A Penn Vet expert (and cat lover) offers advice on aging cats and cognition
Carlo Siracusa, an animal behavior expert, encourages cat owners to track their pet’s cognitive changes over time and offers advice on ‘red flags’ to watch out for.
2 min. read
Changes in behavior in aging cats may be a message that you and your cat’s veterinarian should heed. Behavioral shifts in older cats could be displaying signs of aging feline brain changes, including possible early cognitive decline, according to Carlo Siracusa, professor of clinical animal behavior and welfare and director of Penn Vet’s Small Animal Behavior Service in the Department of Clinical Sciences & Advanced Medicine.
Carlo Siracusa, Penn Vet animal behavior expert, and a feline friend.
Other common clues to cognitive aging in cats follow the pattern Siracusa and his colleagues call VISHDAAL. Besides increased vocalization, especially at night, and changes in interaction (being more clingy or more reserved), other related behaviors include sleep/wake disruptions, house soiling, disorientation (staring, wandering), anxiety, altered activity (such as pacing or becoming withdrawn), and learning or memory slips.
“These are not ‘just old age.’ They’re red flags to share with your vet,” says Siracusa, a cat lover who studies and publishes research into feline aging and cognition. It’s an area he and his fellow researchers believe merits more awareness by both owners and clinicians.
Siracusa encourages veterinarians to use available owner questionnaires—the Feline Cognitive Dysfunction Rating Chart or newer E-CAT—to track cats’ cognitive changes over time and discuss the results with owners. He recommended that the screening begins while the cat is still relatively young, so there is a good basis for comparison.
This story is by Rita Giordano. Read more at Penn Vet News.
When the Schuylkill swallowed the city: Lessons from Hurricane Ida’s historic flood
New Penn research shows that Hurricane Ida wasn’t a once-in-a-century anomaly but a preview of how climate change, urbanization, and aging infrastructure are rewriting flood risk.
The Fed explained: What it does and why it matters
Former Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and financial historian Peter Conti-Brown, both Wharton professors, unpack the central bank’s origins, its unusual structure, and the quiet ways it shapes the economy
How population changes are impacting primary education worldwide
Research from Penn sociologist Emily Hannum and colleagues reveals regional trends in whether school-age populations are increasing, plateauing, or decreasing—and shows how different countries are responding.
A bioengineered bean gum from the lab of Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell is found to reduce the levels of three microbes associated with head and neck squamous cell cancer to almost zero, without affecting the beneficial bacteria normally found in the mouth.
Fighting oral cancer with bioengineered chewing gum
Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell shows that antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums reduce the levels of three microbes linked to worse outcomes in oral cancers, paving the way for more effective and affordable therapies.
