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With more than 75 million cats in the United States living an average of 16 years, 4.7 million are aging, declining and dying annually.

“Thanks to careful health monitoring by guardians and advanced veterinary care, the lifespan of the housecat is increasing dramatically,” says Stephen G. Lewis, D.V.M. of Santa Barbara, California. While cats are living longer than a few years ago, eventually, they die.

Your cat may crawl into a closet and die unexpectedly, you may nurse her through her final days, or you may put her down. Some 12,800 people are making this tough decision each and every day. And, that is not their only decision. Following death, cat guardians have to choose between burial, cremation, medical incineration (in cases of infectious diseases), taxidermy, freeze drying or cloning. Next, they must handle the grieving, the effect on family and other pets and memorializing the departed cat.

Further, this book will help you decide if you should put your cat down, how to minimize the loss to your family and other pets and to make the choices between burial, cremation, taxidermy, freeze drying and cloning. And, finally, the book lists ways to memorialize your cat. The Appendix contains resources for treatment, grieving, memorializing and more.

The Older Cat: Recognizing Decline & Extending Life by Dan Poynter looks into all these questions about the final days. Since feline decline is sudden, guardians of older cats should get this book before they need it.

The Older Cat: Recognizing Decline & Extending Life by Dan Poynter. The 144-page book is available for $14.95 from Para Publishing, 1-800-PARAPUB or from http://OlderCat.com.