What You Need to Know Before Adopting a Senior Cat

Cats are easy, right? Right!?!

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Recently, the Ottawa Humane Society removed adoption fees for senior cats. I have mixed feelings about this decision, but I’ve convinced myself they have a thorough adoption process, which weens out homes that are either not ready for a pet or cannot afford a pet.

Though I adopted two senior cats in April, the bonded pair came from a “private” rescue.

Here’s the first thing you need to know – rescues lie! I was under the impression that I adopted two seven year old cats that had recently been to a vet. No health issues were identified. One cat was more vocal and energetic, and the other was more quiet and “sleepy.”

It took the rescue a week to release the vet records to me. The cats were clearly nine years old and had not been to the vet in a year.

Within two weeks, I was worried health conditions had been overlooked by both the rescue and the fosters. “Sleepy” might seem like a perfectly normal cat behaviour, but sleepiness is also lethargy and that is not normal. Vocalness can also be a common behaviour, but there’s a significant difference between meowing and whining or crying.

I called the vet after three weeks. Both cats were behaving abnormally, something I could easily identify after only three weeks. Did I mention these are the first cats I’ve owned as an adult? My family had a cat growing up and I volunteered at the humane society for four years in university, but I have never been responsible for a pet.

The “sleepy” cat had a severe heart murmur. The vocal cat had chronic kidney disease. Both had signs of bladder infections.

Here are the questions you need to ask to ensure you’re as informed as possible when adopting a cat:

• How old is the cat?
• When is the last time the cat went to the vet and what tests were done? I recommend insisting on urinalysis for senior cats, at minimum, and a basic bloodwork panel if possible. Thyroid issues, diabetes, kidney disease, etc. are all common in senior cats and all require treatment, which could be a specialized diet or daily medication. If you cannot have tests done prior to adoption, ensure you make a vet…