Hi everybody and welcome and welcome back to Relax My Cat.
It is Claire and Rags here with another video for you.
Now last week we posted up a poll and 90% of you voted that you wanted to see a video looking after your older cat.
I bet not many of you know that Rags here is actually 11 years old!
And she'll be turning 12 in summer
So that means that she will officially be a senior when it comes to cat food and cat care
Thankfully, despite her age, Ragsy is in very good health so she has a really good quality of life.
But as your cat gets older, they do need a little bit of extra care so me and Rags are here with 5 tips to help you to care for your older cat
And help make their day to day lives easier
Number One: Joint Care
Now as with humans, as cats get older their joints their joints do suffer and they can experience stiffness
Rags here sometimes struggles to jump on to window sills or on to beds and on to tables.
We've helped Ragsy out with buying a cat catcher and put it by the window sill and the bed which she absolutely loves to sleep on
This means that she can get to both of these areas without any trouble
Additionally, twice a day we give her a herbal supplement called Rhus tox which helps with joints
If you can't get hold of rhus tox, which I got from amazon,
There's also a lot of different joint care supplements you can get from either big pet shops or your vet's
Number Two - I know the idea of brushing your cat's teeth probably comes across as quite silly
But it's one of the best ways to prevent your cat getting any teeth or gum problems
As mentioned before, Rags here had 7 teeth taken out last year, after she knocked one of her fangs
One of the ways we knew that she was having trouble with her teeth was she developed quite bad breath
So two main indications that your cat has gum or teeth problems, is developing bad breath or going of their food.
As I said, you can combat this by brushing your cat's teeth, but
If the idea of that is quite stressful to either you or your cat,
Try using dental treats or book your cat in to for a veterinary appointment to get a good old clean
Number Three: Special Accommodations
Now as your cat does get a little bit older, they might struggle with jumping to higher places
So if there's any sort of special blankets or cushions that they like to snuggle on
Make sure that their a level somewhere easy for them to get to
Or you could do like we did and instal a cat tree anywhere where they like to go up high
Number Four: Additional Grooming
Now many older cats suffer with stiffness, arthritis and problems with their joints, which means that they can't groom themselves as well as they used to
Now we as owners can help by giving them a good groom every now and again with a soft brush
Not only does this help your cat out, it's a great way to for you to bond with your cat but also helps reduce hairballs
Number Five: Gentle Excercise
Now keeping your cat active and healthy throughout his life is very important
But as cats get older, it's a lot easier for them to put on weight
Which puts them at higher risk at developing diabetes, joint problems and arthritis
A little gentle exercise can really help your older cat stay healthy, active and keep the weight off.
Try using laser pointers, catnip infused toys or feather chasers a few minutes a day to keep your cat active and healthy
Thanks for watching this videos guys, we really hope that you enjoyed it
And if you have any additional advice in caring for an older cat, please feel free to leave it in the comments below
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And me and Rags, we will see you next week! Bye guys!