Can a person be too old to care for a cat? I think they can be. There are reasons for this. I was speaking with a neighbour the other day and she said, “I am worried my cats might outlive me.” I was surprised because she was only 65. But I see the point. If her cats are young and have 15 years ahead of them it would take her to 80, an age at which a person is at about the average maximum in the West.
The first “cat caretaker age related problem” is whether you’ll die before your cats. Who will look after them when your gone? I don’t want to be morbid but practical. There might not be a suitable person. I can’t think of one unless it is a PoC regular!
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A more pressing and immediate problem is the demands of looking after a domestic cat or cats to a high standard. There is quite a lot to do. What about taking your cat to the veterinarian? If you can’t drive anymore you’ll have to rely on someone else which is tricky or impossible. A lot of people are unable to drive safely at a certain age which is well before their death.
There are some physical demands such as keeping the litter tray clean. It is not that hard but when you get older you don’t see the mess so clearly. You can become neglectful. If the litter tray was left for too long it would be unfair on your cat. She may do it outside of the litter tray causing more problems which would be very difficult to deal with for an 80 year old person. This is more to do with standards really.
There is also the matter of the weight of the cat litter bag. For a fragile woman of 80+ it might be impossible to carry the bag and difficult to open it. There are a lot of tricky aspects to doing the cat litter tray for the average person in their 80s.
Of course it very much depends on the person. Some people are really perky at 85. However, I am basing this post on averages. Dementia is a big topic these days. You might struggle to do a good job of caring for your cat if you had early stage dementia as it can lead to general neglect both of self and the cat. Forget to change the water?
Food and water is another issue. Water needs changing daily. It is easy to forget that for a very elderly person. Cat food is heavy like cat litter and it can be difficult to open. Cans can be tricky and so can pouches.
If both the caretaker and the cat are geriatric the potential difficulties mount. Geriatric cats needs extra care and a watchful approach. Will an old person spot changes in behaviour? A change in cat behaviour is the primary way to diagnose health problems in our cats. If they are ignored it could affect the cat very substantially.
I am going to suggest that a good cat caretaker should be aware of the pitfalls of being a very elderly cat owner and ensure that they are able to make a rational decision about when it might be inappropriate to care for a domestic cat. Each person is different but if the average age of Americans and Europeans is around the 80+ mark, I’d have thought the mid 70s might be a time to consider one’s options.
Preparation and planning for the future is important because a caring cat caretaker would find it upsetting if she had to abandon her cats due to illness. There has to be a certain amount of foreseeing what is likely in the future.
One last point: it is possible for a blind person to care for several cats very successfully provided the person is committed and organised.
What do you think?
Neat thought. This is probably the best solution to allowing a elderly person retain the benefit of her cat’s companionship.
I think if a person can find someone to come in and help clean and help with the cat it would be possible to care for a cat even as you get older. My mom cleaned for an older lady with a very elderly cat. She would have to move the sofa and there would be poops under there. I think the cat was getting confused and couldn’t always find the litterbox. But with my mom coming in to move furniture and clean everywhere, it helped make the situation ok for both human and cat. The cat is long gone now, and I’m not sure if his human is still living or not.
In this economy there are probably a lot of people who would be willing to come in and clean and do it for a very reasonable sum of money. When my mom was cleaning for that woman that was our situation– desperation. Both my parents were unemployed, unable to find work.
It would not be hard to find people to come clean for cash under the table (no income taxes taken out) and then the person hired is able to make some much needed cash while the elderly person is sure that the house is getting clean and the cat’s litterbox is scooped properly. When things get rough economically there is a whole underground economy that starts up with people doing things like cleaning houses and babysitting and what not for cash under the table, which is never reported. They don’t have to pay taxes on it and they don’t have to report the income, which would then be deducted from their already tiny unemployment check. You don’t have to go far to find these people or trust a stranger. They are right in your church, in your family or your circle of friends. This is a benefit to older people who need a little extra help. In a good economy people wouldn’t bother with side jobs like cleaning and pet sitting for low pay. Today it’s getting to the point where more and more people don’t have a choice.
Thats right Michael I guess that is what I was trying to get at. My Gran had a deep love for Cats more than anyone else in the family. She had mostly Siamese type cats.
It is about struggling to provide proper care. The cat’s owner should be realistic and honest about their abilities to care for their cat properly. At a certain age it becomes more difficult to basic things.
Well maybe having something like a will, or some sort of plan. Sso if something does happen at least the people involved know what happens to the cat/s. I would always be mindful that the cat if still alive goes to a Trustworthy and Reliable Cat person, that is able to look after the animal and not just say it but then dispose of the animal . I dont think any age is a barrier. I guess unless the person is struggling to give proper care to the cat/s
Good point DW. I agree that looking after a companion animal helps to extend our lives so a decision is a balancing act. I don’t want to be morbid either and I’m sorry if the article sounds a little bit morbid. It is intended to be practical and realistic. The other point that you make is that it is very much dependent upon the person concerned because some people are very active and alert even into their nineties but I do believe that for every person a moment comes when they should consider more carefully whether they take on another companion cat when their existing cat passes on. That is the only point I’m making.