Complete Care for Your Aging Cat Read online

  off at the appropriate time means dinner is served, and come running.

  If your cat loses her vision, you’l need to cat-proof the house to protect

  her from injury. Products designed for child safety can be adapted for use

  with elderly cats. For example, a baby gate across the stairs wil keep her

  from fal ing. Baby gates also work wel to confine cats into safe—or easily

  cleaned areas of the home. “Safety Turtle” for pets protects her from

  drowning should she fal into the hot tub, for example. The Turtle band is

  attached to the cat’s col ar, the remote plugged into an outlet, and the

  alarm wil sound if the Turtle band becomes submerged in water.

  Some boarding facilities make special arrangements for the needs of

  an older cat. Hotels may welcome Kitty as a guest if arrangements are

  made in advance. However, because aging cats become so attuned to

  routine and familiarity, they often do better staying home with a visiting pet

  sitter when you go out of town, rather than being boarded in a noisy,

  strange kennel or left in a strange hotel room.

  If a cat requires special medications, you’l need to make arrangements

  with a person able to administer the treatment. Ask if one of the

  technicians at your veterinary clinic is available. Other times, owners make

  the choice to postpone or forgo some trips in order to ensure the needs of

  their cat—both physical and emotional—are met.

  Golden Moments: Making Allowances

  When Deborah Harding walked past the pet store nearly two decades

  ago, she lost her heart to the smal est kitten, a little gray and white beauty.

  “She stood up on her hind legs looking at me, and she was coming home,”

  says Deborah. Kyrie always talks, and meows back when you speak to

  her. “She loves to sit in your lap. In fact, if you can get her off of you, you’re

  doing real y wel !”

  Kyrie used to be quite playful, but that’s nearly stopped in the past year

  or so. “Al she wants to do is sit on your lap. Every once in a while she’l get

  this burst of energy and she’l chase your fingers,” says Deborah. “Other

  than that, she doesn’t real y play with her toys as much anymore.”

  Kyrie had a bad time when last year when her 19-year-old cat-buddy

  died. Deborah’s children, then aged 12 and 14, had never known the

  house without the two cats. “The cats were here first. Nimue was huge, 30

  pounds, and the girls used to lay with their heads on her. They were

  extremely close,” says Deborah.

  Kyrie knew her friend was sick and would groom her. The two cats were

  the same age, and had grown up together, and got along famously. Kyrie

  went into mourning after her friend died, and for a while she refused to go

  downstairs, because that had been Nimue’s domain. Deborah took food to

  her so that she’d eat. It took about two months before Kyrie ventured back

  downstairs, and even then she avoided the now-empty cat bed “shrine”

  beneath Deborah’s desk as though her friend stil owned the property.

  But at the end of three months, with pampering from Deborah and the

  rest of the family, Kyrie seemed to feel more herself. Despite her

  advanced age, Deborah says she’s doing quite wel these days, and sees

  the veterinarian regularly.

  “At one time, she was getting a little chubby,” she says. Lately, she

  started losing weight. Deborah figured out Kyrie could no longer eat the

  hard cat food. “We started giving her the soft cat food and she’s starting to

  pick up some weight again,” says Deborah.

  “I’ve also had to switch to having two litter boxes,” says Deborah. The

  family lives on three floors. Kyrie never goes to the bedrooms on the third

  floor, but does travel between the middle floor and the basement. “When

  you get older, just like al of us, you can’t always make it.” The family

  continues to make al owances for the aging cat, to keep her as

  comfortable and happy as possible.

  Insurance and Care Plans

  Although the cost for medical care for cats is much less than

  comparable human treatments, paying for chronic care can be a financial

  burden for dedicated owners. In most cases, veterinarians are sympathetic

  and open to arranging payment plans when the cost exceeds your ability to

  pay. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

  Animals, the U.S. spent more than $12 bil ion on veterinary care last year.

  Chronic care for aging cats is one of the costliest periods for

  owners. Insurance gives older pets a better opportunity to get the service

  they need, by offering a way to pay a portion of the cost. As of 2010, there

  are 12 pet insurance companies in the nation sel ing under 15 brands,

  which include Hartvil e, Embrace, Petfirst Healthcare, Petplan USA,

  Trupanion, VPI, AKC, Pets Best, 24PetWatch, PurinaCare, ASPCA and

  Healthy Paws. A representative sample is included here.

  Jack Stephens, DVM, founded Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) in

  1980 with the support of 750 independent veterinarians. Since that date, a

  number of regional pet insurance companies have become available in

  both the United States and in Canada. Now affiliated with Pets Best

  Insurance, Dr. Stephens says the purpose of pet insurance has always

  been “to make the miracles of veterinary medicine affordable.”

