Pets - specifically cats related (posting here for traffic) - sense check before I agree to get kittens!

[Losoph]

Kids (10 and 12) want two kittens. We are a family of cat lovers. However, my two elderly cats died (November last year and the year before). I will not go into details as I would have to write a novel and trying to keep it brief, but their senior years were extremely difficult. From dementia (one of the cats- toileting outside the box, unwillingness to come home from the garden due to confusion, general lack of grooming, etc) to the fact that both cats had runny poos for years (vets checked - blood tests, poo tests and all results always used to come back fine- the vets failed to inform me that outdoor cats who hunt can have runny poos due to eating bones, etc).

Here come my question, if you are a cat owner, particularly a senior cat owner (previous owner) - are your seniors easy? No toileting issues, no dramas? I appreciate some health issues as the cats get older but I'm more concerned about the lack of grooming, stepping into their own poo, etc...i wonder if having these issues a norm or not...I hope this will help me make a decision of what to do.

Cats are like people - they are all ages and they all have different issues at different times. Personally none of my elderly cats ever did anything more than go a bit dotty, but it didn't result in poo tracked through the house or frothing at the moon. They were just a bit dotty and slow. Like my parents are getting to be fair!!!

No my seniors didn’t. As an aside purrform lamb mince is a miracle cure for runny poo as is pumpkin powder.

I’ve never personally experienced a senior cat having those kind of issues in my extended family. My oldest surviving cat did suffer with long term cystitis, but it didn’t cause her to wee in the house or anything.

Pets are one of the best parts of life to me so my advice may be wrong - but I would get the kittens. For me it’s worth the trouble in their senior years. My dog died in our living room when she was 16, my children all witnessed it and it was heartbreaking, I swore never again.

But then two years later I realised our home was missing the absolute joy of having a dog and suddenly every happy memory of our last dog completely outweighed the heartbreak of losing her. So we now have a 2 year old dog who brings us so so much fun and joy! I dread going through death again but having him will outweigh it and I’m prepared to go through the senior years again

My parents have a 20 year old cat, she’s a bag of bones but still eating well, still kicks my dad out of his chair once she feels he’s warmed it up enough and still uses the tray. They have a younger cat who’s around 8 and he’s had investigations for sloppy poos! I actually think girl cats are better than boys as I had 2 boy cats who passed at 15 & 16 after months of kidney related illness. Parents had another girl cat back in the 80’s who lived to 21 without any health issues!

Senior cat slave here… he’s 17 and apart from diabetes (which is easily managed with medication in his food once a day) we have no issues at all. Three previous cats all lived to be 20+ and no issues with those either. Do it!

Yeah, because elderly dogs never develop health and behavioural issues. Perfect choice for a family of cat lovers.

OP, my last cat was pretty dilapidated by the time he died at 14 (I know cats can live much older but he seemed ancient by then). He just used to dribble a bit and he stopped grooming himself so we had to groom him more. But no issues with toileting or dementia.

Cats are like people some sickly some are not! Go and adopt a couple of kittens from the local charity and have done with it ☺️

Please could you tell me a bit more about the diabetes medication? I was under the impression the only medication available is daily injections? Thank you and best of luck you your kitty ❤️

No, senior years are not always easy with cats. But I have loved all my cats and have always done everything I can to give them a happy healthy long life. My last cat lived to 18 and she was very poorly for her last years, but I wouldn't change a moment. She had to be PTS earlier this year and I miss her every day.

My first cat lived til he was 19 and only went to the toilet outside the litter tray the day before he was PTS. He was scruffy and thin and needed kidney friendly diet but apart from that no problems at all.

We lost our 19 year old much loved cat in January. By the end she was totally deaf and did have a habit of doing her morning pop on the mat by the front door (thankfully never runny!) - we just had 3 mats in rotation so every day a clean one was put down and the soiled one thrown in the washing machine with antibacterial wash.

We were all heartbroken when we lost her- kids aged 9 and 12 and she was all they knew.

3 weeks ago we took on 2 kittens (brother and sister) from a local rescue and haven’t looked back! Do it, get the kittens!

