The '2021 AAFP Feline Senior Care Guidelines' are authored by a Task Force of experts in feline clinical medicine and serve as an update and extension of those published in 2009. They emphasize the individual patient evaluation and the process of aging, with references to other feline practice guidelines for a more complete discussion of specific diseases. Focusing on each cat encourages and empowers the owner to become a part of the cat's care every step of the way. A comprehensive discussion during the physical examination and history taking allows for tailoring the approach to both the cat and the family involved in the care. Videos and analysis of serial historical measurements are brought into the assessment of each patient. These Guidelines introduce the emerging concept of frailty, with a description and methods of its incorporation into the senior cat assessment. Minimum database diagnostics are discussed, along with recommendations for additional investigative considerations. For example, blood pressure assessment is included as a minimum diagnostic procedure in both apparently healthy and ill cats. Cats age at a much faster rate than humans, so practical timelines for testing frequency are included and suggest an increased frequency of diagnostics with advancing age. The importance of nutrition, as well as senior cat nutritional needs and deficiencies, is considered. Pain is highlighted as its own syndrome, with an emphasis on consideration in every senior cat. The Task Force discusses anesthesia, along with strategies to allow aging cats to be safely anesthetized well into their senior years. The medical concept of quality of life is addressed with the latest information available in veterinary medicine. This includes end of life considerations like palliative and hospice care, as well as recommendations on the establishment of 'budgets of care', which greatly influence what can be done for the individual cat. Acknowledgement is given that each cat owner will be different in this regard; and establishing what is reasonable and practical for the individual owner is important. A discussion on euthanasia offers some recommendations to help the owner make a decision that reflects the best interests of the individual cat.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1098612X211021538

2021 AAFP Feline Senior Care Guidelines.

Abstract Serum creatinine concentration, the classical biomarker of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats, has important limitations that decrease its value as a biomarker of early CKD. Recently, serum symmetric dimethylarginine concentration was introduced as a novel glomerular filtration rate biomarker for the early detection of CKD in cats. However, data on its specificity are still limited. The limitations of conventional biomarkers and the desire for early therapeutic intervention in cats with CKD to improve outcomes have prompted the discovery and validation of novel renal biomarkers to detect glomerular or tubular dysfunction. Changes in the serum or urinary concentrations of these biomarkers may indicate early kidney damage or predict the progression of kidney before changes in conventional biomarkers are detectable. This review summarizes current knowledge on renal biomarkers in CKD in cats, a field that has progressed substantially over the last 5 years.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/jvim.16377

Renal biomarkers in cats: A review of the current status in chronic kidney disease

Background: Proteinuria is assumed less frequent in cats than in dogs and mainly associated with the presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). 
Aim: The current study aimed to evaluate and compare retrospectively UPC values in cats visited for comprehensive annual health-check or for presenting systemic clinical signs related to CKD.
Methods: Urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPC) was retrospectively evaluated in 112 owned cats, 51 out of 112 (45.5%) apparently healthy cats according to their owners visited for comprehensive annual health-check and 61 out of 112 (54.5%) sick cats, presenting systemic clinical signs suggesting CKD, such as weight loss or polyuria/polydipsia, among others.
Results: Based on UPC, the present study found that 54.5% of all cats included were borderline proteinuric or proteinuric, so have increased UPC (UPC ≥ 0.2), with 35.7% of them included in the sick group and 18.7% in the health-check group. Increased UPC was also statistically associated with azotemia and isosthenuria (urinary specific gravity between 1008 and 1035) in both sick and health-check groups of cats.
Conclusion: Independently of the reason for their medical visit, it could be concluded that borderline proteinuria and proteinuria were statistically mainly related to CKD in cats. Furthermore, measurement of UPC could be very useful in the detection and management of subclinical cats during a medical visit for an annual health-check irrespectively to the age.

Is proteinuria a rare condition in apparently healthy and sick cats? A feline practice experience (2007-2018).

Severe oral inflammatory disease is not uncommon in the mouths of canine and feline patients. An approach to oral diagnosis is offered. This article discusses a brief review of important points in the oral diagnosis and management of main canine (canine chronic ulcerative stomatitis (CCUS), eosinophilic stomatitis, and Wegener's granulomatosis (WG)) and feline diseases (feline gingivostomatitis/caudal stomatitis, oral eosinophilic lesions, pyogenic granuloma, and autoimmune diseases with oral manifestations), and-whereby possible-information about the current understanding of disease pathogenesis and treatment is offered.

Management of Severe Oral Inflammatory Conditions in Dogs and Cats.

Severe oral inflammatory disease is not uncommon in the mouths of canine and feline patients. An approach to oral diagnosis is offered. This article discusses a brief review of important points in the oral diagnosis and management of main canine (canine chronic ulcerative stomatitis (CCUS), eosinophilic stomatitis, and Wegener's granulomatosis (WG)) and feline diseases (feline gingivostomatitis/caudal stomatitis, oral eosinophilic lesions, pyogenic granuloma, and autoimmune diseases with oral manifestations), and-whereby possible-information about the current understanding of disease pathogenesis and treatment is offered. 

Management of Severe Oral Inflammatory Conditions in Dogs and Cats

ObjectivesMeloxicam therapy may benefit cats with degenerative joint disease, and retrospective studies suggest it could slow kidney disease progression and increase survival This study aimed to p

Christopher George

Papers

Effects of low-dose meloxicam in cats with chronic kidney disease.