Senior Cat Questions..need Advice

[xenathecrazy]

We are considering a beautiful 10yr old, male, Himalayan cat from a cat rescue. He is very laid back and seems to be sweet. I know he could still have several years of life ahead, but I've never owned a senior cat and I'm afraid of the issues that I've read that may arise. My main concern is peeing and pooping outside of the litter box and being bothered by being groomed since he is long haired and will need maintenance.

For those that have had senior cats, is soiling outside the box really a problem that mostly always happens or is it hit or miss? What other things should I be looking at and considering before adopting a senior cat?

His history is that he was kept in a basement and due to age the owner was going to bring him to the Humane Society and the owner himself was going to be put into an assisted living facility. A volunteer saved him and brought him to the rescue and he has been there for several months. He was very shy at first but has come around to people and is a sweet cat. I'd love to give him a home for whatever time he has left of life but I'd also want to know what I'd be getting myself into.
Thank you!

 

[SophieHurley]

Go for it! He sounds a lovely cat bless him. We just lost our fifteen year old Persian and he never once missed the litter tray. He was just sleepier the older he got but we loved him dearly and he gave us many years of happiness. Has he got any known health issues? I'm sure he will be fine for many years to come. Let us know how you get on. I'm still grieving for my boy at mo as we only lost him two months ago.
Wish you all the best xxx

 

[neely]

I'm posting this Article for you about health concerns in aging cats but with some trepidations, i.e. it is only a guide, it does not mean the cat you are considering adopting will have these problems:
Health Concerns In Aging Cats

Although 10 yrs. old is a senior cat he may still have a lot of life left in him and it would be so compassionate of you to give him a chance at his forever home. I thoroughly agree with S SophieHurley - Go for it!

 

[catlover73]

I have had senior cats in my life. I never had any issues with pee or poop outside the litter box myself.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I think you've already wondered about this, but he may be emotionally fragile. Do you have other cats? Is he with other cats at the rescue where you could watch him interact or are they keeping him seperate?

There are a LOT of calming products on the market now with a wide array of different ingredients. Feliway is only one of many.

10 years old isn't ancient, however if he was kept in a basement I'm wondering if he received any health reviews. How are his teeth? Is he up to date on rabies or any other shots? Unless the rescue medicates him with these - (be sure and get the documents if so), I understand there are titers to test if he's been inoculated and thus resistant, to try and avoid overmedicating.

Regarding the rest of his systems and what condition they're in, I would strongly suggest you utilize your own vet and have a thorough checkup done. Teeth as mentioned, eyes, skin...Himmies can be prone to Polycystic kidney disease, there's a genetic test for this. Is he a traditional? He should hopefully have an easier time breathing.

Concerning the litterbox, there are a lot of different types of litters, and boxes including DIY ones available. Be sure to utilize a low/no dust litter. My Big Guy has a little dribble of urine now and then due to age and a blockage surgery when he was about a year old (he's 13 now), and a dingleberry gets stuck to his behind now and then, but he doesn't miss the box. With Himmies, I read something that they prefer a really clean box and to keep an eye for litter in paws or the fur.

Speaking of fur - can you talk to a groomer or a breeder who handles Himmies? This is fur that probably requires daily grooming. My Turkish angora mix has cottony belly fur that mats the moment it gets beyond a certain length, and even with brushing he will get mats in odd places, like one under his chin. His diet is good, and I try to brush often, but that is how his fur works thanks to a strong Persian influence in his background.

I believe that you will provide a wonderful home for this boy if that's what you decide to do.

 

[Furballsmom]

S SophieHurley

 

[xenathecrazy]

Go for it! He sounds a lovely cat bless him. We just lost our fifteen year old Persian and he never once missed the litter tray. He was just sleepier the older he got but we loved him dearly and he gave us many years of happiness. Has he got any known health issues? I'm sure he will be fine for many years to come. Let us know how you get on. I'm still grieving for my boy at mo as we only lost him two months ago.
Wish you all the best xxx

That is the only thing about his history that the rescue knows about. The rescue is like a cat haven. It's a big home with various buildings and they rescue cats from kill shelters or owner surrenders and keep them till they are adopted. They all say he is very sweet and has come a long way with being accepting of people. He let us hold him for awhile before wanting to be put down and he would come slowly toward us when we motioned for him to come. They have a lot of other cats in the room though and several litter boxes so I personally think it would be very difficult for the keepers there to be able to tell if he has any trouble with using the litter box and even if he has any digestive issues. He has been checked out by the vet and is supposed to be fine. They told us that we could have up to 30 days to see how he does and if he for some reason doesn't adjust well after maybe 2 weeks at least or any other issue arises, we could bring him back to them.

 

[Furballsmom]

As I mentioned, have your own vet check him. The problem with the 30 days is that you will become completely attached, and if there's a deadly illness that their vet didn't find/look for, or even ringworm, then it's really painful for everyone.

 

[xenathecrazy]

Hi!
I think you've already wondered about this, but he may be emotionally fragile. Do you have other cats? Is he with other cats at the rescue where you could watch him interact or are they keeping him seperate?

 

[xenathecrazy]

He is currently with other cats and he's just chill minding his own business and doesn't seem phased by them. He was with his brother in the home he was taken out of and he too is also at the same rescue. His brother is a little older but he has some type of eye problem going on. The rescue did say they both arrived very scared but have come a long way with trusting humans. Other than horrible ownership, my husband was wondering why the original owner put them in the basement. He's wondering if it was a behavioral thing. We have 3 young boys and they'd be heartbroken if we brought the cat home and it turned out he has a problem the rescue didn't notice due to the quantity of cats they are caring for and we may have to return him. This is why I'm researching and asking about it because I want to be informed of what can go wrong. Of course, I want to hope for the best but you just don't know and I don't have any experience with a senior cat.

