When I walk into the living room at the end of the day, Target is waiting for me impatiently, meowing loudly. Tic Tac and Inkie are hovering too, eyes bright with anticipation.
The excitement is due to a new routine that started with us noticing Target’s new rough and tough man-cat look.
We were watching the news with the humans sipping coffee and the cats hopping on and off our laps for extra petting when we noticed that Target was not his usual pristine self. Our old boy looked as if he’d just rolled out of bed. His fur was ruffled, giving him a Brad Pitt or a Keanu Reeves aesthetic.
By contrast, Inkie’s fur gleamed like polished ebony and Tic Tac was softly fluffy like a small polar bear. It isn’t the first time we’ve noticed a difference.
When Target hit 14, we realised his skin and muscle tone changed. Those powerful hindquarters lost bulk and the fur around his spine seemed looser.
His vet told us that was normal. Just like human seniors find their skin sags a bit, cats see skin losing elasticity too. As the skin is looser, the fur doesn’t sit the way it used to.
Regular checks
Last year, at 16, a blood test revealed Target’s kidneys aren’t too good. He has a little powder over his tuna, a phosphorous binder, to help with that.
Still, as Target is in his mid-80s in cat years, we have regular check-ins with him. Given him rocking the ruffled look, we decided to have a chat. As he had a tooth out last year, we started at the bitey end.
Checking a cat’s mouth is never easy and Target is not helpful. What he does often is yawn so I stalked him with my phone, hanging out at the edge of the sofa for hours.Of course, our contrary kitty simply dossed down on his personal sofa pillow and went to sleep. Not a yawn in sight.
Later, when we were cuddled up in bed, I put on the bedside lamp, stuck a finger where his jaw hinges and had a quick look. His teeth and gums looked fine.
Target accepted my apologies grumpily and as he settled down to purr himself to sleep, we considered other issues.
Managing older cats
Older cats can be a little stiff. Some develop arthritis. As grooming involves lots of twisting about, an elderly cat sometimes just can’t do the job properly. Lack of daily maintenance means the fur’s natural oils build up, giving the pet a clumpy look.
Target has bad back paws and I’m convinced it can’t be easy for him, but our orange is stubborn.Several times a day Target puts a back paw over his ear and licks his tummy, a feat none of the humans would dare attempt.
Tic Tac is always happy to help with difficult to reach bits like the back of the ears and neck, but there’s a catch. Our naughty princess licks Target’s ears, washes his neck, nibbles his chin – and then she throws her paws around him and bites.
In the past, the two would fall off the sofa, continue the battle on the floor, and race up and down the stairs for good measure.
These days Target breaks off after a few minutes. Tic Tac is always ready for more but she’s a sweet girl who understands her friend is a little bit rickety.So she slopes off and attacks Inkie, flattening him with an excellent body slam.
Meanwhile, Target sits on the sofa, with a damp neck and his fur on end.I’ve offered to give him a little polish with a damp mini towel but our old boy regards that with disdain. What he will accept is extra petting.
Extra attention
So every day I sit with him, stroking his ears, his neck and his spine, smoothing out the fur gently. Target loves it. He stretches out, purring loudly. After 10 minutes his fur is sleek again.
After putting everything together, we think he’s okay. With his huge green eyes, creamy stripes breaking up the orange, he’s still a very handsome boy.
But thinking it all over, we’ve decided a little more water and extra vitamins can’t go wrong.
Thankfully, we received a small stack of free creamy vitamin enhanced treats with the cat food this week. I piled it up by my chair and Tom rustled up a cat plate.
The second I snipped the end of a tube, Tic Tac appeared out of thin air. I swear that girl has a magic treat tracking talent. To her horror, Target got to go first.
Our orange snuck a look at her pouting face and licked the plate – slowly. When she squeaked with frustration, I swear he laughed.
After he was done, Tic Tac got half a treat and Inkie queued up for the other half.
Target loves it, and we think it may help him. Even if there’s no significant health benefit, it adds to his joy.
As for Tic Tac, our treat fiend, she’s delighted. She’s campaigned for extra treats for years and now the day is finally there – even if she doesn’t get to go first.
