Senior Cats Rock!

Old kitties are so neat!

They have a grindy voice, a broken purr and sometimes their legs re crooked and they walk stiff. Their faces are smaller as if the gravity pulled the fur forward. Just the look of character and wisdom. They basically know good English by then and have you well trained.

The sad thing is you know your best friend's time is limited. With love and care that time can be gentle for your friend that has been with you for so long.

Once I met a Siamese who was 26. He was so cool! He had a course voice and loved to talk. His legs were all bowed and he looked like he could use a cane. He ran the pet store.

It took me 2 years after I left out on my own to realize that I could have my very own cat.

Emma came with her name from a nice older couple in Magnolia, Seattle.

There was no way I was going to let her go in and out like the cats did when I was young. She's my responsibility now and will get the best of the best.

I kept her on premium food. Sometimes a brand would get too big for themselves and the quality went bad. So I would change over to another premium brand. in the time I had her they food companies started to get a clue and kept quality up. I fed her only dry with canned once a week for treat. She never had a cavity!

There's a rule I have for my pet's care, "Spare no expense."

When she reached age 12, she came down with a thyroid condition. Very common!

The cats can eat and eat, but their bodies don't keep the fat, they will puke and have diarrhea till they die, basically of starvation. There are meds, but it's still pretty miserable for them and it gives them another year of 2. Or there is a radiation treatment for about $900 that takes care of it and extends the life of the cat 5 years or so.

Of course I went for the radiation treatment. It really worked, though we had to dispose of her waste properly. They also explained that she really would not glow in the dark, LOL.

When Emma quit cleaning herself, she got a shave. She was quite happy with that.

So she lasted another 6 years till her kidneys started to go. Then she was on meds for about 4 months. In that time it was hard to go to work or anything. She had given me so much of her time. She got slowly thinner and weaker, I had to keep an eye on her. She slept with me on the bed under the cover quite a bit more.

One day I when I woke up she was on the floor I the other room barely able to stand up straight. I was so scared! She had had a stroke. Still the vet didn't give up on her and felt it would pass, and it did. At this point I was sleeping with her, with one eye open helping her to where ever she wanted to go.

Her kidneys got to the point where I had to give her fluids. That is so hard to poke your baby, but it helped for a while.

Emma loved laying in front of a sunlamp. The other cats also sat with her in concern. Pearl would always keep one or 2 paws on her. They knew.

Finally it was time to let her go. I had her for half me life and her companionship is dearly missed.

Emma went through many down times and up times with me and even saved my life in a way. She was on or near me at all times when I was home. We understood each other. I miss how she would poke my nose at night with her fuzzy paw to get under the blankets.

Progression

My spotted cat, you're growing more sedate.
You've quit your ploy designed to startle me-
No longer do you crouch and hide and wait,
Then jump straight up, defying gravity.
When I contrive a sudden thump or scrape,
You don't pretend stark terror any more
And feign a frantic effort to escape,
With futile pawing on the polished floor.
You are less rakish now, and you subdue
The fervor of your romps. You seem to sense
That gentler attributes become you too.
That lovingness brings loving recompense.
I too am more subdued and gentler now.
Our summers wane, small friend; our arbors bow.

By Irene Warsaw of Michigan

Click on this to go play Circle the Cat Game

Angel Cat

Angel Cats:
Divine Messengers of Comfort

Angel Whiskers:
Reflections on Loving and Losing a Feline Companion

Some cats just use their nine lives. But the most common answer to that question is "love and good food".

1. Food is everything. Pick out a high quality food from a small company that doesn't use by products or filler from china. Face it most of our pets eat much healthier than we do now days. If the basic human took into heart how important diet is, we could easily live past 100 years.

2. A low stress environment with lots of love is wonderful for any animal or person.

3. Get you cat fixed as soon as the vet will allow it. For males it keeps them from spraying when they get neutered before 6 months old. For females it is so much easier on them to get spayed before they go into heat. Once they go into heat they stay in it unless they are bred. But it can make surgery more dangerous.
When the cats are fixed it prevents some cancers and bad skin. They can relax instead of nature calling constantly.

4. It's a great idea to get health insurance or have an emergency fund. Even though an emergency bill is the fraction of a human's bill, t can still be around $1000. When a cat get older, they are just like humans needing lots of meds and appointments. You need to be prepared. My rule is "spare no expense", and the vet knows it.

5. If possibly keep you "domestic" cat indoors! The hazards outside are astronomical. It only takes a year or so for a cat to become basically "barn sour". Most likely they have seen some scary things as they look out the window. If you must let the cat outside, use a harness or train the cat to come in when called. Training is quite possible when you keep a routine. I have seen some cats live a long time where they have a small fenced in garden to hang in.

6. A cat should have toys, lots of toys. They love it when you interact with them and play. Also several beds to choose from. Basically spoiling them.

For some of us cats are our children.

We don't even go outside and see from their level, so I couldn't even list all the possible dangers.

The orange cat pictured here, young and beauiful was later found by the neighbor, with his eyes eaten out of his head.

Having your cat go outside will cost you more in vet bills over time and cost your cat's life.

1 in 50 or less live a full life or go over the usual. That rare cat has become wise enough to avoid the dangers and learn the skills to win fights without injury.

Disease such as leukemia, feline aids, and many others
Abscesses from fights
Punctured lung from a skilled fighter(other cats)
Coyotes, bob cats, foxes, large eagles, raccoons, and loose dogs
Traps or getting trapped in something
Poisons
Mean people(the biggest threat)
Cars
Animal control
Cold and heat
Falling - One day a roommate's cat was attacked by an eagle, he fell off the balcony and broke a cruciate.

When I have helped out at the shelter or vistited, the workers there get so angry with people letting their cats outside. They know even more that they care to tell of what cat happen to cats outdoors.

Dont think for a moment that an eagle cant take your cat. Watch these videos just to see what size of an animal an eagle can kill.These are Graphic!

Here's a link to Keeping your cat indoors.

This is the newer stray Lenny. His little sister, Sqiggy has been gone for about a month now. They used to play for hours.

This is Whitey Precious Rabbit Whiskers, or Ole' Gran for short. One day she just appeared, two days later she had kittens on my bed and mom nearly flipped.

After about 4 years of having kittens, it became to much for her. One morning she got up on Mom's chest and screamed for help. Mom helped pull out 2 kittens that were connected at the tail. We got her spayed after that. But we still had 5 of her children, 4 of which had more kittens.

She live to be 18, and by then she was a great Grandmother many times over which is why we just called her Ole' Gran.

When I was little all the cats were indoor/outdoor. Many disappeared or got hit by cars. All except Ole' Gran and one of her 1st sons, that was given to a neighbor with a huge fence. After they passed, my family got him back. He lived to be about 22.

It about a ratio of 1 out of 50 outdoor cats that live a long life. They have to be wise or have a very very safe neighborhood or well fenced in area

A Cat, 1893 Giclee Print
Ronner-Knip,...

Buy at AllPosters.com