Every year, 4.7 million cats age, go into decline and die in the United States. In each case, one or more people must make a decision: to keep the cat alive, to put the cat down or to do nothing. 12,800 of these decisions are being made every day of the year.

family as well as you do. If your cat is past finicky, to not eating at all, it is time to visit the vet. There are often simple things you can do to extend the cat’s life beyond the average of 16 years. (It was just 8 years in 1930).

“Early detection is the best protection against disease. Death is inevitable but it can be postponed. You are the first line of defense in fighting feline health disorders,” says Stephen G. Lewis, D.V.M. of Santa Barbara, California.

Dr. Lewis wrote the foreword for The Older Cat: Recognizing Decline & Extending Life by Dan Poynter. The only book focusing on feline life extension, The Older Cat also has advice on what to do when the cat finally expires. Many of the procedures and advice are illustrated with stories told by cat guardians on how they kept their cat alive, how they buried it and how they memorialized the feline member of their family.

The 144-page book is available for $14.95 from Para Publishing, 1-800-PARAPUB or from http://OlderCat.com