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I have 2 cats turning 10 years old this summer. Most people consider them senior cats now. I consider them middle aged. They still play and act like 1 year olds. I do have the vet run a senior blood panel on them and make sure I keep a closer watch on them for any signs of illness that might aflict the older cat, but when is senior really senior??
Purrs,
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Munchie

>>I have 2 cats turning 10 years old this summer. Most people consider them senior cats now. I consider them middle aged. They still play and act like 1 year olds. I do have the vet run a senior blood panel on them and make sure I keep a closer watch on them for any signs of illness that might aflict the older cat, but when is senior really senior??
>>Purrs,>>Munchie

Good question, Munchie. Since I have no idea of what the answer is, I did a web search and came up with this article about senior cats which was published by Cornell University.

BTW, according to this article, I'm the same age as a 12 year old cat so I would say that 12 is senior!

The Senior Cat!

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Ruby and the Kitties
Simba, Samantha, Katrina & KatyKatt
Meow!! Meow!! Meow!! Meow!!

I think the "official" age for being a senior cat is 12! Of course some kitties would disagree with that and insist that they are only as old as they feel.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

Thanks for that link, Ruby! Very interesting reading.
Purrs,
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Munchie

Well, Munchie, I think 'senior' depends upon who you ask and where you look for the information. Cat food bags insist that 7 years old is senior (Bayli laughs), and some books variously list 8, 10, and 12 as senior. My vet starts to do 'senior maintenance' at about 8 years (Nikki snorts).

SnowtaMom
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THE MINNESNOWTAKITS
* Sam * Nikki * Bayli *
* Ferris * EmmaJean * Larry *
* CindeLu * Kelby * Darci *

I kinda figure my cats will actually be seniors when they start behaving like one. But for now, they are still young at heart...sorta like their mom.
Casey and Mushka will both be turning 10 in August. Mushka is actually the only one of the 8 that we know the exact age because I was present when she was born. August 8, 1993 at 1:07pm. We adopted Casey on Nov. 20th of that year and the shelter said his litter was born 6-7 weeks previously according to the person who turned them in. So we calculated his birthday to be sometime in late August.
Purrs,
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Munchie

I asked the same question when my now 12 year old boys were about 7-8 years old. I received a varying number of answers from different vets and folks on the boards. "Senior" isn't as clearly defined as it used to be, mostly because nutrition (cat food formulas), keeping cats inside, and health care these days are better than ever. Cats are living longer than ever. I think the average lifespan for an indoor cat is up to 16-17 years now.

Cat food bags say 7 years old = "Senior" as a previous poster mentioned. I spoke to my vet when they were 7-8. He said we'd monitor their weight before switching, that would trigger it. He didn't start S&P onto Senior food until he noticed a weight gain (1-2 lbs from the previous year) on both of them at about 9 years old. They've been on Senior food since and their weight went back to "normal" within a short time. Essentially, they've both been within a pound of the weight they were at at two years old their entire life, including now.

From all the answers I received thru the years asking the same question of vets and other folks, I'd say by 9-10, a cat is considered "Senior".

Some key things to know/watch with Seniors are weight loss/gain and bathroom changes. Senior cats are prone to urinary problems (Kidney disease it the #1 killer in senior cats, I've been told) and thyroid problems. Kidney problems tend to show up with an increase of water intake and more frequent visits to the litter box. Sometimes it is a "simple" fixable infection, sometimes symptoms of more. Thyroid shows up in increased appetite (much increased) and increased energy spurts. Maybe more symptoms, but that is what my vet now has me looking for in Stanley since his heart rate is slightly high. So far, he eats normally and is the king of naps. Hopefully, his heart rate increase was due to vet visit stress.

One thought is to start with vet check-ups every 6 months vs. every year when they are officially dubbed "Seniors". I started this last year on their 11th birthday. It helps find problems quicker.

Here is a pick of my Senior, Stanley.

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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

I asked the same question when my now 12 year old boys were about 7-8 years old. I received a varying number of answers from different vets and folks on the boards. "Senior" isn't as clearly defined as it used to be, mostly because nutrition (cat food formulas), keeping cats inside, and health care these days are better than ever. Cats are living longer than ever. I think the average lifespan for an indoor cat is up to 16-17 years now.

Cat food bags say 7 years old = "Senior" as a previous poster mentioned. I spoke to my vet when they were 7-8. He said we'd monitor their weight before switching, that would trigger it. He didn't start S&P onto Senior food until he noticed a weight gain (1-2 lbs from the previous year) on both of them at about 9 years old. They've been on Senior food since and their weight went back to "normal" within a short time. Essentially, they've both been within a pound of the weight they were at at two years old their entire life, including now.

From all the answers I received thru the years asking the same question of vets and other folks, I'd say by 9-10, a cat is considered "Senior".

Some key things to know/watch with Seniors are weight loss/gain and bathroom changes. Senior cats are prone to urinary problems (Kidney disease it the #1 killer in senior cats, I've been told) and thyroid problems. Kidney problems tend to show up with an increase of water intake and more frequent visits to the litter box. Sometimes it is a "simple" fixable infection, sometimes symptoms of more. Thyroid shows up in increased appetite (much increased) and increased energy spurts. Maybe more symptoms, but that is what my vet now has me looking for in Stanley since his heart rate is slightly high. So far, he eats normally and is the king of naps. Hopefully, his heart rate increase was due to vet visit stress.

One thought is to start with vet check-ups every 6 months vs. every year when they are officially dubbed "Seniors". I started this last year on their 11th birthday. It helps find problems quicker.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

I take the boys to a vet that specializes in senior/geriatric cats (fairly new on staff at my vet's office).

She wanted to do a "baseline" blood panel shortly after they turned 11 (she probably would have at age 10, but she wasn't on staff). In answer to your question about a blood panel, it is a pretty good idea around 10-11 to get a blood panel done for a baseline to use as they age. She also did a baseline of their urine. Both are a good idea.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

Whenever clients would come in insisting they wanted their cat PTS because it was "old" at 10, 11, 12 or whatever, we would always counter with the fact that cats can live more than 20 years.

10 really isn't really old for a cat, but that's when I would begin keeping a close eye on things...namely a cat's "in's & out's" and their weight. Most cats are still hearty and young acting at 10, but some aren't. My very special childhood cat Teri developed mild renal failure when he was 9 and was miserable enough that he had to be PTS when he was 10 even with all the treatment and diet stuff. So it's a good time to begin watching and to run that initial senior panel to see what's what while your cat is teetering on the brink of senior-dom (I made that work up! ). It will give you a comparison for when they're about 25 or so.

Er, what was supposed to be "I made that WORD up."

Sure, I can make words up, but I can't catch typo's.

Considering my cat is 17 and that would be 84 in human years, THAT is surely senior. Although my 86 year old feisty and hip grandmother might disagree! A cat is considered senior from 7 years old and above if you can believe it! I would say 10 or more and up, but the vet will tell you that 7 and up is senior. That's when most start suggesting wellness prevention. I know this because I have had many cats in my life. All were outdoor cats except for Kenzo. He's the only strictly indoor and he has outlived all the others by many years and I hope he keeps going! You're as young as you feel and as long as you're healthy you're good to go. I'm sure that works for cats too!