End of Life Care for Senior Cat

 The end of life for your senior kitty is never easy because your cat will have behavior changes that you are not accustomed to because like humans senior cats experience cognitive dysfunction which is like dementia in humans.

 Some senior kitties will have dementia similar to humans and some senior kitties become more affectionate and want to be next to their people at all times.  A once calm and quiet cat may become vocal and some senior kitties will walk around the house at night as if they are lost. 

Know that my senior cat is experiencing all of the above and also health issues such as ear infections and mobility decline.  But she has a hearty appetite and still purrs when we pet her. 

 

Our eldest cat is 18 years old, and her behavior has changed and is that of a dementia kitty.  She tends to wander around the house at night and will meow loudly.   She will also meow loudly because she is thirsty and wants me to turn on the bathroom or kitchen faucet.  Sometimes she cannot find her food bowl and this will cause her to become cranky.   I will put it in front of her and she will eat happily.  Other times she has no problem finding her food bowl.  Every day is a new experience in the life of a senior cat.

Know that her body has slowed down and she now prefers to sleep in our bed.  Her preferable sleeping area is up by the pillow between my husband and I. She sleeps at all times and is only awake to eat, drink, and use her litter box.

Normally our cat enjoyed being groomed but recently we noticed that she pulls away from the brush.  My thinking is that her skin is more sensitive to the brush and that it's not enjoyable for her.  So, we stopped brushing her and now use nature's miracle cat wipes to clean her fur and we pet her often.  Our senior cat still enjoys being petted.

 

Occasionally our senior cat will play with her catnip-filled mouse.  She used to love her mouse but overall she is disinterested in it and I suspect it's due to her fading sense of smell. Our kitty loves to still look at the birds that are outdoors and she loves cuddling with us and our dog. She still enjoys her favorite catnip-flavored treats and still purrs when we pet her so she has not lost all interest and still enjoys specific things.

 

My husband and I have discussed our cat's condition and if we should euthanize it when the time is right.  My husband hopes that she passes peacefully in her sleep and he wants her to pass naturally at home.  He tells me that death is a part of living and it is nature.  I am the one who spends the most time with our senior cat and would prefer euthanasia when the time is right.

Today we had a scare when our senior kitty could not stand to pee or poo.  It looked like she hurt her right hind leg. She could not stand, she would try but would fall down and then roll over.  We took this as a sign that her passing was soon.

Our veterinarian squeezed us in by staying late and I asked if she would examine our senior cat before euthanasia as we needed to know if there was a specific ailment or if it was her time to pass.

My veterinarian examined her and told her that it was not time for our senior cat to pass away, that she was very alert, and that her ears needed to be cleaned,  When her ears were cleaned we found out that she had an inner ear infection and that this was probably why she had difficulty walking and standing.

Treatment was administered; antibiotics, and steroids, and she was given fluids due to slight dehydration.  We were told to crate her or confine her to a bathroom, to put down puppy pads, a cat bed food, and water. 

Within 8 hours our senior cat showed signs of better mobility, she was able to use the litter box and also drank and ate from her bowls.

at age 18 our senior kitty loves to eat

 Know that when it comes to the end of life care for a senior cat that there is no right answer.   You choose the option that is best for you and your cat. My husband and I had a difference in opinion and we discussed our opinions with our veterinarian she said that when the time was right that she would come to the house to administer the euthanasia and thus the cat would pass peacefully in my arms. 

Winter Ready Cat House

 The fall season has been warm during the day and night but when the weather forecast called for winter-like temperatures I knew it was time to get the outdoor cat houses ready for winter.

Winter cat house with insulation and straw 

Today I gathered all of the cat houses and took them apart.  I then wiped them down with Dawn's antibacterial dish soap on a cloth that was wet with hot water.  The cat houses were left to dry. Then I sprayed them lightly with cat-friendly pest control to keep spiders, ticks, and fleas away from the houses. 

During the summer months, I collected styrofoam sheets from packages that I had received and from neighbors who saved this cheap insulation.  I used styrofoam as an extra layer to insulate the cat houses. 

We bought a bale of straw from the Tractor Store and used the dry straw to fill the houses.  I pushed the straw up onto the sides of the house and left a hefty layer on the floor. 

