Guides · Health
Senior cat care: what changes after age ten
Mobility, hydration and the screenings worth asking for — how a good senior year actually gets planned.
Jonah Park
Contributing Vet Writer · July 30, 2026 · 6 min read
Cats hide decline well, and 'slowing down' is the phrase that delays more senior diagnoses than any other. After ten, the useful move is to make the invisible things measurable.
Ask for these at the annual visit
- Blood pressure — routinely skipped, and cheap to check.
- Full thyroid panel alongside kidney values, not instead of them.
- A recorded weight trend, not a single number. Losing 8% over a year matters.
Changes at home that help
Lower-sided litter boxes, a step up to the favorite perch, and water in more than one room. Arthritic cats often stop jumping before they stop grooming, and both are easy to miss.
Last updated August 26, 2026.
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