Senior animals always have a place in our hearts. While they still have love to give… seniors will many times come with issues that need to be dealt with. We happened to get lucky with both Belle and Paws. Neither cat had any serious issues when we got them. Even though they were overweight, they were relatively healthy cats because they weren’t on any medications or had any ongoing conditions that needed to be handled.
That being said, both Belle and Paws were a bit inactive for their age. Many times pet owners will keep a food bowl down on the floor and fill it when it gets empty. “Free Feeding” we call it. However; I’ve heard it called “lazy” too. I get it. Not everyone has the time to deal with feeding times or cracking cans when the cats need to be fed. Sometimes you can’t be there to feed them. I do get it. We recommend everyone try and get their felines on wet cat food, There’s several reasons why we believe this way and we understand not everyone can transition easily… but it should be a goal.
First Thing, the Vet
We had asked the previous owners for veterinary records for Belle and Paws but they never gave them to us. Belle and Paws had been apparently healthy their whole lives or there wasn’t anything significant to let us know about. We know they had a vet because they had already been declawed and fixed prior to coming to us. However, all we were told is that the cats were 12 years old and brother and sister from the same litter. We were told they basically just slept and ate. While they were overweight, they seemed healthy but they were definitely inactive and both of them did sleep a lot.
Taking them to the vet was an experience. While they were apprehensive about getting into the cat carriers, once at the vet they were rather chill about the whole idea. We let them out of their carriers so the vet could get a good look at them and both of them obliged nicely with an insane amount of curiosity. I have to say they were the most relaxed cats I had ever seen at the vet. The vet gave them both a good evaluation and they both came away with a good experience apart from their shots and blood work.
The vet was told about their new home life and was also happy to hear that they were going on a “wet” diet. By the time they had gone to the vet, their activity level was already up a bit. The doctor had only said “they look like their on the right path… keep it up”.
No More Free Feeding and Plenty of Playful Exercise
As “free feeders”, Belle and Paws were overweight and as a consequence were somewhat inactive. They didn’t play. They didn’t jump much either. They kind of just slept a lot. When they joined our family we already had a few cats and we were already on a regiment of wet cat food and feeding times during the day. However, Belle and Paws were quite curious about their new surroundings. Belle was more explorative while Paws had a bit harder time and actually seemed more apprehensive of the whole experience at first.
Belle and Paws very quickly figured out there was no dry food out and the way to get food was to show up at feeding time. In our house, each cat gets their own bowl. Getting on this regiment of being fed twice a day was one they eventually got used to and they both started losing weight once they started down this road.
Both Belle and Paws got plenty of playtime. It was immediately apparent that both Belle and Paws had never been off the floor. Their previous home must have forbid them to jump and get on furniture, counters, or ANYTHING. These cats never left the floor in the beginning. They had no idea what a cat tree was and they stayed away from jumping on anything at all. With some persuasion and also building them their own cat tree, we encouraged their playing all the time and we eventually broke them of this floor bound behavior.
However, once they realized they could jump on things and go places they jumped on everything and went as high as they could in the cat trees. In our house, the cat trees go all the way to the ceiling and both Belle and Paws loved these areas. There are only two places cats are not allowed to go in the house. The kitchen counters and the kitchen table are off limits. All the cats know this. We eventually taught Belle and Paws this but it was a chore once they realized they could go anywhere they liked.
The end to free feeding, the increase in play time and the ability to jump and go where they wanted all added up to them losing some weight. Soon they looked great and they were extremely active. They played with the other cats and became a rambunctious duo around the house. It was such a heart warming display.
Building Their Cat Tree
While both Belle and Paws both integrated well, when it came time to sleep, they always seem to return to the initial room that we setup for them when they arrived. We initially had their carriers there set up with beds and that’s where they went when they wanted to sleep.
It’s like they knew that was theirs and they would always return there. We started building a cat tree for them almost immediately in the same area. We build all the cat trees ourselves for the cats and they usually watch the whole process. Paws was particularly enamored.
The first thing we did was build two tubes that resembled the area where their carriers were and the plan was that we could just swap the tubes in and they could start sleeping in just as they did their carriers. This worked like a charm.
They were sleeping in the tubes before the tree was finished. However, once the tubes were made I started building up and I went right to the ceiling. Both Belle and Paws absolutely loved it.
However, there are other cats in the house and they all took notice. The other cats never really went into the tubes that Belle and Paws slept in but the rest of the tree was free reign. Bubbles took the top hut and was usually at the top. while Zippy and Rascal always took the middle of the tree.
It’s not unusual for all the cats to start climbing on the trees and claiming their own areas. Bubbles eventually claimed the top tower in Belle and Paws new tree. She was the matriarch of most of our cats and she always ended up with what she wanted and claimed. None of the cats tried to move in on the tube sections of the tree. It’s almost like it was understood that these were exclusively for Belle and Paws.
It was a real nice dynamic for all the cats to be honest. Both Belle and Paws acclimated into the household MUCH more quickly than we expected on their own and besides some initial curiosities, the rest of our cats always acted like Belle and Paws were just a part of the family. It was one of the easiest and drama free integrations into our home that we’ve ever seen. There will always be disputes and some drama between any cats… but our family of pets always looked at Belle and Paws as just another part of the family.
