The AVMA celebrates Senior Healthy Pet Month in September, which is a good time to reflect on whether you’re doing everything you can to keep your senior cat healthy and happy.

Cats are considered “seniors” after age 10, and “geriatric” after the age of 13. The AVMA recommends twice-yearly checkups for geriatric cats. That might sound like overkill, but early detection of common senior afflictions (thyroid problems, diabetes, chronic renal failure, cancer, heart problems and the like) can mean the difference between effectively managing the disease long-term and having to euthanize your beloved pet.

10 Tips to keep your senior cat healthy and happy:

1) Take her in for regular dental checkups.
Cats mask discomfort and pain, and it’s often hard to tell if your cat has dental problems unless her breath is horrific, or her face swells from an abscessed tooth. Regular dental checkups and treatment can save her months of discomfort, and keep her from losing weight – weight that, for a senior cat, might difficult to regain.

2) Groom her often
The benefits of grooming extend beyond keeping her coat tidy. Senior cats are far less aggressive groomers than their younger counterparts, and usually end up with a lot more loose hair … leaving them especially vulnerable to hairballs. Grooming your cat daily will help you learn your cat’s body to such a degree that you’ll be able to recognize tender spots or lumps early on. You’ll be able to spot skin flakes and a dull coat that might be symptomatic of thyroid disease or a poor diet. And it will give you invaluable bonding time — time you won’t have together once she’s gone.

3) Encourage play
It’s easy to forget to interact with older cats, since they sleep most of their days away and don’t seem like they want to play. But it’s worth trying to engage them in play — try their favorite toy and some catnip, and see what happens.

In addition to the quality time you’ll spend together, activity will help keep the cat in better physical shape, and you’ll be in a better position to tell when the cat is lethargic, which could be a clue to a health problem. Be sure to play in a private area, where a younger cat won’t encroach upon the game, which will sometimes cause older cats to back off.

4) Buy bed steps
Older cats often have difficulty jumping up on the bed. If she’s accustomed to sleeping with you, and no longer can get up on the bed to do so, she might feel depressed and alienated.

So, if your senior cat likes sleeping on your bed, consider buying a set of steps for the bottom or side of your bed.

5) Provide a heated cat cup or heated pad
Geezer cats feel the cold more, and appreciate a warm place to sleep.

6) Evaluate accessibility and make changes, if necessary
Consider providing a litter box with lower walls, and raising the height of her food and water bowls.

7) Create a stable environment
Change is difficult for a lot of cats, especially as they get older. For example, adding a kitten to the household may be difficult on an older cat, especially if she’s long been an only cat.

8] Consult with your vet about food supplements
Supplements or special formulations of food can provide additional Omega3 fatty acids, glucosamine with chondroitin, immune system boosters, probiotics, or other supplements that may offer benefits to your cat’s health. Discuss the options with your vet. (Never give your cat supplements designed for humans)

9) Switch to a senior formula cat food
Talk to your vet to determine if your cat might benefit from one of the many senior formula cat foods on the market. These foods typically provide an optimal balance of appropriate protein, fat, calories, vitamins and minerals for older cats.

10) Provide a fresh, appealing source of water
Cat fountains are very popular with cats, and may encourage your senior cat to drink more. Keeping your cat well-hydrated is especially important for proper kidney function and overall health.

And 2 bonus tips from our readers:

11) LOLA SEZ: Get a good pet or baby scale.

Good scales that weigh accurately in ounces may cost $80 to $100. Weight loss is often the first signal of disease or dental problems (as in your #1 tip) but can slip by undetected until it’s significant. Get a scale, use it regularly — for all your cats, not just seniors — and catch problems early. You can use a people scale, but it may be hard to detect a few ounces lost, which can be a significant loss for us small cats.

12) FRECKLES SEZ: Once you are ten years old, join the Olde Furts Group on Catster.
It’s a good place to meet other geezers and get good health advice and support.

Thanks Lola and Freckles for making it an even dozen tips!

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Some pets really know how to work it when you visit a shelter looking to adopt. They turn on the charm, make an indelible impression, and before you know it, you’re signing the adoption papers.

There’s a scruffy shelter cat named Miles, though, who doesn’t get it. When approached, he runs, and more often than not, the encounter is punctuated with a hiss or two.

Consequently, he’s spent his entire 17-year life at the Animal Rescue Center in Vine Grove, Kentucky. He buddy Phil has been there nearly that long. Phil’s more sociable than Miles, and it’s a mystery to the shelter employees why Phil hasn’t been adopted.

It’s not a bad life for these two grumpy old cats. They spend much of their time napping with the other cats in well-worn chairs with shredded arms, and the shelter employees are very attached to them.

After all these years, it’s a pretty safe bet that Phil and Miles will not be leaving the shelter. When they go to the Bridge, their remains will be buried in a nearby clearing along with the center’s two oldest cats, 19-year-olds Elf and Mommy. It’s a sweet, peaceful spot with some stone kitties and a St Francis of Assisi statue among the headstones.

