[主題] Cornell Feline Health Center-Cognitive Dysfunction (家中有老貓的飼主必看)

這篇文章被編輯了 2 次. 最近一次更新是在 2/7/20 6:39 PM

原文網址: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/cognitive-dysfunction

Cognitive Dysfunction

According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), about 94 million cats currently reside in U.S. homes, up from 85 million in 2016. Much of this impressive increase, no doubt, stems from the pleasure that a growing number of people derive from having a cat around the house. But the dramatic population increase may also be attributed to the fact that cats in general are living longer nowadays than they typically did in the past. As a result of improved home care, better nutrition, advances in veterinary medicine, and so forth, it is not uncommon for a cat to live to the ripe old age of 20 or 21 years—the equivalent of age 96 to 100 in a human.

There’s a downside to this good news, however. As cats grow older, they, like humans, become increasingly susceptible to the onset of disorders associated with aging. As the years go by, their organs gradually function less efficiently, for example, and the potency of their immune systems naturally declines. Among the most troubling, and in some respects most baffling, of age-related feline disorders is cognitive dysfunction, a puzzling, progressively debilitating condition whose signs resemble those associated in humans with Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia.

The behavioral signs of cognitive dysfunction tend to become clearly noticeable in cats that are 10 years of age or older. The signs include spatial disorientation; wandering away from home into unfamiliar territory; lack of interest in playing; excessive sleeping; altered cycles of sleep and wakefulness; long periods of staring blankly into space or at walls; indifference to food and water; urinating and defecating outside the litter box; and seemingly unprompted episodes of loud vocalizing, frequently in the middle of the night.

Some of the bizarre behavior may be attributable to the gradual impact of a long-standing physical condition that worsens as a cat grows old or to diseases commonly found in older cats. The pain of arthritis, for example, can intensify over the years and cause a formerly athletic cat to slow down dramatically as the years pass. Kidney failure may impact litter box behavior by causing excessive urination and soiling of the litter box, causing some fastidious cats to find alternative places to eliminate. Arthritis may also hinder a cat’s ability to get into the litter box in time. Night-time vocalizing is relatively common in hyperthyroid cats or cats with hypertension, and hypertension can also cause retinal detachment and blindness, leading to anxiety and confusion. Progressively painful periodontal disease can discourage the cat from visiting its food bowl with the same enthusiasm it showed at a younger age.

The signs of cognitive dysfunction may also be traced to a neurologic disorder, according to Alexander de Lahunta, DVM, emeritus professor of anatomy at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “If I’m examining a cat,” he says, “and it acts as if it’s in a world of its own, doesn’t respond to me, paces in a circle, or gets itself in a corner and just stays there, I’ll consider that to be a prosencephalon problem.” The prosencephalon, he explains, includes the largest portion of the brain, the cerebrum. This area controls a cat’s response to its environment, its vision and hearing, and such vital functions as sleeping and eating.

Anomalous behavior stemming from that part of the brain, explains Dr. de Lahunta, can be caused by a variety of physical problems, such as tissue inflammation, tumors, trauma, or a metabolic disease. If magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid fail to reveal a physical problem in the brain, says Dr. de Lahunta, then the problem is something that is probably best treated by an animal behaviorist or veterinary psychiatrist.

After other potentially causative conditions, such as hyperthyroidism and kidney disease, are ruled out, a veterinarian may prescribe an anti-anxiety drug, such as fluoxetine, to allay some of the alarming signs of cognitive dysfunction. (A drug called L-deprenyl has proved successful in improving brain function in dogs but has not yet been approved for use in cats.)