 

[Furballsmom]

I hate to say this but are you sure you don't want to adopt a younger cat that doesn't have the grooming requirements? You are very busy...
On the other hand, Is the brothers eye issue treatable? So they could go together?
Back to the flip side, I'm not sure the cat(s) will be able to handle the crazies of three young boys.
Anyway, your vet won't have any hidden agenda and will tell you a lot more about the cat(s) than the recues' vet.

 

[Daisy6]

Hi xena. Keep this in mind: Cats of all ages pee and poop outside the litterbox, so at face value, it is not a "senior cat" issue. There are more reasons for old cats to miss the litterbox, however. The Grooming and General Cat Care section has a lot of litterbox, litter, and cleanup stuff, so check it out if you don't have a box yet.

 

[xenathecrazy]

I hate to say this but are you sure you don't want to adopt a younger cat that doesn't have the grooming requirements? You are very busy...
On the other hand, Is the brothers eye issue treatable? So they could go together?
Back to the flip side, I'm not sure the cat(s) will be able to handle the crazies of three young boys.
Anyway, your vet won't have any hidden agenda and will tell you a lot more about the cat(s) than the recues' vet.

I actually prefer cats with longer hair, think they are beautiful, and really don't mind the grooming, but they aren't for everyone. My boys are 9 and older so they aren't toddlers that will annoy him. I find long hair easier to clean up than short hair. I find that short hair embeds itself into the fibers of clothes and long hair just rolls right up. I wouldn't want to get 2 senior cats and they aren't bonded. I really fell in love with the one because of his breed. We would get a younger cat whenever he passes but it's the idea of giving him a home in his last years. We went with the idea of a young cat until we saw and handled him.

 

[xenathecrazy]

I actually prefer cats with longer hair, think they are beautiful, and really don't mind the grooming, but they aren't for everyone. My preference of breeds are mostly all the long haired ones such as Maine Coons, Ragdolls, Himalayans, etc. My boys are 9 and older so they aren't toddlers that will annoy him. I find long hair easier to clean up than short hair. I find that short hair embeds itself into the fibers of clothes and long hair just rolls right up. I wouldn't want to get 2 senior cats and they aren't bonded. I really fell in love with the one because of his breed. We would get a younger cat whenever he passes but it's the idea of giving him a home in his last years. We went with the idea of a young cat until we saw and handled him.

 

[xenathecrazy]

I have no idea how it made a double post when I went to edit the post before it. Sorry about that.

 

[Daisy6]

I have no idea how it made a double post when I went to edit the post before it. Sorry about that.

By clicking the Reply button instead of the Edit button. I have done that too.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi xenathecrazy !

I want to preface this by saying that I do not want/intend to criticize (nor appear to criticize) what you have said....what I will attempt to do is to 'play back' some things you wrote, because I think there is more at play than possible litter box issues.

....I wouldn't want to get 2 senior cats and they aren't bonded....

If I try to picture myself in your position, I would want to know whether/not they are or may be bonded. If they are or may be, I could never even consider taking one without the other. (and, if this is a 'busy' shelter, I'd want to be as sure as possible about that judgement in itself)

Clearly, they would have been together for several years.....an elderly person who's ready to go to a nursing home would certainly not have adopted them 'recently'. And, unless they are hostile or noticeably distant, they must be presumed to be bonded (to some degree).

Both arrived at the shelter "very scared" (hardly unexpected, to say the least)....but, "they... have come a long way" in some degree, together.....

You went there looking for a young cat....but then, you "really fell in love with the one because of his breed"......"His brother is a little older but he has some type of eye problem going on...". You are very specific about the one cat, far less on the second.

I wouldn't separate them.

Now, the implication has been made (first, with "if there's a deadly illness that their vet didn't find/look for, or even ringworm" and then, with the term "hidden agenda") that the shelter Veterinarian may either be withholding health information, or 'looking the other way' about the health condition of cats there....there is no other possible interpretation of what has been said above. Our collective experience tells us that any Vet can miss a symptom while another could identify it......but, to suggest that a shelter Vet's assessment is lesser than that of our 'own' Vet is quite unjustified and, in all probability, not the case.
.

 

[Furballsmom]

Ok, the words hidden agenda were too strong in the intent of trying to make a point, and I've known one or two amazing vets who were also shelter vets. But there are too many instances (not just once or twice) of an adopter coming home with a cat that was checked out as being fine through a shelter, only to find out said cat was thousands of dollars and incredible heartache worth of sick.

How many shelters can afford expensive tests?

These cats having been in a basement for that length of time shouts that they weren't properly cared for. It'd be pretty awesome DNA/genes if they did come through it with their health intact, but the teeth?? And bad teeth effect the heart...
Plus, Himmies are susceptible to ringworm.

That's all I'm saying. The OP appears to have made up her mind anyway, so my comments are a typing exercise. No worries, I'm fine with that, and I'm certainly keeping my fingers crossed that the OP, family and the cats come out of this happy and healthy. That's what matters, bar none.

 

[xenathecrazy]

This isn't a decision that I would make lightly. I contacted the rescue today to ask if they have done any type of testing to check for organ function or other health issues as well as wanting to know if they did any dental cleaning when they got him. She said she would have to find out and let me know. I was coming here just to find out what I can expect with a senior cat and also state my concerns based on things I've read online about caring for aging cats.

 

[Furballsmom]