Affects: Cats, Dogs
Feline cognitive dysfunction (FCD) is a cognitive disease prevalent in cats, directly related to the brain aging, leading to changes in awareness, deficits in learning and memory, and decreased responsiveness to stimuli. It is also known as cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). Alzheimer's disease and dementia in humans are diseases with comparable symptoms and pathology.
Symptoms: Older cats display more symptoms of the disease than younger cats. Behavioural symptoms usually become apparent in cats older than 10 years.
Main signs of FCD can be summarized with the acronym DISH:
Disorientation,
reduced social Interactions,
Changes in Sleep patterns,
Causes: The exact cause of FCD is currently unknown. Genetic factors may predispose an animal to the condition. Signs of cognitive dysfunction may be connected with a prosencephalon or cerebrum problem.
Treatment: The disease is little-researched and thus considered incurable at the moment, but its symptoms can be managed with treatment. Cognitive dysfunction syndrome in dogs is an established diagnosis, but there has been limited research for cats and treatment options are limited. Drugs used for treatment of the disease have been approved for use in dogs. However, they are used off-label in treatment of cats. Early diagnosis improves results of long-term treatment.
Improving home environment may help in managing the disease. The treatment must always be arranged with a veterinarian for each particular animal, but the suggested measures include the following (veterinarian's advice is needed for right dosage of any supplements):
species-appropriate diet rich in omega-3,
physical and mental exercise, such as treat-release toys,
Prevention: As the cause of the disease is unknown, there is no way to be certain in prevention of the condition. However, the following measures are considered effective:
absence of other animals in the house whose presence may be stressful to the cat,
vitamin E-rich diet,