Adopting a senior cat: what to expect

Adopting a senior cat generally gets you a settled adult whose personality is already known, who is usually litter-trained and is content with a quiet home. What you give up is time, and vet costs are likely to come sooner. Most older cats need a quiet room, a few weeks and some patience more than anything else.

The label is loose. Shelters often list cats as senior from somewhere between seven and ten years old, while vets commonly use the term from about ten. See when a cat is considered senior, or put the cat's age into the pet age calculator for a rough human equivalent. Many indoor cats live well into their teens, so a "senior" of ten may have years ahead, though nobody can promise that for any one cat.

Why senior cats are overlooked

Kittens are adopted first and older cats tend to wait longest. Adopters worry about having less time and about vet bills, and both worries are fair.

Older cats also show badly in a shelter. Many arrive after an owner has died or moved into care, having lived in one house all their lives. In a noisy cage they hide at the back or shut down, and look unfriendly or unwell. The same cat in a foster home is often a different animal. Ask to meet the cat in a quiet room, and ask what foster carers or staff have seen over weeks rather than judging by five minutes at the cage door.

The honest case for and against

Where to adopt a senior cat near you

• City, county and private shelters. Most have older cats, often in a quieter room away from the kittens. Some reduce the fee for seniors.
• Foster-based rescues. The cat lives in a home, so the rescue can tell you how it behaves day to day.
• Senior-only rescues. Groups that take only older cats, often from shelters where they are not coping.
• Senior cat sanctuaries. Places that give lifetime care to cats who are unlikely to be adopted because of age or health. Many do not adopt out, though most welcome sponsors, volunteers or foster homes.
• Foster-to-adopt and permanent foster programs. A trial period before the adoption is final, or a long-term arrangement where the rescue keeps ownership and typically pays for agreed vet care while the cat lives with you.

To search locally, use an online adoption listing site and filter by age and distance. Call shelters and vet clinics too. Clinics often hear first about an older cat whose owner can no longer keep it.

Questions to ask before adopting

• Why was the cat given up, and what was the last home like?
• What has a vet found so far: exam, blood and urine tests, teeth, known conditions? Can you have the records?
• Has the cat been tested for feline leukemia virus and FIV?
• Is the cat on medication or a special diet, and what does it cost each month?
• What food and what litter is the cat used to?
• How does the cat use the litter box? Any accidents?
• Has the cat lived with other cats, dogs or children, and how did that go?
• Is there a trial period, and what happens if it does not work out?

The first vet visit

Book a visit with your own vet in the first week or two, and keep the new cat apart from any resident cats until it is done. Bring the records. For an older cat, screening commonly includes:

• A physical exam with weight, body condition and muscle checked and written down as a baseline.
• Blood tests, typically covering kidney values, thyroid hormone and blood sugar.
• A urine test.
• A blood pressure reading. High blood pressure is common in older cats and easy to miss.
• A dental exam.
• A check of the joints and how the cat moves. Arthritis is common in old cats and rarely shows as a limp.
• A review of vaccines and parasite control, and a microchip scan so you can update the registration.

Your vet decides which tests are worth doing for this cat and what the results mean.

Costs to plan for, and where insurance fits

Plan for the adoption fee, the first exam and tests, and possibly a dental procedure early on. After that come food, litter and checkups, which many vets suggest twice a year for older cats. The cost to budget for honestly is long-term treatment, since conditions such as kidney disease, an overactive thyroid and arthritis are common in old age. Prices vary by region and clinic, so ask your own vet for a rough estimate based on the cat's records.

Many insurers set an upper age for enrolling a cat, and almost all exclude pre-existing conditions. A policy may still cover problems that are new. Compare pet insurance for older pets and read the exclusions closely. Some owners put a monthly amount into a vet fund instead, or as well.

Set up one quiet room first

A whole house is too much for a new cat. Start with one small room with a door, such as a spare bedroom, and put everything in it:

• A large litter box with a low entry, placed well away from the food. An older cat may not manage a tall box. See litter boxes for senior and arthritic cats.
• The same litter the cat has been using.
• The same food the cat has been eating. A sudden change can upset the stomach, and a stressed cat may refuse unfamiliar food. Change it later and slowly, once you know what to look for in a senior cat food.
• Water in a separate spot from the food.
• A hiding place: a covered bed, or a cardboard box on its side with a blanket in it.
• A warm, soft bed at floor level, and a step up to the window if there is one.

The first days and weeks: hiding is normal

Expect the cat to hide for the first few days. That is normal. Sit in the room, read or talk quietly, and let the cat come to you. Do not pull the cat out of a hiding place.

Many cats eat and use the box only at night at first. Each morning, check that food has gone and that there is urine and stool in the litter. Those two checks tell you more than whether the cat is visible.

Open up the rest of the home once the cat is eating, using the box and seeking you out, which is often after a week or two. Settling in fully commonly takes several weeks to a few months. Older cats who have lost a long-time owner can take longer.

When to call the vet in the first weeks

Hiding on its own is expected. Hiding with any of the following is not, and needs a call to your vet or an emergency clinic the same day:

• No food eaten for 24 hours. Cats who stop eating can develop a serious liver problem quickly. See why an old cat stops eating.
• No urine in the box for a day, or straining or crying in the box.
• Repeated vomiting or diarrhea.
• Open-mouth or labored breathing.
• Sudden weakness, wobbling or collapse.

Introducing a senior cat to resident cats slowly

Go slower than feels necessary. A rushed introduction is hard to undo.

1. Keep the cats fully apart at first, with the new cat in its own room.
2. Swap scents. Exchange bedding, or rub a cloth on one cat's cheeks and leave it with the other.
3. Feed them on either side of the closed door, moving the bowls closer over several days.
4. Let them see each other through a gate or a door opened a crack.
5. Allow short, supervised meetings, and lengthen them gradually.

If there is hissing, fixed staring or swatting, go back a step and stay there longer. The whole process commonly takes weeks and sometimes months. Make sure there are enough resources to share: the usual guide is one litter box per cat plus one, with separate feeding spots and several resting places.

With a dog, keep the dog on a leash indoors at first and reward calm behavior. Cats are usually told to escape upward, but an arthritic cat may not be able to jump, so give the cat a gated, dog-free room instead.

Once the household is calm, the senior cat guide covers everyday care from there.

This article is general educational information about adopting an older cat, not veterinary, behavioral or financial advice. Every cat's health and history are different, and a shelter or rescue's notes are not a guarantee of how a cat will behave or what care it will need. Decisions about your cat's tests, diet and treatment should be made with your own veterinarian, and a cat who stops eating or cannot urinate needs to be seen urgently.