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Cats | Old Age, Palliative Care and Euthanasia Decisions

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#獸醫百科#貓#高齡照護#安寧#動物照護

The full contents of the "old age, palliative care and euthanasia decisions" column in the 12-column knowledge tree for cats. Where the original text could not obtain an authoritative figure, it leaves the field blank and states why; this site preserves that as-is and does not fill in numbers on its behalf. The disease column is published separately as vet/cat-common-diseases and is not repeated here.

Cats | Old Age, Palliative Care and Euthanasia Decisions

This article is compiled from the cat chapter of the veterinary animal encyclopaedia. The same sign calls for different handling in different species, and copying what works for another species can do harm — first confirm which animal you are dealing with.
TopicContent
Life-stage classificationThe mature / senior age cut-offs follow the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines (catvets.com): Mature adult 7–10 years, Senior 10 years and above (verified 2026-07-30, cited as in column 1); ⚠️ the 2021 edition has been simplified to 4 stages plus an end-of-life stage, which does not map exactly onto the older naming used in this table
The typical "disease stacking" of the older catChronic kidney disease plus hyperthyroidism plus systemic hypertension plus osteoarthritis plus dental disease plus neoplasia plus cognitive dysfunction, often present at the same time and interfering with each other's treatment (for example, kidney disease only becomes apparent after the thyroid is treated)
Presentation of feline cognitive dysfunctionNight-time howling, getting lost in familiar surroundings, staring at walls, changes in social patterns, regression of litter-box habits, reversed sleep cycle
What the six-monthly health check should includeFull physical examination plus oral cavity plus trends in body weight / BCS / MCS plus blood biochemistry and complete blood count plus urinalysis (including urine specific gravity and urine protein) plus blood pressure plus thyroxine; for the age boundary at which to switch to six-monthly you may refer to the Senior stage (10 years and above) in the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines (catvets.com, verified 2026-07-30); the individual cut-off values for the tests themselves (such as creatinine and SDMA reference values) 【No single authoritative value for this item: whitelisted sources do not provide cat-specific reference values for general cut-offs; the official IRIS staging table is not on this whitelist of domains and its figures are not adopted, so the specific SDMA / creatinine staging cut-offs must be looked up in the official IRIS staging table and interpreted by a veterinarian against the reference ranges of the laboratory used on the day; this file does not fill them in directly, 2026-07-30】
Home modifications (so the cat can keep being itself)A litter box with a low side or an added ramp, steps up to old favourite spots, non-slip mats, raised food and water bowls, multiple water sources, a warm place it can leave (to prevent low-temperature burns), a night light, and moving resources to the floor of the house it now lives on
The key concept in pain assessmentAn old cat that is "quiet, sleeping a lot, not moving much" is often not ageing but in pain. Quantify it with a list of "things it used to do and now does not"; structured tools such as the Feline Musculoskeletal Pain Index / Client-Specific Outcome Measures (✅ existence verified: the same source as item 12 of column 7, FMPI / CSOM, PMID 23551140 / 17552444, verified 2026-07-30)
The goal shift in palliative / hospice careFrom "cure" to "comfort": pain control, nausea control, respiratory comfort, hydration, nutrition (placing a feeding tube is a tool for improving comfort, not giving up or failing), coat and toileting hygiene, and shrinking the environment to a range the cat can move through easily
Quality-of-life assessment toolsStructured scales may be used (such as the HHHHHMM-type framework: hurt / hunger / hydration / hygiene / happiness / mobility / whether good days outnumber bad — ✅ existence verified: Villalobos AE. "Quality-of-life assessment techniques for veterinarians." *Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract* 2011;41(3):519-29; PMID 21601744; <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21601744/>, verified 2026-07-30; HHHHHMM = hurt, hunger, hydration, hygiene, happiness, mobility, more good days than bad); pair them with an owner's own list of "the 5 things it enjoys" and record daily how many of them it can still do — this is the objective indicator hardest to deceive yourself with
The three questions in a euthanasia decision① Is the pain (along with dyspnoea and nausea) still controllable now? ② Can it still eat, drink, toilet by itself and stay clean? ③ Do the good days still outnumber the bad?<br>The criterion is not "is there anything else we could still try", but "is it having a good day today, and will it get better". "It is still eating" does not mean it is not in pain
Explaining the process (to reduce the owner's fear)Usually sedation first, then the drug; the owner may choose to stay beside the cat; expected normal physiological reactions include an open mouth, muscle twitching, incontinence and eyes that do not close — these are not expressions of suffering, and knowing this in advance greatly reduces the sense of trauma
What to communicate before the decisionThe prognosis, the available options, the burden of each option (frequency, hospitalisation, difficulty of medicating, stress on the cat) and the cost should all be made clear (line 266 of the source text makes exactly this point: "make the risks, options, costs and prognosis clear; always put animal welfare first"). When the ceiling of treatment is limited by finances or by how much the cat can cooperate, choosing not to continue invasive treatment and to move to palliative care is a reasonable and responsible care decision
The other cats in the home, and the ownerOther cats may search, call out, or change their appetite; the owner's grief is normal, and pet-loss support resources can be sought (this file does not give legal advice or advice on regulations for handling remains — follow the rules of your local competent authority)

The content above is copied cell by cell from the encyclopaedia chapter text, without rewriting or condensing; treatment direction is given only by category, with no drug names or dosages, and medication must be prescribed by a veterinarian.

