Yes and no, as that really depends on lifestyle. The number one vaccine that I recommend for any age in any lifestyle would be the rabies vaccine. Here in Maine, we're in a rabies-endemic area, meaning rabies is always around. In our particular area, we have had an uptick in rabies cases in the last few years, so we need to be extra cautious. The rabies vaccine's super safe, and we give it every three years. And it's just an excellent way to keep not only your pet safe but your family as well, as rabies is a fatal disease, and it’s not always apparent when your cat has had an interaction with a rabid animal like a bat, even if they're indoors. So, that's my soapbox issue—rabies vaccines are for all cats and pets.

In terms of distemper for kitties that are indoors and have a really low risk, I usually stop doing that between nine and 10 years of age. You may see some variation among vets about how comfortable they are with that, but that's my general opinion. I don't think indoor kitties need leukemia vaccines. For kitties going outside but are pretty much sticking close to the house, I believe that we can stop vaccines as they get older. For those kitties that are scrappy and kind of the bully of the neighborhood, it's worth continuing them.

That could be a tough one with cats. They're very secretive. They're both a predator species and a prey species, so they are kind of hardwired to hide pain or weakness. Many times pain will be manifested more subtly—you're not often going to find a cat yowling or crying in pain. Most of the time, what you'll find is that they're not as interactive, and they tend to hide more. Sometimes you'll notice that they are limping, but a lot of times, that is a later sign. So things to watch for would be hiding more, but also hesitance to jump. If they're not getting on the couch or the counter or being a general nuisance as my kit so often is, then that could be an indication that the kitty's not feeling well.

Another thing that we can see is abnormal grooming patterns. Sometimes kitties with chronic bladder issues will start to groom their belly, or cats with arthritis will begin to groom their rump or not want to be touched on their rump. So always check in with us if there are any behavior changes because we may be able to help you figure out what's going on.

The best thing that we can do is treat the aging cat as an individual. We must remember what they like and what their lifestyle's like, and work around that to maintain that healthy lifestyle. When you’re with them at home, remember that although they're getting older and slowing down a little bit, we still need to keep them active and mentally stimulated. Use puzzle toys or puzzle feeders and other interactive toys like wands to get some interactive play or play that they actually need to think about. That can be important for keeping that brain healthy and keeping those muscles healthy. Go ahead and modify these as needed for what your cat's abilities are.

Other things for making your cat comfortable are maintaining good nutrition, which sometimes means switching to more of a canned food diet as kitties get older. A canned food diet can help because it's a higher moisture content, which is more helpful for the kidneys if there's some early kidney decline. Then probably the most significant thing is letting us take a look at them more frequently, and we like to see senior kitties at least twice a year. Things change more quickly as pets get older. And as we all know, they live a shorter period, so they age more quickly. And so by seeing them more frequently, we can often pick things up before they become a problem.

It's pretty minimal when you think about the risks. Whenever we stick anything in your dog, there's always the risk of a little bit of bleeding, or a bruise, or those sorts of things, but in general, it's a low-risk procedure with excellent results. There’s always the risk that your dog snacks on a needle, but I've, knock on wood, never had that happen. We usually try to keep them distracted with food or love.

It depends on the condition and the experience and comfort level of the practitioner. For many conditions, such as arthritis, back pain, and neck pain, acupuncture can be a miracle worker. We can see dramatic results within a day or more. It's also nice because it's not very invasive, it's not painful, and it's something that we can maintain long-term.