2008 Senior Care Guidelines

Senior Care Guidelines Document click here 
Senior Care Guidelines Summary Document click here
Consumer Version:  Friends for Life, Caring for Your Older Cat click here

The American Association of Feline Practitioners is pleased to announce that an updated version of the Senior Care Guidelines has been completed and will be published in the September issue of The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.

The guidelines are dedicated to Dr. Jim Richards, in memoriam, the co-author of the original AAFP Senior Care Guidelines. Two of Dr. Richard’s favorite sayings were: “Cats are masters at hiding illness” and “Age is not a disease.”

These guidelines help focus attention on recognition and treatment of the problems our stoic cats develop with age.

The Senior Care Guidelines address a broad range of issues including medical, behavioral, and lifestyle considerations. They will assist veterinarians in delivering consistent high quality care to older cats while ensuring optimal quality of life. Early detection of disease is a cornerstone of best care for all of our pets and this is particularly important when it comes to the older cat. Cats are masters at hiding their signs of illness and a cooperative effort is needed between the veterinarian and owner to maximize the quality of life we can give our senior cats. Educating owners to help them develop an awareness of the signs of illness is critical. Preemptive testing to detect metabolic signs of disease will help owners start treatments earlier and give their cats the longest, best quality of life that they can. The discussion of comfort and quality of life issues is further addressed to facilitate recognition and subsequent management of the pain that accompanies many geriatric diseases.

AAFP would like to thank Nestle Purina Pet Care, Merial, IDEXX, Nutramax Laboratories, and Abbott for their sponsorship of these guidelines and their commitment to help AAFP develop projects that will improve the lives of cats. AAFP continues to work to promote excellence in feline medicine and to provide veterinarians with tools and strategies to provide the best care.