This book highlights all the medical aspects that the veterinary practitioner should bear when dealing with a senior feline patient. The key points of each system and disease are addressed clearly. The practical application of the information provided is the book's main asset, always from the perspective of their physiological peculiarities and response to the treatment.

Felix Vallejo is a founding member of the Spanish Small Animal Veterinary Association (AVEPA) Group of Specialists in Feline Medicine (GEMFE). He has always evinced a passion for feline medicine. He is a great colleague and, above all, a great friend. We are tremendously proud to see his book published. We know by experience that it is very difficult to find a balance between the writing of a medical book and one's family and work at the practice, but the effort is always worthwhile.

You hold in your hands a complete book on senior cat care. Many hours of study and research went into its making. Even though cats are seen with increasing frequency at small-animal veterinary clinics worldwide, they continue to represent a daily challenge for clinicians, even those who specialize exclusively in treating cats.

These patients pose a particular challenge due to their tendency to camouflage their symptoms. Thus preventive medicine, where possible, is all the more important in cats, especially senior cats (over eight years of age). Diseases such as kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, osteoarthritis, and neoplasms are much more common in the senior stage of life.

This book features key concepts that will aid in properly diagnosing the most common diseases that affect senior cats. Its eminently practical nature will greatly facilitate daily clinical practice at clinics with a particular focus on feline medicine.

We hope that you find it to your liking and enjoy it just as much as we have.

Luisa Palmero Colado, DVM
GPCert in Feline Medicine (ESPVS)
Certified in Feline Medicine (AVEPA)

Vaness Carballes Pérez, DMV
GPCert in Feline Medicine (ESPVS)
Continuing professional development diploma in
Ophthalmology from the Complutense University of Madrid

The Author:

Felix Vallejo
Félix Vallejo López graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) in 1992. He is certified as a specialist in feline medicine by the Spanish Small Animal Veterinary Association (AVEPA) and holds a diploma as a General Practitioner in Feline Medicine from the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ESVPS). He also holds a diploma in traumatology and orthopedics and a diploma in traditional Chinese veterinary medicine (Chi Institute of Europe). He is a founding member of the AVEPA Group of Specialists in Feline Medicine (GEMFE), a member of the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), and a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). At present, he heads the feline area at Happy Animal Veterinary Hospital in Madrid and manages the specialized consulting firm www.medicinafelina.com. He is the author of multiple publications in the field of feline medicine, as well as a speaker at various conferences in recent years.

Tables of contents:

Senior care: understanding ageing
Senior animals in daily clinical practice
The ageing process
How to identify this process in a cat
References

Respiratory diseases in senior cats
Chronic rhinosinusitis
Clinical signs
Diagnosis
Treatment
Bronchial diseases: asthma and chronic bronchitis
Diagnostic approach
Treatment
Pleural effusion
References

Common heart diseases in senior cats
Examining a patient with potential heart disease
Auscultation
Examination of the eyes and mucosae
Examination of the jugular pulse and veins
Keys to thoracic auscultation
Normal heart sounds 
Murmurs
Rhythm and rate
Other diagnostic methods
Main types of cardiomyopathy in senior patients
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Restrictive cardiomyopathy
Treatment of cardiomyopathy
Hypertension
Treatment of hypertension
References

Dental care in senior cats
Age-associated changes
Abrasion
Periodontal disease
Tooth resorption or false caries
Oral neoplasms
Stomatitis and feline chronic gingivostomatitis 
Aetiopathogenesis
Lesions and clinical signs
Treatment
Tooth extraction
Perioperative considerations
Surgical technique
References

Gastrointestinal diseases in senior cats
Vomiting
Diagnostic approach
Treatment
Inflammatory bowel disease
Clinical picture
Diagnostic approach
Treatment
Intestinal lymphoma
Diagnostic approach
Treatment
Constipation (megacolon)
Treatment
References

Liver and pancreas diseases in senior cats
Feline age-associated hepatic and pancreatic pathophysiology
Inflammatory liver diseases in the senior cat
Triaditis
Hepatic lipidosis
Hepatic encephalopathy
Liver neoplasms
Treatment of hepatobiliary conditions in senior cats
Antibiotics
Immunosuppressive drugs
Supportive treatment
Acute and chronic pancreatitis
Treatment of acute pancreatitis
Treatment of chronic pancreatitis
Annex
References

Chronic kidney disease
The International Renal Interest Society. Kidney disease classification system
How chronic kidney disease is diagnosed
Changes in the kidneys
What to do
Treatment of chronic kidney disease
Treatment of hyperphosphataemia
How to fight anaemia
How to manage hypertension
References

Pain management in senior cats
Feline osteoarthritis
Adapting clinical examination to cats
Drugs for pain 
NSAIDs
Opiates
Tricyclic antidepressants
Anticonvulsants
NMDA receptor antagonists
Nutraceuticals
Gene therapy 
Alternative therapies
Annex
References

Endocrine diseases in senior cats
Feline hyperthyroidism
Clinical signs
Diagnosis
Treatment
Acromegaly
 Clinical signs
 Diagnosis
Treatment
Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s syndrome)
Clinical signs
Diagnosis
Treatment
 Hyperaldosteronism (Conn’s syndrome)
Clinical signs
Diagnosis
Treatment
Diabetes mellitus
Clinical signs
Diagnosis
Treatment
References

Infectious diseases in senior cats
 Toxoplasmosis
Clinical signs
Diagnosis 
Treatment
Feline haemoplasmosis 
Pathogenesis
Diagnosis
Treatment
Calicivirus (FCV)
Virulent systemic feline calicivirus (VS-FCV)
Diagnosis
Treatment
Herpesvirus (FHV)
Pathogenesis
Diagnosis
Treatment
Feline coronavirus and feline infectious peritonitis: who is who
Agent that causes feline infectious peritonitis?
Diagnosis
Treatment
Retroviruses
Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV)
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)
References