Adopting an older cat

nicolina

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We are (hopefully) adding a new member to our family the fall. She's an older cat, eight years old, and is actually the mother of one of our other rescues. [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

I basically just wanted to see if anyone had any tips for me. smile.gif I have a lot of experience with cats, and I have rescued three cats before her, but I've never rescued an older cat.

Is there something special I should think about/do?

I know older cats should have their blood works checked our every year (kidneys, liver etc). Is she in the age group that needs to have that done?

Thanks for the help!

This is her by the way [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

 

sivyaleah

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Older cats are awesome!

We got our first one at 9-1/2 years old.  So mellow, sure of himself, sweet and relaxed.  He just turned 15.  Our younger one, is now about the same age as the cat you may be adopting.  Not quite at the point where she needs more medical attention but we take her anyway since we're already packing the other in the car LOL.

8 years old is considered senior by most standards, although some might be straddling that cross-over due to good health, but surely she'd benefit by having bi-annual visits at this age. All senior cats, ideally, should be seen 2x a year.  As cats age their needs change, just like ours.  

At 8 I bet she will still have lots of energy in her.  Our older one didn't seriously slow down until just a year or so ago.  Our 8 year old still thinks she's a kitten most of the time!

POST EDIT: She's beautiful, I have a softness for the Calicos and Torties 
 
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nicolina

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Older cats are awesome!

We got our first one at 9-1/2 years old.  So mellow, sure of himself, sweet and relaxed.  He just turned 15.  Our younger one, is now about the same age as the cat you may be adopting.  Not quite at the point where she needs more medical attention but we take her anyway since we're already packing the other in the car LOL.

8 years old is considered senior by most standards, although some might be straddling that cross-over due to good health, but surely she'd benefit by having bi-annual visits at this age. All senior cats, ideally, should be seen 2x a year.  As cats age their needs change, just like ours.  

At 8 I bet she will still have lots of energy in her.  Our older one didn't seriously slow down until just a year or so ago.  Our 8 year old still thinks she's a kitten most of the time!

POST EDIT: She's beautiful, I have a softness for the Calicos and Torties 
Thank you for taking the time to answer!
I had an older cat, but he passed away last year, only nine years old. I had him since he was a kitten.

We're catifying our apartment as we speak so hopefully she won't feel too crowded here. She will be our fifth cat so it's really important that we make to most of the space we have. We have already invested in two more cat trees and are planning a cat highway!

I will make sure to take her to the vet (or take the vet to us) regularly. She's quite shy so we will probably have to bring the vet to us. She's a formal feral. But, as I said, we already have her son here and he's full on feral still, so we have experience with that.

She is sooo pretty! Her son looks just like her, but is just white and ginger. I hope he will help her settle into the family. He is a feral, but still very social. He's with us all the time, we just can't touch him. :)
 

MoochNNoodles

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Our vet recommended starting blood work at age 8 to get a baseline.  Will you have access to her previous medical records?  That might be something to let your vet look over if you can. 

Other than that; just giving her a safe loving home should do it!  My 2 are 11 and still run (both have medical issues too!) and play. They might not play as much as when they were babies; but they still enjoy toys and what not.  My grumpy one just learned that my 6 year old child is not so bad after all because DD has started playing with her with a drawstring.  Because of their medical conditions; I do have to buy prescription medication for them.  I use an online pharmacy that has competitive prices. 
 
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nicolina

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Our vet recommended starting blood work at age 8 to get a baseline.  Will you have access to her previous medical records?  That might be something to let your vet look over if you can. 

Other than that; just giving her a safe loving home should do it!  My 2 are 11 and still run (both have medical issues too!) and play. They might not play as much as when they were babies; but they still enjoy toys and what not.  My grumpy one just learned that my 6 year old child is not so bad after all because DD has started playing with her with a drawstring.  Because of their medical conditions; I do have to buy prescription medication for them.  I use an online pharmacy that has competitive prices. 
Thanks for answering! :)
She was rescued from the streets when she was four and has now been in the shelter for four years. I will have the medical records for those four years in the shelter. She's had at least three litters when she was homeless, but I hope that won't have a negative affect on her health.

It's gonna be fun to see how playful she is! I'm not able to meet her since she's in a foster home right now. I'll just have to wait til/if I adopt her!
 

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I saw the subject and just had to reply and say thank you for giving a senior kitty a home :heart4: It always warms my heart when I see that. I even had the pleasure of seeing two 18 year olds get adopted this year at a shelter. Such beautiful creatures.

Anyway, yes, vet visits are recommended every six months for seniors. Not sure if they do a full blood panel every six months or not - two of my senior kitties were sick when I took them in the first time and well, they had blood work way more often than that! My one remaining senior, Maple, will probably be due to go in soon. He may or may not want her to have blood work.
 

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There is on Facebook circulating a sweet story about an 21 year old cat, whom got adopted after it got abandoned at a vet.   The cat certainly enjoys his last year.  And presumably, the adopter too.

