Mary Allen
Anxious, restless, loud, and confused: Cats’ brains also age – with symptoms similar to those we know from people with dementia. The disease cannot be cured; at most slow down.
Sometimes Luna actually gets “stuck” in a corner. Then the 13-year-old cat lady suddenly seems to have forgotten how to deal with obstacles like a wall. If someone rushes to her aid, she reacts with irritation, hisses or turns around, and runs out of the room in fear. The fact that her cat, who was once so happy, now seems mostly frightened and stressed is bad for owner Simone Münger from Allschwil BL. Again and again, she has to get up at night because Luna is standing somewhere and meowing for no apparent reason.
After various examinations by her vet, it is now clear why Luna is behaving so strangely: Changes in her brain are to blame. “Substance of nerve cells and their coverings, deposits and vascular changes,” as Frank Steffen, Head of the Neurology Department at the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Zurich, puts it in more detail. Brain aging affects all mammals. And because, thanks to medical advances, not only humans but also pets have an ever-increasing life expectancy, dementia is also becoming more common in cats.
Early Stages are Often Not Recognized
Strictly speaking, the term “dementia” (with deficits in cognitive, emotional, and social skills), which is well known to the general public, is not used as a diagnosis in animals because it comes from psychiatry, says Steffen. The structural changes in the old brain and the problems associated with the so-called “cognitive dysfunction syndrome” are quite comparable in humans and animals.
According to Steffen, the disorientation described by Münger is a typical sign of cognitive dysfunction. In practice, he also often encounters a changed sleep-wake cycle and uncleanliness, as well as a changed interaction of the affected cat with its owner, other pets, or the environment. Increased anxiety and restlessness are also often part of the clinical picture.
The loss of memory, on the other hand – an early sign of the disease in humans – is difficult to examine in cats. For this reason, early stages would probably not be recognized regularly. “We only see most old animals with behavioral disorders when their behavior is disrupting the quality of life of the owner – and not of the animals themselves,” says Steffen. For example, when the nocturnal mewing robs people of their sleep.
From the Age of 15, Half are Affected
He recommends a visit to the veterinarian to unsure owners if their quality of life seems reduced. The patients had no pain – with the exception of the so-called automutilative behavior, in which the animals injure themselves by biting their tails, for example.
At 13, Luna is not in the age group of the most common dementia patients. According to current studies, around 28 percent of cats in the 11 to 15 age category are affected by age-related cognitive disorders. For those over 15, the percentage rises significantly to over 50 percent. In fact, the number of affected cats is likely to be significantly higher. Steffen assumes that in reality, cognitive disorders tend to be under-diagnosed rather than over-diagnosed.
In order to make a diagnosis, the veterinarian relies on a combination of clinical symptoms and the exclusion of medical diseases with similar symptoms. Points are given for the typical problems already mentioned in order to determine the severity of the cognitive dysfunction. This allows the stage of the disease – the more points, the more advanced the disease – to be assessed.
In fact, it is not easy to distinguish dementia from other diseases. According to Steffen, in older cats, for example, pathological hyperthyroidism or chronic kidney failure can lead to high blood pressure, which in turn can lead to a disruption in brain function. Cognitive, behavioral, and motor disorders can be caused by tumors pressing on brain tissue. According to Steffen, cognitive dysfunction cannot be cured. However, medication and special diets that have a positive effect on the metabolism of the brain could slow down the course of the disease and alleviate the clinical problems. However, the range of scientifically well-studied medicines and feed for cats is smaller than for dogs. However, there are a number of experience reports that the active ingredients also had a positive effect on cats.