"We expect a cat to be a senior between 10 and 12 years old, from 15 years they are considered elderly", says Lotta Möller, small animal veterinarian at Agria Djurförsäkring and specialist in dog and cat diseases.

As your cat ages, their daily routines will be affected. For example, they'll want to sleep more and will appreciate a quieter environment. Older cats usually eat a little less, while vision and hearing may deteriorate.  

"We see that older cats suffer from different diseases than younger cats. The risk of diseases also increases with the age of the cat, and for cat owners it can be good to be alert to any changes and symptoms in order to receive care in good time" says Lotta Möller.

A good tip is to regularly weigh your cat to notice weight changes early. A 4 kilo cat that has lost weight by 10% to 3.6 kg can be compared to a human who has lost from 70 kg to 63 kg. 

10 most common diseases or injuries among older cats

1. Hyperthyroidism

  • Symptoms: Increased thirst, hunger and weight loss despite good appetite. Your cat can also suffer from vomiting, diarrhoea and become anxious.
  • Treatment: Visit a vet who can prescribe medication in tablet form. Other options are for the cat to be treated with radioiodine therapy or surgery.

Hyperthyroidism is the most common hormonal disorder in the middle-aged to older cat. Hyperthyroidism often affects older cats and symptoms usually appear from about 8 years of age, but cats from 4 years of age and older can also be affected.

Hyperthyroidism involves elevated levels of thyroid hormones that control metabolism. Common symptoms that you as a cat owner can see are weight loss despite a good appetite, increased thirst, increased activity, faster heart rate, anxiety, poorer fur and in the long run of the disease fatigue and poorer appetite are seen.

 2. Emaciation or anorexia

  • Symptoms: Loss of weight and appetite. The causes can vary, for example kidney disease, tumour, heart disease or problems with the teeth.  
  • Treatment: Depends on the cause. Visit your vet.

Emaciation is mainly about weight loss, while anorexia is when the cat has a reduced appetite or no appetite at all. Above all, in the case of anorexia, one can worry that the cat may suffer from fatty liver.

 3. Kidney disease

  • Symptoms: Your cat becomes extra thirsty and urinates more. They can also suffer from reduced appetite, with vomiting and emaciation as a result.
  • Treatment: To alleviate the symptoms, your cat can be given medicated food that is gentle on the kidneys. Available to buy from the vet. If necessary, drips are given at the clinic and sometimes also blood pressure-lowering medicine.

4. Vomiting and diarrhoea

  • Symptoms: Your cat shows reduced appetite with vomiting and emaciation as a result. The causes can vary and do not always have to come from disease in the gastrointestinal tract, but can also be symptoms of disease in, for example, the kidneys, liver, pancreas or thyroid gland.
  • Treatment: If the cause is a gastrointestinal disease, your cat is treated with drips and/or diet. Sometimes in combination with other drugs.

There are several different reasons why cats suffer from vomiting or diarrhea. If there is no rapid improvement, the cat needs to be taken to the vet. Older cats are more sensitive and suffer from dehydration more quickly than younger cats and may need to come under veterinary care more quickly for fluid therapy. 

 5. Diabetes

  • Symptoms: Your cat, which is often overweight and male, suffers from increased urination and thirst. In the beginning, the appetite increases, then decreases and the cat gradually loses weight.
  • Treatment: Insulin injections until further notice, a medicated feed and food at regular times.

Just like for us humans, being overweight is the single biggest risk factor for diabetes. Often it is middle-aged to older cats that get diabetes. The typical diabetic patient at the vet is an overweight neutered male cat. Common symptoms that you as a cat owner can see are that the cat urinates more, drinks more, loses weight despite the cat eating normally or a lot, and weak hind legs due to the effect on nerves.

6. Traumatic injuries

  • Symptoms: Often due to the cat being hit or falling from a great height. Examples of injuries that can occur in the event of a fall from a high height such as a balcony are a jaw fracture, cleft palate, fractured extremities, pelvic fracture, pulmonary haemorrhage or ruptured bladder.
  • Treatment: Depends on the nature and extent of the damage. Visit your vet.

Falling accidents

A common misconception is that cats get away unscathed as they always land on all fours. Some cats may land on all fours, but that's not the same as making it through unscathed. Between 100-150 cats are injured annually so seriously that they have to visit the vet and be treated. Injuries that occur in connection with falls are often severe, require veterinary care and can have a long convalescence period for the cats.

Cat fights and bites

If you have an outdoor cat, it is good to get into the habit of feeling the cat every day. Sometimes the bite wounds are visible to the naked eye, but sometimes the wounds are small and then you do not discover that the cat has been in a fight until an abscess has formed. If you find a bite injury, a swelling or an abscess, contact your veterinarian for examination.

Car injury

Every year, hundreds of cats get hurt in traffic. Although outdoor cats may be equipped with reflective collars and other precautions, accidents can happen. It is not unusual for a cat that has been injured to hide in a ditch or, despite its injuries, to get away from the accident site itself, and then it can be very difficult to find. If the cat hasn't run away, try to get an idea of ​​how injured it is. Contact the police and cat owners.

7. Urinary tract disease

Symptoms: Upper urinary tract (see kidney disease above). Other common diagnoses in the urinary tract are:

  • Bladder inflammation: Pressure, blood in urine, pain when urinating - often in connection with stress.
  • Bacterial infection of the lower urinary tract: Can affect single female cats and cats with reduced kidney function.
  • Urinary retention: A life-threatening condition that requires immediate care. The cause can be a stone or gravel in the bladder that blocks the urethra - often more acute symptoms in male cats, although females can also be affected. Urges, the cat cannot urinate at all or only drop by drop. Your cat may go to their litter tray more often, but not be able to urinate. The symptoms can sometimes be misinterpreted as constipation.

Treatment: Bacterial infection: antibiotics after culture of sterile sample. Bladder inflammation: mainly painkillers and reduce stress. Urinary retention: flush out the retention under anaesthesia, possibly surgery. Medical diet.

8. Thirst or increased urination

  • Symptoms: Causes can be kidney disease, diabetes or toxic goiter.
  • Treatment: Depends on the cause.

An old cat doesn't drink as much as young cat or feel as thirsty. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the cat gets plenty of water. Causes of increased thirst or urination can be, for example, kidney disease, diabetes or hyperthyroidism. The underlying disease must of course be treated, but it is important that the cat gets enough fluids. One way to get the cat extra liquid is to give canned food that contains more water than dry food does. The cat must also always have access to clean and fresh drinking water.

9. Skin abscess

  • Symptoms: Painful swelling - an infection (abscess) after a cat bite. Sometimes the abscess will have burst before you even discover it. The abscess could secrete a watery substance.
  • Treatment: Drainage of abscess at veterinarian. Wound cleaning.

10. Skin tumour

  • Symptoms: Swelling of the skin which could be covered with hair. Can be both soft and hard. Tumours can be benign or malignant.
  • Treatment: Tumours need to be examined by a vet. Skin tumours in cats can be malignant - often a cell sample is taken initially and sometimes the entire tumour is surgically removed. It is always easier to operate on a small tumour.

Tumours are more common in older cats. Nodules should always be examined by the veterinarian. The earlier they are detected and treated, the more the chances of recovery increase. Tumours are usually treated with surgery.

Radiation therapy can be used on tumours to shrink them. Chemotherapy and chemotherapy are other treatments that are used and can also be combined with surgery. Some tumours are also more difficult to treat than others and have a worse prognosis.