  Pet insurance typical y works by reimbursing the cat owner for a

  predetermined amount that has been al otted for the specific veterinary

  service, after it’s been performed. For example, you would pay your

  veterinarian in ful , and then submit the receipts to the insurance company

  in order to receive payment back according to the amount designated by

  your cat’s particular coverage schedule.

  Health programs like Pet Assure are not true insurance companies, and

  simply offer a percentage discount on any veterinary care across the

  board, regardless of health status, age, or preexisting condition. The Pet

  Assure service is limited to only those veterinarians enrol ed in the

  program. Similarly, VetsMart Clinics (located across the country in many

  PetsMart stores) offer Banfield’s Optimum Wel ness Plans that discount

  many preventive care services to about 50 percent, with memberships that

  can be paid on a monthly basis. CareCredit, based in Anaheim, California,

  offers the clients of participating veterinarians the option of paying for

  expensive services on a monthly instal ment basis.

  The amount covered varies from company to company, from plan to

  plan, and from city to city. Like human insurance, pre-existing conditions

  may be disal owed, so you must buy the insurance before the cat develops

  the problem. Age also influences the cost.

  Most policies like the PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance do not have a

  policy specifical y for senior pets, but most cover “old cat” il nesses such as

  cancer and renal disease. Pet insurance typical y insures pets regardless

  of age, excluding pre-existing conditions, but premiums go up as the

  animal ages. For example, for about the same kind of coverage, a cat

  that’s one year old might cost $234 a year, while a cat that’s twelve costs

  $
492. That’s no different than life insurance people where you pay a whole

  lot more if you’re fifty than if you’re twenty.

  PetCare Insurance offers QuickCare Senior coverage for accidents and

  il nesses common to older cats, including coverage for cancer, stroke,

  seizures and heart problems. In addition to Reader’s Digest, PetCare

  Insurance has strategic partnerships with Petco and Petfinder.com that

  al ows them to offer special policies for specific situations. For example,

  QuickCare for Indoor Cats provides protection for il nesses or accidents

  specific to an indoor lifestyle. ShelterCare is designed to meet the needs

  of pets recently adopted from an animal shelter or rescue group and the

  first two months are free when your cat is adopted through a Petfinder.com

  affiliated shelter. However, PetCare Insurance is not available in al states.

  Companies also define the age breaks differently. For example,

  PetsHealth Plan defines eligible cats as being between the age of eight

  weeks and prior to turning eleven, with additional premiums that apply to

  cats over that age; once enrol ed, coverage can continue for the lifetime of

  your pet. For PetPlan Insurance, you can start the insurance anytime from

  eight weeks to the cat’s tenth birthday, and the premiums stay the same as

  the cat ages, but the deductible increases for cats at ten years of age for

  the basic plan. VPI defines age brackets for general premium increases

  as eight weeks to one year; one to four years; five to seven years; eight to

  nine years; and ten and over with an increase each year thereafter.

  It’s important to purchase insurance as early as possible, before health

  problems develop. Not every preexisting condition disqualifies the cat from

  coverage--if he’s ful y recovered from being hit by a car, for example, that

  wouldn’t preclude coverage. But some pets become uninsurable as they

  get older and may not be covered if they’ve already had cancer. If your pet

  has had a condition that is potential y life threatening and a recurrent

  problem, then it would be come uninsurable.

  In fact, some companies offer special coverage for catastrophic il ness

  at a very low rate, if you purchase it when the cat is young and stil healthy.

  VPI’s “cancer rider” doubles the benefits for any diagnosis and treatment

  of cancer. The premium cost is locked in when it is purchased before the

  pet is two years old.

  Coverage varies, so find a policy that’s either available nationwide, or in

  your specific neck of the woods. Certain plans participate only with listed

  network veterinarians (similar to some human HMOs); others al ow a

  choice of any practitioner. Additional differences may include variations in

  the cost of the deductible or higher premiums for certain metropolitan

  areas that have higher typical veterinary fees.

  Most basic plans wil cover only accident and il ness and routine care

  such as vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries, teeth cleaning and flea

  treatments general y require additional coverage. For example, VPI

  coverage addresses more than 6,400 health conditions, including

  diagnosis and treatment for liver, heart and kidney disease, diabetes, and

  cancer, which are most common in aging cats.

  Alternative medical care—chiropractic and acupuncture for example—

  also may be covered as long as it is prescribed and performed by a

  veterinarian. Even experimental therapies such as kidney transplants,

  innovative cancer therapies, hearing aids and the like may be covered

  when recommended by the veterinarian. Pet insurance companies may

  encourage specialist referrals by offering price breaks, believing their

  diagnostics and treatments are more effective and ultimately save money

  in the end.

