have degenerative joint disease. Cats rarely limp; they jump less, climb in stages, groom less, sleep more and may miss the litter box. Owners can watch for those changes and raise them at a visit; treatment options include weight control, joint-friendly ramps and steps, and vet-prescribed pain relief.
Source: Gober 2025, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (five US general practices)
Feeding cats over seven: several small meals, wet plus dry
Healthy cats aged seven and over, fed freely at home, ate six to seven small meals a day whatever the food. Daily intake averaged 263 kcal on dry food, 223 on a wet-and-dry mix and 138 on wet food alone; total water intake was 66 g a day on dry, 139 on mixed and 179 on wet. The authors conclude older cats may not reach their energy needs on wet food alone, which matters because muscle loss begins after about ten, and they recommend several small meals a day combining wet and dry.
Kidney disease: when to screen, what SDMA means, and the diet floor
The 2026 guidelines recommend kidney screening from age 7 (annually at 7 to 10, twice a year over 10) using body weight, creatinine, SDMA and urinalysis together, never one marker alone. Subclinical disease is found in about 8% of apparently healthy older cats (15% of seniors), and 24% of healthy cats aged 11 or over become azotaemic within two years. IRIS stages by SDMA are under 18 Āµg/dL (stage 1), 18 to 25 (2), 26 to 38 (3) and over 38 (4); a urine specific gravity below 1.035 suggests reduced concentrating ability. Renal diets contain about 80 to 130 mg phosphorus per 100 kcal against up to 400 to 600 in ordinary foods; they extend survival and reduce crises, but the benefit needs at least half of intake to be the renal diet. Blood pressure goal is under 140 mmHg.
Why does my old cat yowl at night?
New night calling in a cat over 10 is not the dawn-and-dusk energy of a young cat. It is most often disorientation or a call for reassurance from cognitive decline, or a medical driver: an overactive thyroid, high blood pressure, deafness, or joints that make the box and bed hard to reach. About one cat in eight over 8 screens positive for cognitive dysfunction, and vocalising is its commonest sign.
What to do: Vet visit with bloods, thyroid and blood pressure. Then a night-light, a heated bed where she already sleeps, water and a low box on the same floor, and a calm reply when she calls.
When to call the vet
Weight loss in a senior cat is never ājust ageā and should be investigated.
Source: AAFP Senior Care Guidelines; AAHA/AAFP 2021 Feline Life Stage Guidelines; Cornell Feline Health Center
A change that lasts two days is a vet call.
Source: Merola and Mills 2016, PLOS ONE; Evangelista and Steagall 2019, Feline Grimace Scale