 Each in the shed house has a self-warming waterproof pet mat. Outdoor houses are all insulated with styrofoam or radiant insulation, and then covered with mylar.  The houses are either filled with straw, or they have an extreme weather heat pad by K&H.

All of the cat houses have p; plastic door flaps but have found that the feral and stray cats are afraid of the plastic doors.  So one plastic door covers the emergency exit but none on the front.

If there is snow or rain in the forecast I will set up a plastic container cover as an awning so that the straw will not get wet. 

Here are photos of my winter-ready cat houses.

bale of straw for cat houses

small wooden can house with insulation and straw

Cat house with waterproof self-healing mat 

winter ready cat houses

The house is elevated and overhand added to keep snow/rain from getting into the house.  The house is set up next to a fence that allows the cat a good escape if a predator is in the area 

Trapped Feral Tomcat for TNR

 In the summer a stray cat went into our garage and a few weeks later she had a kitten. We took care of the mother cat and her kitten and planned to trap both after the kitten was weaned. We would then do TNR for veterinarian care, sterilization, and release.

Our timetable was to get all of this accomplished by the first week of September.  But those plans went south when the 2022 inflation hit and the cost of living was too expensive and we could not afford to pay for the veterinarian care that was needed.

Normally I use the monies I earn from selling my product designs online at my Zazzle store but sales were not enough for the veterinarian care that was needed.  I  turned to my husband for support for my cat's cause.  

I communicated with our veterinarian about what was going on as they had expected me to bring in the cats for medical care.  To my surprise, they worked with me on the costs for FeLV and FIV tests, vaccines including rabies, and sterilization and I am happy to say that the feral tomcat was trapped for TNR.

The neuter went well but aftercare was 3 days in the garage before we could release to the cat colony that is overseen by caretakers. 

My photo of a feral tomcat on the day we brought him back for aftercare. 

The feral cat recovered and was transported to another colony and released.  He is doing well and the caretakers named him Church because he looks like Stephen King's Pet Cemetary cat.

Neighbor Alerted Animal Control about TNR

 Recently a neighbor alerted animal control that we were participating in TNR (trap neuter release of stray cats in our community)  In the last five years we have trapped approximately 62 cats for TNR. The cats were trapped in our yard and I have also trapped when people contacted me for help with removing stray nuisance cats in our community.  

These trapped cats were always transported to the veterinarian's office to be checked for cat disease, vaccinated, wormed, and sterilized. Then we released them to a colony that is located within 29 acres of woods.  The cats were away from neighborhoods and were cared for by people who love cats.

We thought we were being civic-minded, we were controlling the cat populations in our neighborhood and we were taking care of the colony cats twice daily.  But apparently, not everyone loves cats or supports the TNR of cats. Some people think stray cats should be left alone to struggle to survive, suffer in extreme weather, fight with other cats, mate, and produce hundreds of kittens.  The neighbor thinks that nature should take its course and that humans should not disturb cats with TNR and due to the neighbor's backward beliefs, he reported us to animal control.

The neighbor requested that I be arrested because trapping/TNR was against the law in my city. 

My photo of a cat that was trapped for veterinarian care

We were honest with animal control and told them that we only trapped stray cats on our property and when we had permission from people in our community. Only injured or sick cats were trapped in public or other private property (the woods).

TNR cat at woods colony

Below is a photograph of our yard. The photo shows that TNR should not bother anyone as the home backs up to 29 acres of dense woods and the home sits on 1/4 acre of land  

Animal control told me that I could only trap cats on my property. That I must have permission from the property owner to trap anywhere else. That I could no longer trap in the woods unless I had permission to do so. 

Photo of two kittens and queen feral cat in the woods

Orange tabby kitten trapped for medical care

What upsets me is the owner of the woods lives in another state and I have no way to contact them. It breaks my heart to think that in an emergency I cannot help the cat by trapping them for medical care if they are in the woods by my home. I cannot do this because the neighbor emailed me and told me that they are watching me and that it's their civic duty to watch and report me if I break the laws of the city.

Cats in woods colony and in thicket den

Yes, I am upset at the neighbor that alerted animal control about TNR and I don't think they understand how TNR helps cats and communities. We have thought about moving and have thought about buying the land by our home as that would enable us to help the cats that need to be trapped for medical care.

