Older head of the house

Eighteen year old Andy Mitchell is a frequent visitor to Hall Vet Surgery. He has a few little troubles that need attention so that he can get on with his home duties as head of the house.
A few years ago his owners noticed that he was getting stiff and having trouble jumping up on the window sill to check the yard. Because he is not a fan of pills he has a medication rubbed on his ears to ease the pain in his joints. Guard duty is a lot easier now.
Since he fled his last home a decade or so ago he has had intermittent bouts of flu. Often this happens during times of stress - as defined by Andy. His carers manage this by bathing his eyes and nose, giving him lots of TLC and with antibiotics when necessary.
A few years ago his carers noticed that he was vomiting more and more and losing a bit of weight. His vet diagnosed food intolerance or inflammatory bowel disease. A special diet for sensitive stomachs keeps the carpet clean.
A mild heart murmur has never worried him, but today we found that his blood pressure is up a bit - and that worried us. He may have to go on medication to bring it down because high blood pressure damages cats' eyes, kidneys and other organs.  
Andy Mitchell is a typical older cat - multiple little problems that when managed well let him live the life he enjoys.

Weight loss worry

Minette has lost weight - despite a raging appetite. She has also been a lot more talkative than usual. Her owners are (and Dr Kate) are suspicious that she might have hyperthyroidism. Minette very kindly let us take a sample of blood - you can see the hair under her collar was clipped so we could see her vein.
Minette is about 20 years old and very fit for her age. She is on medication for high blood pressure and has kept her kidney disease at bay with a special diet for over a year. Her owners' vigilance and care should keep her going for a few birthdays yet!

Tiger, Tiger sitting tight

Tiger is just on his way home after having his blood pressure checked. He sat quietly while we wrapped a cuff around his arm. He thought the cold gel we put on his wrist for the Doppler probe was the worst part.
Because a cat's pulse is so small we have to amplify it with the Doppler. We pump the cuff up until we cannot hear the pulse and then slowly let the air out until we hear the pulse. At this point we read his blood pressure from the dial.
Tiger has a heart murmur and kidney problems. Heart disease often lowers the blood pressure but kidney failure increases it. Fortunately Tiger's blood pressure is normal.

Mojo

Mojo is very popular with us all at Hall Vet Surgery, and of course much loved by his family. Two weeks ago he disappeared for a night and when he came home couldn't get interested in his food – very unusual for MoJo and most distressing for all his fans! 

When we saw him we found a few scabs on his head, presumed he’d been in a brawl and sent him home with antibiotics.

Although we noticed a heart murmur we didn’t take much notice of it because many cats have murmurs and never show signs of them.

Next day his owner searched the house for him. She found him hiding in a cupboard and still not the slightest bit interested in breakfast. His breathing seemed a little laboured so we took an X ray of his chest. His heart was hidden by fluid around the lungs.

We drained the fluid and he was much happier. It was clear fluid, possibly as a result of his heart murmur. An ultrasound confirmed that he has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and that his heart is failing to pump efficiently.

Just as we thought we could let him go home on fluid removal medication he started limping on a front leg.

Cats with heart failure sometimes throw clots into the bloodstream which end up blocking vital arteries. Poor Mojo had a clot in the artery to his front leg. Fortunately it must have been a small one because with heparin therapy it dissolved and Mojo is on aspirin to prevent more clots forming.   

Signs of heart failure are rare in cats even when they have murmurs we can easily hear with a stethoscope. When the blood is so turbulent that it causes clots the outlook can be very poor because clots are so hard to prevent.

Mojo is stable for the moment, enjoying his meals and spending a lot of time on his owner’s lap. Regular checks of his chest and blood pressure should help keep him feeling good and his fans happy for a long while yet.

Surprising seniors!

Our cats are living longer lives than ever before because of desexing, better diet and improved health care. Many of Hall Veterinary Surgery’s feline patients live well into their teens and your cat could too.

Cats are very good at hiding illness and discomfort. It is easy to overlook subtle changes in appetite and behaviour. Changes in bodyweight are often the first sign of disease. Regular examinations of the mouth, joints and eyes pick up some signs of disease. Increased blood pressure warns of kidney or thyroid disease. Many serious health problems in cats are only picked up with blood and urine tests.
Diseases commonly seen in older cats include arthritis, dental disease, kidney insufficiency, hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus and bowel disease. Often cats have several of them at a time. If we detect problems early and manage them appropriately then our feline friends can enjoy longer, happier and more comfortable lives.
The key to detecting and managing most of these diseases is regular monitoring of body weight, body condition and blood pressure. Urine and blood tests are important in kidney and thyroid disease while serial examination of joints, eyes and teeth triggers early preventative strategies.

Annual checkups are adequate until 10 years of age. Because cats age four times more rapidly than humans we recommend twice a year checks from 10 years of age on.