Animal behaviorists note that cat owners can play a significant role in delaying the progress of feline senility and its accompanying disabilities. Among their suggestions: feed an aging cat a diet rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, substances that are believed to retard the effects of aging; avoid bringing another animal into the household whose presence might be stressful to the cat; and make sure that litter boxes are conveniently accessible, with low sides for easy access. If the elderly cat is having trouble going up and down stairs, provide ramps as needed throughout the house. And be sure to take the cat to a veterinari

Updated July 2018

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認知功能障礙

根據美國寵物產品協會（APPA）的數據，目前約有9400萬隻貓居住在美國家庭中，而2016年為8500萬隻。這一令人印象深刻的增長無疑是源於越來越多的人從擁有屋子周圍的貓。但是人口的急劇增加也可以歸因於這樣的事實，即貓如今的壽命比過去通常更長。由於改善了家庭護理，改善了營養，提高了獸醫學水平等，貓活到20或21歲的成熟年齡（相當於人類96至100歲）的情況並不少見。。

但是，這個好消息有不利的一面。隨著貓的長大，它們像人類一樣變得越來越容易患上與衰老相關的疾病。隨著時間的流逝，例如，它們的器官功能逐漸降低，免疫系統的效能自然下降。與年齡有關的貓科疾病中最令人困擾，在某些方面最令人困惑的是認知功能障礙，這是一種令人困惑，逐漸使人衰弱的疾病，其體徵類似於與阿爾茨海默氏病和老年性癡呆症相關的人類體徵。

在10歲以上的貓中，認知功能障礙的行為跡象往往變得顯而易見。跡象包括空間迷失方向；離開家到陌生的領域；對比賽缺乏興趣；過度睡眠；睡眠和清醒週期的改變；長時間呆呆地凝視著太空或牆壁；對食物和水漠不關心；在垃圾箱外面排尿和排便；似乎無提示地大聲發聲，通常是在深夜。

某些奇怪的行為可能是由於長期的身體狀況（隨著貓的長大而惡化）的逐漸影響或通常在年長的貓中發現的疾病所致。例如，隨著時間的流逝，關節炎的疼痛會隨著時間的流逝而加劇，並導致原本屬於運動貓的速度急劇下降。腎臟衰竭可能會引起過多的排尿和弄髒貓砂盆，從而影響貓砂盆的行為，從而導致一些挑剔的貓尋找替代的地方。關節炎也可能會阻礙貓及時進入貓砂盆的能力。夜間發聲在甲狀腺功能亢進的貓或患有高血壓的貓中相對常見，並且高血壓還會引起視網膜脫離和失明，從而導致焦慮和混亂。漸進性疼痛的牙周疾病會阻止貓以年輕時表現出的熱情去探望它的食盆。

康奈爾大學獸醫學院解剖學名譽教授DVM亞歷山大·德·拉亨塔（Alexander de Lahunta）認為，認知功能障礙的體徵也可能歸因於神經系統疾病。他說：“如果我正在檢查一隻貓，它的行為就好像它在一個自己的世界裡一樣，對我沒有反應，不走一圈，或者陷入一個角落，只是呆在那裡，我認為這是一個前腦問題。”他解釋說，前腦包括大腦的最大部分，即大腦。該區域控制貓對環境，視力和聽覺以及睡眠和進食等重要功能的反應。

De Lahunta博士解釋說，源自大腦那一部分的異常行為可能是由各種身體問題引起的，例如組織炎症，腫瘤，創傷或代謝性疾病。De Lahunta博士說，如果磁共振成像（MRI）和腦脊液分析未能揭示出大腦中的物理問題，那麼該問題可能是動物行為學家或獸醫精神病學家最好解決的問題。

在排除了其他可能的病因之後，例如甲狀腺功能亢進和腎臟疾病，獸醫可以開出一種抗焦慮藥，例如氟西汀，以緩解一些認知功能障礙的令人震驚的跡象。（一種名為L-異戊二烯的藥物已被證明可以成功改善狗的腦功能，但尚未被批准用於貓。）

動物行為學家指出，貓主人在延緩貓衰老及其相關殘疾的進程中可以發揮重要作用。他們的建議包括：給衰老的貓餵富含維生素E和抗氧化劑的食物，這些物質被認為可以延緩衰老。避免將其他動物帶入可能對貓造成壓力的家庭；並確保隨手可取的垃圾箱，側面較低，便於取放。如果老年貓在上下樓梯時遇到麻煩，請在整個房屋中根據需要提供坡道。並確保將貓帶到獸醫進行例行檢查，以便在可以治療的初期發現健康問題。

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