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Our cats are beloved members of our families, living longer and healthier lives than ever before. It’s necessary to appreciate that with longer lifespans, veterinarians and pet owners are seeing age-related changes in our feline members of the family, including cognitive changes.
What Is Cognitive Dysfunction in Cats?
Feline cognitive dysfunction can be known as kitty dementia. Cognitive dysfunction is a gradual change that happens over an prolonged period. Rapid changes could have a unique underlying cause.
Typically, brain and cognitive changes occur in senior cats, with them often no less than 10 to fifteen years old. Cats of any breed can develop cognitive dysfunction.
What Are the Signs of Cognitive Dysfunction in Cats?
Signs of cognitive dysfunction vary between cats, with some showing just one or two signs which might be difficult to detect and others with significantly more. A number of the signs to look at for include:
- Increased vocalization, especially within the evening hours
- Disoriented
- Seeming lost even in a house they’ve lived in for years
- Wandering off
- Forgetting to eat or wanting to eat even when they only ate
- Urinating or defecating outside of litter pans
- Changes in behavior (e.g., being reactive or nervous)
- Fluctuations in sleeping and wake cycles
- Staring off into space for prolonged periods
There’s a process in pets and other people with cognitive dysfunction that tends to be called sundowning. It refers back to the incontrovertible fact that some animals and other people show more signs of cognitive changes later within the day, like after the sun goes down.
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What Are the Causes of Cognitive Dysfunction in Cats?
The predominant thought behind why cognitive dysfunction develops in cats is the presence of beta-amyloid plaques within the brain. The protein accumulates within the brain, eventually slowing blood flow to parts of the brain, which inevitably results in neuronal cell death. Changes that we associate with cognitive dysfunction can even have a root in other health conditions.
Some examples include:
- Cataracts resulting in vision changes and even complete blindness
- Arthritis results in pain climbing out and in of the litter box, so the cat stops going into the litter box
- Kidney failure or diabetes resulting in excessive urination, which can occur outside of the litter pan
- Hyperthyroid kitties are sometimes more vocal within the evenings and will want to overeat through the day
- Hypertension has been linked to vision loss in cats
- Even dental disease can affect your cat: they won’t wish to eat with a painful mouth or act more withdrawn
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Diagnosing Cognitive Dysfunction in Cats
Diagnosing cognitive dysfunction is difficult in pets. In cats, your veterinarian will wish to perform a radical physical exam, checking for discomfort from dental pain or arthritis, ocular changes, and even skin changes that would suggest anxiety.
They’ll likely recommend several diagnostic tests because there are several things to rule out:
- Blood work to ascertain kidney values and other measurements
- Urinalysis to rule out urinary tract infection
- Radiographs to evaluate for arthritis
- Thyroid panel to rule out hyperthyroidism
- Blood pressure monitoring to ascertain for hypertension
Your veterinarian may refer you to a neurologist to perform an MRI to search for brain changes. They’ll likely also perform a spinal tap to ascertain for infections.
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How Do I Take care of a Cat With Cognitive Dysfunction?
First things first, your vet will wish to treat any underlying health conditions that may very well be contributing to the looks of cognitive dysfunction. The veterinarian may recommend dental cleansing and extractions to treat diseased teeth. Hyperthyroidism may be treated with methimazole.
Consider a medicine like Solensia as a monthly injection for arthritis pain in cats. Gabapentin is often prescribed for each anxiety and neurogenic pain.
You may also try different litter pans to your cat, reminiscent of ones with a lower lip, in order that they don’t should step as high in the event that they’re uncomfortable.
Diets high in vitamin E and antioxidants could have brain health advantages and slow the progression of cognitive dysfunction. Other supplements that may be helpful include:
- SAMe (s-adenosyl-methionine)
- COq10
- Omega-3 fatty acids
Discuss with your veterinarian about melatonin to assist your cat sleep at night.
Don’t make sudden changes inside the house. If you have got to maneuver furniture, attempt to navigate your cat across the recent locations in order that they learn where every part is, especially in the event that they have vision changes.
Consider not bringing recent pets into the environment, which could stress your cat more.
Enrichment is helpful for these kitties. You may put food in a puzzle toy or treat dispenser so your cat can manipulate it to get the kibble out.
Pheromone products, like Feliway, help cats have less stress or anxiety. Your veterinarian may prescribe a behavioral modifying medication, reminiscent of fluoxetine or amitriptyline.
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Incessantly Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long does a cat live with dementia?
Cats can live several years with dementia, and it doesn’t should impact their lifespan in any respect. Probably the most significant issues are managing any underlying health problems to maintain your cat comfortable and what you’ll be able to handle. Some people have issues if a cat is waking them up all night. Significant disruptions inside the human-animal bond could mean it’s time to think about euthanasia.
How can I improve my cat’s quality of life with dementia?
You may try a couple of things to maintain your cat’s quality of life at an appropriate level:
- Limit changes inside the house
- Don’t allow your cat outside unsupervised
- Consider setting lights on timers to assist clue your cat to different times of day
- Limit stress but offer enrichment activities, reminiscent of puzzle toys or playtime
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Conclusion
Cognitive dysfunction is a severe condition affecting cats that may drastically impact you and your cat’s quality of life. Work along with your vet to try to pinpoint underlying causes which may be treatable, and above all, be patient along with your kitty. This is horrifying for them as well, and they’ll need your support.
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