Five Reasons to Avoid Adopting a Senior Cat

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Senior cats are a lot like senior people. They’re just plain set in their ways. They can be cranky, incontinent, forgetful, and downright difficult. It’s true that they may be more in need of a good home than cute little kittens because they get passed over in favor of a younger model, much like people as well. So, we’re not trying to discourage anyone who might have a big heart and want to help out an older feline. And, it’s true that an older cat will usually be unbelievably grateful for a warm new home and a little human affection. We’re just saying that there can be some drawbacks to adopting a senior cat. Here are a few for your consideration:

1. If a senior cat still has his or her claws, chances are he or she may have developed a habit of sharpening them on the furniture, drapes, and other items that can be damaged. If you have a beloved family dog, that could mean that his or her curiosity about the new member of the family could result in getting an eye put out. A kitten, on the other hand, will be more inclined to run and hide rather than going toe-to-toe with Fido. This means less of a chance of injury to his eyes at the hands, or paws, of a new cat who has just joined your household.

2. You have no idea of a senior cat’s history in a previous home, so you won’t be able to know the reason he or she reacts to certain things. If your senior cat is afraid of dogs, for example, then maybe the dog in a former household chased her or tormented her. If she’s afraid of people, maybe she was abused before and may never get over it. There can be many things that scare a cat and she may react badly, like piddling on the floor when frightened or hissing and lashing out with her claws.

3. If you adopt a senior male cat, he may be neutered now, but in the event that he was not neutered prior to when he started spraying, you could be in for a very pungent problem. Generally, when a male cat is neutered prior to reaching the age of seven months, no problem, But, one that was neutered after that could present a spraying issue, Basically, you have no way of knowing when he was neutered. There may be no way of stopping the spraying once a cat has gotten into the habit. Just like us, cats have a hard time breaking bad habits once they have taken hold.

4. An older cat could have health issues. Often those issues can be the result of consuming food that is poor in quality for many years. In other cases, a cat’s heath issues could just be age-related. One health problem that can be rather common in senior cats is obesity and that could contribute to the cat being diabetic. They can also have dental problems, difficulty grooming themselves, problems with climbing stairs, and other issues like blindness, deafness, and senility.

5. Senior cats sometimes aren’t very good with children. They may not be used to them and want to be left alone. Consequently, a senior cat could be prone to scratching your kids, especially since kids can be rough when they play with them and older cats often just plain don’t like it. They may have been raised in a childless household and never exposed to kids.

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