When Neighbors Don't Love Cats

 We have been providing insulated and waterproof shelters for the TNR cats that reside in the woods that is adjacent to our home. We have been caretakers since 1999 and honestly had no idea that neighbors were watching from afar and that they didn't love cats.

Recently we were made aware of the neighbor's concerns as animal control told me that all the cat houses had to be removed from the public woods and that I could only provide the shelters in my yard. (however, if the cats become a nuisance then I would have to remove the cat houses)  Animal control made me aware of a neighbor that was bothered by the cat houses and had reported me for providing a cat house in my yard (behind a privacy fence) and in the woods.

The cat houses could not be seen by the woods trail.  You would have to hike off the trail to find them.  I suppose they may have followed me one day when I went out to feed the colony of TNR cats.  The neighbor was not bothered by the cat feedings but certainly wanted the cat houses removed. 

Our weather can be brutal with extreme heat in the summer and bitter cold with snow in the winter. The cat houses may have saved the colony cats' life because they were insulated to keep cats cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

When neighbors don't love cats and put a stop to people that help cats, then they hurt cats by denying them shelter.   I know that going forward that I need to be more careful about what is said to neighbors and to change my time for feeding the colony cats as I don't know what the neighbors that do not like cats will do next. 

Here is a photo of what my outdoor cat shelters look like.  They are not cheap nor are they eyesores. Yes, I am angered at this neighbor for being so hateful toward the cats. 

The cat houses in the photos below are in my yard.  I bought 4 houses like this 2 for my yard and 2 for the woods cats.  These quality-made houses should not offend anyone. 

Gray Rescue Kitten is Adopted

 Lately, it's been difficult to find adopters for the cats and kittens that we rescue but have to say we got lucky. A neighbor told us that they would like to provide the gray rescued kitten with a forever home.

We took the kitten to the veterinarian's to have it checked for a microchip, then when we learned that there was none we had the kitten checked for disease, then vaccinated and sterilized.  

The kitten was discharged and I was told to keep it calm for a week or ten days.  When the cat had regained its strength and had put on some weight my husband took the kitten to our neighbor's house.

We are thankful that the kitten went to someone who had experience with rescue cats and is grateful that he will provide a safe forever home for the gray kitten.  

Here is a photo of the kitten being transported to its adopter / forever home.

Stop Cats From Messing with Decorations

 Whenever I bring out the home decorations my cats seem to gather around the table.  They are interested in the pretty shiny things and can hardly wait to get their paws on everything.

If given a chance my cats will dump over the decoration in the box so that all things fall to the carpet.  Then the “game is on” and they will play with everything by chasing the pretty things across the floor.

One year I stopped the cats from messing with my decorations by creating a “cat room” where they would go when we could not supervise their activity and to keep them away from our holiday decorations.

I have used sticky tape and have attached our Christmas tree to the ceiling.  But must tell you what I am doing now really stops the cats from messing with the decorations.

This year I plugged Feliway diffusers into the electrical outlet.  Each room has a diffuser.  Then I waited a full 10 days and the product took the edge off the room, my cats are no longer stressed or anxious, they do not hiss, and have not marked to indicate that the entire house is “theirs” in fact they do not seem to care about the holiday decorations.

None of the cats have gotten on the display shelf, and the basket of pinecones with pumpkins has not been knocked over, in fact, no paw has touched my holiday decorations since I treated the house with Feliway.

So if you have a cat that messes with your home décor you may want to buy a Feliway diffuser and calm your cat so that they don’t care about your pretty things.

Feeding Neighborhood Cats

  

Feeding feral and stray cats is something we are accustomed to doing but now that the cost of living has gone up we have found neighborhood cats are showing up at our feeding stations.

 

At first, there were three neighborhood cats from a home that is located 2 blocks away. And now there are 6 neighborhood cats coming to the feeding station.

The cats are well-groomed and all have collars.  We know that they are owned by people with kids and think that they love their cats but just can’t feed them anymore due to the inflation, high gas, energy, and food costs.

The cats arrive in the morning and wait patiently for their turn at the food bowl then they are punctual at 6:30 PM when I fill the evening food and water bowls.  I watched them eat, then followed them and saw that they do go back to their homes.

I sure hope things get better and that the cost of living goes down because honestly, we are in no position to pay for food for all of the neighborhood cats.

