The 2021 AAFP Feline Senior Care Guidelines come at a time when cats continue to live longer and become an increasingly important part of the lives of their caregivers. This presentation offers veterinary professionals practical tools to honor the bond between cat and caregivers by focusing on the individual cat and their aging process and how to support decisions to ensure the best quality of life. You will learn how to conduct the exam and consultation to consider the aging cat's needs, incorporating feline-friendly handling techniques, owner communication, and testing data to explore trends and identify concerns early. The presentation will also discuss how to identify pain in the aging cat and inform an owner on the subtle signs that can indicate underlying disease.

1. Recognize and respond to the increasing importance of senior cats in the lives of their caregivers and the professional success of a veterinary practice.
2. Understand that integrating interactive history-taking with proactive laboratory testing and advanced technology and understanding the caregiver's emotional, physical, and economic relationship to the cat will provide the best quality of life.
3. Learn how a caregiver can be brought into the initial assessment and follow-up appointment to pay close attention to the cat's aging process.
4. Obtain a history highlighting key areas for the senior cat
5. Focused examination techniques for the senior cat
6. Understand the value of routine diagnostic testing for minimum database and health trends.
7. Understand when ancillary tests should be considered in addition to diagnostic testing.
8. Understand the complexity of maladaptive (chronic) pain in cats and conditions that result in long-term pain