What they can’t tell you

Common age related conditions in cats:

• reduced metabolism and changing nutritional needs
• kidney disease
• thyroid disease
• diabetes
• arthritis
• dental disease
• lumps and bumps
• loss of hearing and/or visual impairment

• heart disease.

Your cat may not be able to tell you when something is wrong. In fact, animals have evolved to hide signs of illness until it is advanced, and cats are very private creatures. Veterinarians at Sydney Animal Hospitals are trained to identify and address age-related problems in cats early, so that they can be managed – ensuring that senior pets enjoy excellent quality of life.

A word on your cat’s kidneys

Kidney disease is one of the most prevalent conditions in senior cats. Like us, cats are born with a finite number of kidney cells. The cells are not replaced when they die. Humans are born with about 1,000,000 kidney cells in each kidney.

Cats start life with just half of that, at about 500,000 per kidney, so it’s easy to see why they are so vulnerable to kidney disease. There is no cure, but if diagnosed early kidney disease can be managed very effectively.