Shoutout to Catitude Rescue!

https://catituderescue.com

Kitten spam!

My last 3 cats have all lived to 20+ years, it was hard seeing them slow down but apart from the odd litter tray accident and getting more vocal, they were no more hard work than when they were younger.
All were rescues and I loved knowing that they were safe with me till their last days.

i have known two friends with elderly cats who drool everywhere constantly due to tooth loss

one of them now doesnt wuite realise she isnt in the litter tray and she is woken up to a stench during the night. She puts towels and puppy pads down around the box every night.

My 2 elderly girls (17.5yrs) are still thriving. One has thyroid issues but has lived well on medication for nearly 5 years. The other has 4 teeth and is a bit dribbly, but fine. Not toileting issues.

One is becoming a bit vocal so I am wondering about cognitive decline. But they are a joy. They are litter sisters and have a great relationship.

Would definitely have 2 kittens / cats again.

Our eldest (of four!) is late middle aged (11.5 yrs) and she's still like she ever was except a bit tubbier as she steals the kitten's food. When she gets old and doddery we will do all we can for her to keep her happy and healthy.

I would not hestitate to get the kittens. It will be years before they're old and by then the difficulties you went through with previous senior cats will be a distant memory. There is no guarantee your the new cats would go through the same issues anyway, and you could be depriving yourself of years of pleasure on the off chance that they will have these problems too.

Our cat only started going downhill from 19 and that last year was difficult, emotional and really put me off getting another one. She was irreplaceable really.

However a few years later we got one and she's an absolute delight. Only 5 now and completely different to our other one despite being brought up the same but they're part of the family and I wouldn't be without. It felt really odd not having a cat around for the few years we didn't.

All my cats when older didn’t have the issues you had.

This isn't going to be popular, but cats don't enjoy not being clean and often the time has come to PTS. My very fluffy male, now eight years old, hunts rats and we have to occasionally clean him/do hygiene trims. Get the kittens, if it will fit in with your plans for the next 12-16 years. In ten years you can holiday whenever you want, but you'll have cats to board, possibly, so outside school holidays, won't be any cheaper.

We currently have a 19 year old and a 15 year old. The 19 year old sleeps and drools a lot and doesn't go out any more but still toddles to the litter tray and has a good appetite. For sleeping (and drooling) he's got his favourite cardboard box with a hole cut into it so he can walk straight in. The 15 year old has been blind for nearly 4 years but never stepped in his poo and has only just started to miss the litter tray. We've put the trays on puppy pads to catch any mishaps. I think there's some cognitive decline beginning as he's started shouting a lot in the past few weeks.
Other cats have gone quite quickly or been pts (cancers or kidney problems). One had a heart attack at about 18 when she was climbing out of the window which I think was a good way to go.

Ive had 10 cats over the years. Id say about 50% were easy. My current 16 year old is very good. She used to pee round the house when she was young and never does now. My last one would poo under the sofa a lot and had chronic diarrhoea but I loved them dearly and it was my privilige to care for them in their last years.
Old cats have special personalities.
All but two lived to 20.
They did cost a fair bit at the vets. Madam here cost me £4000 having radioactive iodine for her thyroid but she's cured now.

MrCat is 15yo, minus 1 canine and another tooth, still hunts and eats his occasional catches. He’s not very bouncy any more, and getting up on our laps can be quite an effort. He still climbs up for his dose of adoration and to chill with us. He’s stiffer and cannot groom his lower back. Fortunately he loves being groomed. He’s definitely lost condition.

He had to have surgical treatment for entropion on both eyes, which was covered by our insurance. I’m cancelling the insurance this year, as it is now over £1K and he has reached the age and condition when we would not put him through prolonged treatment. Treating the entropions distressed him a lot. It was the right thing to do at the time, but I’m not sure I’d put him through surgery again.

We’ve switched to mostly raw food for him, as we think it best at his age. He still gets one processed meal every day so that he will be used to it when we go away. We don’t want the petsitter leaving raw food out for several hours at a time.

Yes, I understand health problems, my younger cat died of kidney failure at the age of 16. I appreciate cats like humans do get old and can get ill.