An Aging Population

One of the greatest changes in the nature of feline disease is that cats are quite simply living longer than ever before.

Parasite and disease prevention, good nutrition, effective veterinary treatments, and increased safety have brought about the need for geriatric cat care.

The old calculation that one feline year is equivalent to seven human years ceased to be relevant long ago and today one feline year is closer to five human years. Cats, especially Siamese, often reach their late teens or even early twenties.

As a result, metabolic disorders, such as kidney failure, heart disease, cancers, and general wear and tear, are being diagnosed more then ever before.

It is unlikely that the incidence of there conditions has increased; more probably there are now more older cats with owners willing to obtain veterinary advice and treatment for old cat conditions such as cancers.

Even senile dementia, similar to Alzheimer's in people, now occurs in cats. Geriatric medicine is a new field in veterinary medicine, and it exists because of cat owners’ success in looking after their feline companions.