Maine Coon Cats and old Age
Caring for you old friend
To help your cat enjoy it’s old age there are many things that you can alter to help.
Feeding
As your cat ages his body will change and he may no longer be able to eat the same food he did as a youngster. He may have difficulty eating certain foods or his body may not digest food as easily as it did.
You can now purchase specially formulated senior cat food that has been tailored to an older cats dietary requirements and is softer, more easily eaten and absorbed.
Dental
As a younger cat he will maintained his own teeth by chewing and eating hard foods, such as cat biscuits, however, as he gets older this will become increasingly difficult for him to accomplish.
Now that your cat is old I would not recommend that you attempt any form of dental care and cleaning yourself because you may further increase any problems.
If you notice your cat having difficulties arrange an appointment with your vet for a check up and clean, he will do a professional job without distress being caused to your cat.
Grooming
Your cat will become less supple as he ages, he will no longer be able to groom himself as he once did. He cannot reach into those difficult areas.
He will need your gentle help on a more regular basis to groom him and keep him looking and feeling good.
Claws
Your cat will no longer be able to scratch as he once did and because of this he will need your help to remove the old claw.
Normally the scratching will remove the outer nail but once he is unable to do this it may grow round and into the pads of his paws.
You need to keep a watchful eye on him and check him regularly to make sure he is not suffering from any discomfort.
He will also have difficulty in retracting his claws and sometimes get them stuck into carpet or furniture. Be gentle with him and help him pull them out of any items to which he becomes attached.
Mobility
Joint pain and immobility is very common in older cats and it will be noticeable when your cat starts having problems getting onto the couch or is about as graceful as a sack of potatoes as he leaps down from a height.
When you notice these problems contact your vet because there are some fantastic medications that can ease his discomfort.
He will not regain his previous grace and poise but will retain his dignity and be comfortable as he moves around.
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My sweet rescue main coon kitty is around 17 now. she has been getting very finicky the past few years around eating, and the wet food she liked was discontinued. Then, I had her on IAMS grain free chicken pate for a little while. Although she wasn't thrilled, she ate it, mostly, and then decided we had to coax her to eat it, and then I tried fancy feast, and she gobbled it up, but now won't eat either.:( For the past day, she only ate a few tablespoons of the different wet foods, a few pieces of kibble. And I had already tried trader joe's wet too, and Newmans, but she was so picky and didn't like them. I gave her a little coconut oil, because she loves it and got her to eat a little. Then today, we got her real chicken and fed her pieces of it. Is it normal for a maine coon to get so picky in her older age? Any suggestions? And im worried because we will have a pet sitter at Christmas time. thank you so much. i love her so much.
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