Sorrofully, that saga wont last long.  He has a couple of diseases including a tumor, so his days are counted...

Anyways, do not be afraid to adopt older cats.  They do attach to new owners.  If you are friendly to it, heshe does attach and give hishers love back.

Possible health problem is another story.  Some dont have it until the last days, some do have it earlier.
 
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nicolina

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I saw the subject and just had to reply and say thank you for giving a senior kitty a home :heart4: It always warms my heart when I see that. I even had the pleasure of seeing two 18 year olds get adopted this year at a shelter. Such beautiful creatures.

Anyway, yes, vet visits are recommended every six months for seniors. Not sure if they do a full blood panel every six months or not - two of my senior kitties were sick when I took them in the first time and well, they had blood work way more often than that! My one remaining senior, Maple, will probably be due to go in soon. He may or may not want her to have blood work.
Awww! You're so sweet!
 
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nicolina

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There is on Facebook circulating a sweet story about an 21 year old cat, whom got adopted after it got abandoned at a vet.   The cat certainly enjoys his last year.  And presumably, the adopter too.
Sorrofully, that saga wont last long.  He has a couple of diseases including a tumor, so his days are counted...

Anyways, do not be afraid to adopt older cats.  They do attach to new owners.  If you are friendly to it, heshe does attach and give hishers love back.

Possible health problem is another story.  Some dont have it until the last days, some do have it earlier.
That's so sad... But at least the cat gets to live comfortably in a home for however long it has left.
 

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She's  a real beauty, so pretty. Hope you have a long life with her. Cats often live to 18 or 20 years, so she's not a  very old senior.
 

hellomisskitty

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Thanks for starting this thread. I'm planning on adopting a second cat this fall after I go on summer vacation. My intention is to adopt a senior cat and this information is definitely helpful. Thank you!
 
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nicolina

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She's  a real beauty, so pretty. Hope you have a long life with her. Cats often live to 18 or 20 years, so she's not a  very old senior.
Thank you so much!
 
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nicolina

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Thanks for starting this thread. I'm planning on adopting a second cat this fall after I go on summer vacation. My intention is to adopt a senior cat and this information is definitely helpful. Thank you!
That's so exciting! I hope you find the perfect senior cat to add to your family!
 
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nicolina

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Thank you nicolina nicolina ! I would really love to do this ASAP but I have a trip coming up and would not feel good about leaving soon after getting new kitty and resident kitty settled in. Once my vacation is over with, it will be off to the humane society to find a brother or sister for my girl. My only requirement will be that my new fur baby is a senior kitty [emoji]128571[/emoji]
I have to wait until the Autumn too. It's hard having to wait, but you're definitely waiting for a good reason. It wouldn't be wise to leave a newly adopted kitty.

I'm really glad you're getting a senior kitty too! :D
 

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One of my horde is a senior.


This is Tracer. She is almost ten. I got her when she was five, on her way to the pound because her previous owners didn't want a car around their baby. I had a newborn myself at the time, and I knew the tales of cats stealing baby's breath were stupid so if course I said yes! She's the alpha of my car horde and still lively!
 
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nicolina

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One of my horde is a senior.


This is Tracer. She is almost ten. I got her when she was five, on her way to the pound because her previous owners didn't want a car around their baby. I had a newborn myself at the time, and I knew the tales of cats stealing baby's breath were stupid so if course I said yes! She's the alpha of my car horde and still lively!
She's beautiful!
 

mewmommy

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She certainly THINKS she's a baby..her favorite sleep spot is flat on my chest with her face on my shoulder. We bonded quickly, but I'm known for being really good with Animals.
 

MoochNNoodles

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Luckily we have a vet really, really close by, and they to home visits as well!
Our vet just did our first home visit for Mooch and Noodles this week and it was GREAT!  (I haven't seen the bill yet!)  Noodles hasn't had an exam in a year and a half because of her heart and how she stresses with vet visits.  They just started offering home visits recently and I'm so glad.  It made a big difference!  The girls were both calmer so they got better exams.  Noodles didn't get hissy with Mooch like she usually does.  i'm glad more places are starting to offer that! 
 
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nicolina

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Our vet just did our first home visit for Mooch and Noodles this week and it was GREAT!  (I haven't seen the bill yet!)  Noodles hasn't had an exam in a year and a half because of her heart and how she stresses with vet visits.  They just started offering home visits recently and I'm so glad.  It made a big difference!  The girls were both calmer so they got better exams.  Noodles didn't get hissy with Mooch like she usually does.  i'm glad more places are starting to offer that! 
That's so great! Especially since your kitty has a heart problem.

I've only had a home visit once before. It was, sadly, to have my cat euthanised. :( However, it was the best decision I could have made. We were in my bed and I could hold him in my arms. And when it was done, the vet left, and I could be alone right away. (I've had to go home via bus with an empty crate before... It's awful.)

I moved recently and, luckily, the small vet clinic here do offer home visits! One of my cats is a feral and he can't be taken to a vet.
 
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