Crating A Senior Cat?

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shieara

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I would give it a shot since you already have the crate. I'll second a pet heating pad to make it cozy if it's not too expensive.

Also, I am not sure if this will help but when my older girl was having litterbox issues I used Cat Attract litter, which was expensive as all get-out but helped get her back in the habit.
 
amethyst

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I think the crate is worth a try. My last two cats I had in big dog crates when I first got them (one was feral the other a very scared and sick stray). It actually worked out great for my cats, though it was only temporary. The sick stray, Nessie, was actually in the crate most of the time for a few months, with just supervised time out of the crate in the room. Here are pictures of my crate setups.
 
danteshuman

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I would try the crate and a few other things. I would let her out with supervision every day (leaving the cage door open.) I would also buy or create a very large 3 sided litter box. Put the litter kinda piled in the back, away from the open side. I would put a puppy pad in front to catch extra litter, just in cas
 
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NewHorseMommy

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amethyst said:
I think the crate is worth a try. My last two cats I had in big dog crates when I first got them (one was feral the other a very scared and sick stray). It actually worked out great for my cats, though it was only temporary. The sick stray, Nessie, was actually in the crate most of the time for a few months, with just supervised time out of the crate in the room. Here are pictures of my crate setups.
Click to expand...
That's kind of what I had in mind. I even have a tiny carrier that could go inside if she wanted to sleep in there. And there's room for a small cat tree as well.
 
neely

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I thought I would mention a different type of treatment available for arthritis that does not involve using medicine, i.e. laser therapy. It was suggested to us by our vet since our cat also has arthritis. It may not be suitable for your cat but I wanted to offer it as an alternative suggestion or perhaps in conjunction with medication:
Why Fewer Cats Have Laser Therapy - CatWatch Newsletter Article

Best of luck, please keep us posted on her progress. :heartshape:
 
Talien

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Oh, missed the arthritis part. I've found the Assisi loop works rather well for pain and inflammation, I've even used it to treat stomatitis in a Cat I was fostering as an alternative to having all of her teeth pulled.
Assisi Animal Health
 
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You might want to drape a blanket over one end of the crate or over most of it to help keep her warm. At her age she probably needs more help staying warm than the younger ones, almost a kitten like need. Our cat takes dasuquin, which makes her almost as agile as a cat without arthritis. But she remains uninclined to climb curtains or make jump-downs greater than 3 - 3 1/2 feet.
 
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NewHorseMommy

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Update! We tried the crate last night. She hated it for about the first hour. She calmed down some when we fed her, and after she couldn't figure out her new cat cave I took it out and gave her the old cat bed back. Then I pointed the space heater at her and she was in heaven :) Her digestive issues have been resolved with the new food and she has been using the cat box in the crate.

If this continues to go well, I will likely buy her a multi-level cat playpen and put it in front of one of the windows so she can watch outside and lie in the sun as well.

She seemed to figure out pretty quickly that none of the other cats can bother her in there and that it's warmer than where she's been hiding!
 
tarasgirl06

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NewHorseMommy said:
Update! We tried the crate last night. She hated it for about the first hour. She calmed down some when we fed her, and after she couldn't figure out her new cat cave I took it out and gave her the old cat bed back. Then I pointed the space heater at her and she was in heaven :) Her digestive issues have been resolved with the new food and she has been using the cat box in the crate.

If this continues to go well, I will likely buy her a multi-level cat playpen and put it in front of one of the windows so she can watch outside and lie in the sun as well.

She seemed to figure out pretty quickly that none of the other cats can bother her in there and that it's warmer than where she's been hiding!
Click to expand...
Your post give me -- and many besides, I'm sure -- a wonderful end to today's online experience. Best to you and to her!:yess::hearthrob::lovecat::hearthrob:
 
Talien

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NewHorseMommy said:
Update! We tried the crate last night. She hated it for about the first hour. She calmed down some when we fed her, and after she couldn't figure out her new cat cave I took it out and gave her the old cat bed back. Then I pointed the space heater at her and she was in heaven :) Her digestive issues have been resolved with the new food and she has been using the cat box in the crate.

If this continues to go well, I will likely buy her a multi-level cat playpen and put it in front of one of the windows so she can watch outside and lie in the sun as well.

She seemed to figure out pretty quickly that none of the other cats can bother her in there and that it's warmer than where she's been hiding!
Click to expand...
A bigger playpen is an excellent idea. That's probably what will be best for her, and for you since it would be one less thing to stress over.
 
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NewHorseMommy

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I thought I would post a final update :) The crate did not work out in the long run. I think she was getting depressed, and she was having a harder time staying clean due to the lack of space. Plus, I didn't like keeping her in the crate. I bought a EXTRA long baby gate off of Amazon and we'll be confining her to the kitchen instead with puppy pads. On the plus side, the food we switched her to (Blue Basics duck and potato) has resolved all of her digestive issues! And she's back on the gabapentin for her arthritis.
 
tarasgirl06

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NewHorseMommy said:
I thought I would post a final update :) The crate did not work out in the long run. I think she was getting depressed, and she was having a harder time staying clean due to the lack of space. Plus, I didn't like keeping her in the crate. I bought a EXTRA long baby gate off of Amazon and we'll be confining her to the kitchen instead with puppy pads. On the plus side, the food we switched her to (Blue Basics duck and potato) has resolved all of her digestive issues! And she's back on the gabapentin for her arthritis.
Click to expand...
Good news all the way around! *SNORGLES* on her :catlove:
 
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