 Do you find that there are more cats looking for food in your neighborhood? 

**Last week this cat was so hungry that he was looking for food in my bird feeder. The cat is well groomed and has a collar.  We fed him, and he ate a big bowl of food and drank some water before going back to his home.

Outdoor Kiddie Pools Keep Cats Hydrated

 This summer the heat has been extreme with creeks and lakes drying up.  Due to the water shortages, the neighborhood and feral cats were desperately in need of water.

Normally we have bowls of water for the cats, but the intense heat was causing the water to become very hot and evaporate.  I was filling the water bowls several times a day and found that not only cats were drinking the water, but songbirds, groundhogs, raccoons, and deer were also staying hydrated by drinking out of the small animal bowls.

We bought outdoor kiddie pools to provide both cats and wildlife with a reliable water source.  Filling the outdoor dog and kiddie pools daily was the best thing that we could do to provide cats and wildlife the water that they needed.   We filled daily a hard plastic kiddie pool and an outdoor dog pool by Top-Paw.  

All pools were set up under a shade tree.  The shade prevented the sun from evaporating the water from the pools and also from the water getting too hot.  We would clean the pools daily to prevent bacteria.  Once the water was removed we would wash down the pool with dawn dish soap, rinse and refill.  Throughout the day the pools would be filled to the top so that they were never empty and cats and smaller animals could drink from them without physically getting into the pool. 

The kiddie pools were a great way to provide water to the animals and to keep them hydrated during the extremely hot summer months.

Here are a few of my photos.

Abandoned Kitten Rescued

 A gray kitten came to our feeding station a week ago, we thought it was abandoned due to its appearance. The cat is very thin and on closer observation, it looks like a 5-month-old anoxia cat, the poor thing is skin and bones.

I picked up the cat to remove the huckleberries from it, then fed it and gave it water, and decided to take it in to be checked for a microchip and for medical care.

This cat was so thin that I thought it had Feline Leukemia. I talked to my husband and we brought the frail cat inside and made it comfortable on our enclosed porch.

Two days later my husband took the kitty to the veterinarian and thought that he was taking it to be put down. I have never seen such a thin cat. We learned that it's about a year old, and that it has had kittens, that it is not diseased just suffering from malnutrition.

The cat is 3 lbs and approximately a year old.  It's a very sweet gray kitty, that needs to put on weight to be spayed.

We decided to keep the cat indoors.  The kitty will be safe from outdoor predators, and we will provide quality food, fresh water, toys, a bed, and air conditioning.  While indoors we will work to socialize this kitten to trust humans.

We have a tentative appointment in a month for this cat to be spayed. Know it breaks my heart to see this frail kitty that was abused and abandoned by her people.

Know that my husband and I are not affiliated with any charity we are people who love cats and help any injured, abandoned or hungry cat that we find in our yard.  Paying for all medical costs and food from royalties earned at our online store. 

Here are some photos of the kitten, we call her Gabi.

Grow Catnip for Neighborhood Cats

The neighborhood cats all seem to enjoy the catnip that is growing in my yard.  The cats come throughout the day and all have the same daily catnip routine.

Here are a few of my photographs of the catnip that grows in my yard and a cat that visits me daily to enjoy this plant. 

 

They eat and drink at the feeding station and then meander down to the garden where the catnip plants grow.   The cats will rub on the plant, and nibble on a few leaves. Some will lie on top of the plant and go to sleep. Other cats will eat a few leaves, and roll around in the grass, before going to sleep in the back wildflower garden. When they awake they go back to where they came from.

Know that when cats ingest/eat catnip this herb acts as a sedative as it reduces anxiety, stress, and all behavior conditions such as not getting along with other cats.

I grow the WalkersLow catnip plants in well-drained (although the plant is not fussy about the soil it's grown in). Catnip prefers full sun and this particular catnip is drought tolerant. The plant has green leaves, pretty purple flowers, and a soft mint fragrance that attracts neighborhood cats from blocks.   

Photos of my neighbor's cat.  His cat loves to roll around in the catnip garden.

 

 

My husband and I are delighted to see the cats and enjoy them visiting the gardens. We like to think of the gardens as their “safe place”. Even if there are a few cats in the yard, they do not fight, instead, they wait patiently for their turn at the catnip plant.