The limits of this content

The content of this article comes from the cat chapter of the veterinary encyclopaedia (the original location and content hash are given in the evidence chain). The sources at the end are the authoritative material cited by that chapter, a chapter-level correspondence. This is educational information and cannot replace the diagnosis and prescription of a practising veterinarian; in an emergency, seek care immediately. This article has not been clinically reviewed by a named veterinarian.

FAQ

What should be noted about life-stage classification in cats?
The mature / senior age cut-offs follow the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines (catvets.com): Mature adult 7–10 years, Senior 10 years and above (verified 2026-07-30, cited as in column 1); ⚠️ the 2021 edition has been simplified to 4 stages plus an end-of-life stage, which does not map exactly onto the older naming used in this table. The actual judgement still rests with a veterinarian on a case-by-case basis, and this article gives no drug names or dosages.
猫の高齢期の区分で注意すべきことは何ですか？ — 中高齢／高齢の年齢の区切りは 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines（catvets.com）に従います：Mature adult 7–10 歳、Senior 10 歳以上（確認 2026-07-30、欄 1 と同じ引用）。⚠️ 2021 年版は 4 期＋終末期に簡略化されており、本表の旧来の名称とは完全には対応しません。実際の判断は獣医師が個別の症例に応じて行う必要があり、本記事は薬剤名と用量を記載しません。
What should be noted about life-stage classification in cats? — The mature / senior age cut-offs follow the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines (catvets.com): Mature adult 7–10 years, Senior 10 years and above (verified 2026-07-30, cited as in column 1); ⚠️ the 2021 edition has been simplified to 4 stages plus an end-of-life stage, which does not map exactly onto the older naming used in this table. The actual judgement still rests with a veterinarian on a case-by-case basis, and this article gives no drug names or dosages.
What should be noted about the typical "disease stacking" of the older cat?
Chronic kidney disease plus hyperthyroidism plus systemic hypertension plus osteoarthritis plus dental disease plus neoplasia plus cognitive dysfunction, often present at the same time and interfering with each other's treatment (for example, kidney disease only becomes apparent after the thyroid is treated). The actual judgement still rests with a veterinarian on a case-by-case basis, and this article gives no drug names or dosages.
高齢猫に典型的な「疾患の重なり」で注意すべきことは何ですか？ — 慢性腎臓病＋甲状腺機能亢進症＋全身性高血圧＋変形性関節症＋歯科疾患＋腫瘍＋認知機能障害が同時に存在し、互いの治療を妨げることがよくあります（例：甲状腺を治療して初めて腎臓病が顕在化する）。実際の判断は獣医師が個別の症例に応じて行う必要があり、本記事は薬剤名と用量を記載しません。
What should be noted about the typical "disease stacking" of the older cat? — Chronic kidney disease plus hyperthyroidism plus systemic hypertension plus osteoarthritis plus dental disease plus neoplasia plus cognitive dysfunction, often present at the same time and interfering with each other's treatment (for example, kidney disease only becomes apparent after the thyroid is treated). The actual judgement still rests with a veterinarian on a case-by-case basis, and this article gives no drug names or dosages.
What should be noted about the presentation of feline cognitive dysfunction?
Night-time howling, getting lost in familiar surroundings, staring at walls, changes in social patterns, regression of litter-box habits, reversed sleep cycle. The actual judgement still rests with a veterinarian on a case-by-case basis, and this article gives no drug names or dosages.
猫の認知機能障害（feline cognitive dysfunction）の現れ方で注意すべきことは何ですか？ — 夜鳴き、慣れた環境で迷う、壁を見つめる、社会的なふるまいの変化、トイレの習慣の退行、睡眠リズムの逆転。実際の判断は獣医師が個別の症例に応じて行う必要があり、本記事は薬剤名と用量を記載しません。
What should be noted about the presentation of feline cognitive dysfunction? — Night-time howling, getting lost in familiar surroundings, staring at walls, changes in social patterns, regression of litter-box habits, reversed sleep cycle. The actual judgement still rests with a veterinarian on a case-by-case basis, and this article gives no drug names or dosages.

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Jane・《Cats | Old Age, Palliative Care and Euthanasia Decisions》・IDAEO 知識庫・2026-08-13・https://km.idaeo.ai/post/vet/cat-senior-and-end-of-life

Updated 2026-08-15

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更新 2026-08-15T15:41:02.273Z · server-rendered · four-language · IDAEO 知識庫