Abstract
As nutrition and veterinary care have advanced, we have seen health benefits reflected in the wellbeing and life span of the pet population. With this has come a growing population of aging animals, which has impacted the need for veterinarians to consider both the normal, physiologic changes that occur with age and the appropriate monitoring of these changes. In this Special Issue of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery we review the current knowledge of feline aging, and provide a practical guide for the veterinary practitioner to monitoring of patients progressing into the senior life stage.1,2
©Veterinary Record/BMJ Publications
An underlying objective has been to help define healthy aging and determine the requirements to support health and wellbeing in the aging animal. Although we see and appreciate an increased risk for many disease processes with advancing age, we intentionally focus on changes that are considered normal in the senior cat. These changes can be differentiated from disease processes that may occur in parallel with increasing age, but are not fundamentally part of the aging process. Our goal is to better understand and characterize the healthy aging process in feline patients, which will enhance our ability to address these changes through improved nutrition and preventive care.
A diverse group of experts was assembled to undertake this project and provide a comprehensive, systems-based review. As experts in their individual areas, this group of authors helped to collate the current knowledge of cognitive and behavioral health, skin and coat health, weight and body condition, musculoskeletal system health, special senses health, oral and gingival health, gastrointestinal health, cardiac health, respiratory health, renal and urinary tract health, endocrine health and immune system health. In bringing this information together in this Special Issue, we not only provide a single resource for use by practitioners, but importantly one that can be referenced and used as a focal point for initiating future research and bringing attention to the field of aging feline health.
Although we provide a thorough review of the current knowledge, it is clear that there is a great need for better understanding in this area. As our senior pet population continues to expand, we have a responsibility within the veterinary scientific community to invest in research that can contribute to improved nutrition, health care and quality of life for our aging feline patients. We hope that these articles ignite your passion and galvanize your interest in the topic of healthy aging, and look forward to a growing body of research and improved understanding of this area in future years.