During the holidays, the Animal Rescue Center is always hopeful that someone will adopt one of their senior cats out of kindness, or because they “figure nobody else will.” And once in a while someone does — they’ve adopted out cats as old as 12 or 13.

It’s especially hard during the holidays to imagine old cats spending Christmas after Christmas in an institutional environment. If you’re thinking of adopting a cat this holiday season, consider a senior cat. With the possible exception of Miles, they’ll return more love than you can possibly give them, there are no guessing games as to what kind of cat they’ll turn into — you know their purrsonality types up front — and although they may have more vet bills than a younger cat, that’s not a given: there are many seniors who require no more vet care than an annual checkup and a daily thyroid pill (if that!).

As I write this, I can’t help but think of Minxy (profiled here as a Catster Superstar in October), who was adopted out at the very ripe old age of 21 from Best Friends Animal Society after living at the sanctuary for ten years. Minxy never stopped hoping for a furrever home, and not only found one, but found a great one, with a mom who lavished her with love in the sunset of her life. Minxy peacefully left for the Bridge on December 11th, at the age of nearly 22.

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Everybody gets better with age, right? That includes most pets as well. You might remember our Catster Superstar profile last month of Minxy, who was adopted at the age of 21 after ten years in a shelter. Minxy’s mom knows that she won’t have Minxy for long, but the quality of time spent with Minxy is priceless.

Senior cats are usually calmer and they’ve already outgrown their mischievous destructive years. November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month — a month dedicated to the oft-overlooked senior animals that come into shelters.

Most people are apprehensive about adopting an older cat because they believe she might have health or behavioral issues. Senior pets arrive in shelters for a variety of reasons. Often it’s not the cat who was the problem, but the human. Their families moved, a new baby arrives in the house, a household member develops allergies, the human no longer has time for the animal, or the human has died or moved into a rest home … older pets are given up to shelters or rescue groups because owners can’t take care of them anymore, or sadly just don’t want them anymore.

Most senior pets relinquished to shelters face euthanasia. However, some of these elderly pets clearly have time left, often quite a few years. When searching to adopt a new family member be open to adopting a cat of any age. Yes, there may be a concerns with adopting older animals, but the risk of adoption for a senior pet is low and the rewards are immeasurable. BestFriends.org has a list of reasons that you should consider adopting a senior pet:

Less destruction – - With a senior pet you don’t have to worry about “child” proofing your home. Older pets, dogs in particular, are not teething anymore and won’t chew everything in site while they’re growing up. Shoes, furniture, TV remote control and landscaping are generally untouched when you bring an older pet home. With a youngster, no matter how well you monitor them…something is bound to be destroyed.

Bladder control - – Senior pets are generally housebroken. And, if they’re not, they are much easier to train than a young pet that has not yet gained bladder control. Plus, senior pets know the appropriate area to relieve themselves. Senior cats are accustomed to a litter box.

Eight hours of sleep – - Senior cats let you get a good night’s sleep because they are already attuned to human schedules. They don’t get the kitten crazies at 3:00 in the morning waiting for someone to entertain them. Senior pets settle down and snooze soundly throughout the night, just like you do!

Instant Companion – - Senior pets settle in quickly because they’ve already learned what it takes to get along with others. Older cats are ready to enjoy a comfortable nap in your lap or spend time keeping you company while you work on the computer. And, being older and wiser, senior pets sense they have been saved and start showing their love and devotion, in turn, very quickly.

My mom is a huge proponent of senior pet adoption. For as long as I can remember, she’s adopted older animals, often left homeless after their own senior owners died or moved into assisted living situations. These dedicated pets are suddenly left to deal not only with separation from a beloved owner, but are faced with being euthanized if considered too old to be adoptable. My mom swears that these pets are grateful for being rescued, and are much easier for her, as a senior, to manage.

If you’re considering adopting a senior cat and you live in Northern California, our friend Minxy has a senior cat she’s trying to find a home for:

“I just got back from a check-up at the vet and they have taken in a senior kitty called Freckles and are looking for a good home for her. The family of an elderly woman who had to go into a nursing home brought her in to be euthanised but the vet persuaded them to surrender her to them instead. I don’t think the family are super evil as they are finding homes for the younger cats but Freckles was old and sick and they couldn’t find anyone to take her. The vet is treating her to get her back to health but need to find her a home and can’t keep her for long.

“They are not sure how old Freckles is but she is a senior kitty probably in her teens. She was sick and skinny when she came in 3 weeks ago but is getting better and has put on weight and they don’t think she has any chronic illnesses.

“Freckles is a dark tortie with a white chin and white whiskers. When mum went round the back to see her she was friendly and purred and smooched.

“If anyone is interested in adopting Freckles or finding out more about her she is at the Sacramento Cat Hospital 916-488-4161.”

Adopting a senior pet is a wonderful experience and there are many senior pets awaiting adoption at your local shelter. These animals still have time to bring joy to you and are just looking for that one special home to cherish them for the rest of their lives.

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