How to Supervise Your Senior Human: A Kitty Primer

Humans age very differently from cats. Even though they live more years, they spend a bigger percentage of those years as youngsters and as seniors. Don’t let the veterinarians tell you different — they may want to call us kitties “seniors” at 10 years old, but we tend to stay active and playful for many years after that. So I would not really say we are seniors in the human sense of the word.

Many senior humans, on the other hand, are plagued with a variety of physical problems in their old age, and these often hamper their ability to get around and be mobile, unlike us cats — take Binga, for example. She is 14 this month, and she is still very busy and gets into lots of trouble. They say that the human equivalent of 14 cat years is 73 human years, and there are not many humans that age who could run around like Binga, or do the things she does (they might wind up in jail!). What can I say? Humans are just not as hardy as us cats.

Because senior humans are more fragile than we are, they need special care and attention. I know that August is Senior Pet Month, but I felt a few senior human tips would be in order.

Senior humans require the care of mature cats. Kittens are wild little balls of energy, and they get into all sorts of things. Senior humans have a hard time keeping up with them, might trip over them, and the constant supervision a kitten requires can be more stressful than entertaining for seniors. Not only that, we kitties tend to live at least 15 years, if we are kept indoors, and we often reach 20 and beyond, so it’s a good bet that a kitten will outlive her senior human — and then where will she go? There are many sad stories of cats getting dumped at shelters by uncaring relatives after a senior human dies. So kittens, caring for a senior is a big cat’s job, not yours!
Aloof cats need not apply either. A lot of senior humans are lonely and isolated. Many of them can’t get around much, and their friends and family live far away. As a cat who lives with a senior human, part of your job is to provide companionship — in fact, this may be your most important job! So if your patience is limited when it comes to humans pestering you, then you probably shouldn’t live with a senior human. Honestly, they are generally very peaceful types, and they aren’t as grabby and annoying as some other, younger folks (and certainly a lot calmer than human children). Most will be happy if you purr for them, allow them to pet you lots, and if you spend time napping on their laps, or sleeping next to them, they will love it! If you are naturally an affectionate cat, you will find senior humans to be pretty low maintenance.
Senior humans are delicate — be gentle with them. When humans age, their skin becomes very thin and fragile, so be very careful to keep your claws retracted when you are in contact with them. Even something as innocent as kneading on a senior human’s lap can puncture their skin. Hopefully, your senior human will have a comfy blanket on their lap when you are there so this won’t be an issue, but when they are holding you, be aware that you can’t just leap out of their arms. What would cause a little scratch on a younger human will create a long, painful wound on a senior, one that might take a long time to heal. Senior humans can also hurt themselves badly if they fall, so stay out of the paths where they walk.
Go ahead and be playful! It’s true, older cats have moments where they want to zoom around the house and act crazy, so don’t hesitate — have fun! Just because your senior humans might not be able to move around much, it does not mean you have to restrict your energy to a low ebb. In fact, it amuses many seniors to see their cats running from room to room and enjoying themselves. It lifts their spirits and that is a very good thing. When senior humans feel better emotionally, it has a very positive impact on their health.
Living with a senior human could be saving a life. We cats are lucky, because we are not hard to take care of, and even senior humans with age-related issues like arthritis, or who are limited physically can scoop litter and open a can of food. Studies have shown that seniors live longer and stay healthier when they share their homes with a cat. They are happier and their lives have more meaning. We kitties are good for senior humans — and all we need to do is offer the gift of ourselves.

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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” I have answers to many annoying problems in my two award-winning books! Visit my author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of my awesome Dear Sparkle books!