  In Canada the percentage of insured pets is only about 0.5 percent. In

  Europe the acceptance of pet health insurance is far more common. In the

  United Kingdom over 15 percent of al pets are insured, and in Sweden

  over 41 percent of al pets are insured.

  Insured pets are stil a minority in the U.S. pet population. There are

  about 850,000 insured pets in the nation, the National Commission on

  Veterinary Economic Issues reported. The numbers of insured pets in the

  United States barely doubles that of Canada. Experts estimate that the

  entire pet health insurance industry is a little bit less than one percent of al

  pets owned in the U.S, and not more than a third are seniors. That’s

  unfortunate, because older cats stand to benefit the most from pet

  insurance. Pet health insurance is something that even if it takes ten or

  fifteen years for you to use it, you wil .

  Owners of aging cats must make health care decisions that often are

  based on financial limitations. “There is nothing more frustrating for a

  veterinarian than knowing you can heal a sick patient, but the owner lacks

  financial resources and instructs you to put the pet down,” says Dr.

  Stephens. Pet insurance may be an option that helps remove some of the

  burden and reduce what Dr. Stephens characterizes as “economic

  euthanasia.”

  Ask your veterinarian for a recommendation about pet insurance. You

  can also search the Internet. A brief list of contact information for

  representative companies is provided in the Appendix. Be aware that this

  industry is so new that companies may come and go, contact information

  may become outdated, and coverage could change.

  Shopping For Insurance

  A number of companies with different plans are available, and the ideal

  time to purchase coverage is when your older cat is stil healthy. Ask these

  questions to help make the best choice for your individual situation:

  1) Is your insurance offered in my state?

  2) Are multiple plans available? Most companies have more than one level

  of coverage.

  3) What are the eligibility requirements? Ask about cat age, preexisting

  conditions, and if veterinary records are needed in order to qualify (for cats

  considered geriatric, records may be necessary).

  4) When does coverage begin? There may be a 30-day or longer “wait”

  period before il ness coverage goes into effect. Also ask about any trial

  periods--some companies wil refund your premium within a certain period

  if you’re not satisfied.

  4) How much is the annual premium? Ask about fee schedule coverage

  al owances for some of the most common senior pet conditions.

  5) How much is the deductible? Is the deductible calculated on a per year

  basis, or a per incident basis?

  6) Is there a price break to insure multiple pets?

  7) Do you have any special “riders” for veterinary specialists, cancer

  coverage, or other “senior pet” issues?

  8) Is there a “maximum” benefit dol ar amount? Is it calculated per year?

  Per diagnosis? Per lifetime?

  9) Which breeds, if any, cost more to be covered? Are any breeds

  uninsurable?

  Quality of Life

  We adopt our cats with the bittersweet knowledge they wil not live as

  long as we’d like. People who deeply love their cats are committed to

  keeping them both healthy and happy during t
he golden years. With the

  advent of cutting-edge veterinary care, our pet’s lives can be extended

  longer than ever before.

  However, a longer life isn’t always a better life. “The quality of the

  patient’s life is real y our main concern in veterinary medicine,” says Laura

  Garrett, DVM, an oncologist at Kansas State University (now at University

  of Il inois).

  What is quality of life? The term refers to the degree of comfort and

  enjoyment the pet experiences in day-to-day activities. Measuring quality

  of life can be difficult and depends a great deal on the individual animal,

  the owner, and the relationship they share.. You know your cat best—you

  know what makes her happy, and how she acts when she feels good. So

  one of the best ways to judge a cat’s quality of life is to compare her

  attitude, activity level and behaviors to the way she once was.

  For instance, do Fluffy’s painful hips make him hide under the bed and

  refuse to move, when he used to race to the bowl at the sound of the can

  opener? Domino now hides when medication time rol s around, when she

  used to leap into your lap at any excuse. Garfield was always a picky eater,

  and now you can’t keep the bowl fil ed. Bosco always begs to drink from

  the faucet each morning, or col ects his mouse toys and drops them al

  over the bed as you sleep. Then one day he’s not meowing for breakfast.

  And the next week, he has no interest in playing flashlight tag. Quality of life

  means your senior pet feels good, stays connected with you, and enjoys

  his remaining time in familiar, safe, loving surroundings.

  The right treatment can make an incredible difference. Because chronic

  problems such as hyperthyroidism or vision loss develop so gradual y, pet

  owners often don’t recognize the change until symptoms become severe.

  At that point, Fluffy’s new behaviors may be attributed to “old age” when in

  fact treatment can turn back the clock and return him to the normal

  activities of a younger pet. Arthritis medicine may not have him swinging

  from the drapes, but it can put him back on his feet and out from under the

  bed for petting and play sessions with his favorite people.

  Remember: old age is not a disease. Don’t assume you must accept

  these changes just because your cat has reached seven years old or older.