Senior Cat Comfort & Care

Change can be stressful. This is especially true when those changes impact health, mobility, or mental clarity.

Cats are predators by nature. They're also prey animals. This means they have an instinct to stay mobile and alert. It’s programmed into your cat's DNA to be able to hunt, sense danger, and react quickly.

As age-related changes start, like arthritis or shifts in vision and hearing, they lose some of their natural ability to meet those needs for safety and agility. They move a bit slower, hear a bit less, etc.

This can lead to an increased sense of nervousness or reactivity as they compensate for declining abilities.

Keep reading to learn how you can lessen the impact of these changes, reduce stress, and build confidence — whether it’s litter box adjustments (Tip #79), environmental changes in Chapter 11, or play and mental enrichment in Chapters 8 and 9.