u/WendyTheWelder24791

Hello,

So I found this cat about two years ago. My neighbours at the time told me that he was a well established stray that got left behind when his owners moved. He was malnourished, lethargic with matted fur all over his body and seemed kind of old from the get go.

I took him in and got him to the vet. Their initial assessment was that he was between 7-9 which would make him around 10. I am not super experienced so I just accepted it.

I noticed after the vet visit that he was declawed. I was heartbroken but again, didn't think much of it.

Come 2026 and I hear that a statewide ban on cat declawing has been signed into law in California. So I looked into it a bit more and find out that declawing has been banned from cities around LA as early as 2006 (WeHo) or 2009 at the latest.

My current thinking is that the first vet underestimated his age because his teeth were in good shape and he is actually much older, like 17+

Does this make sense? Is he a super senior boy that needs special food and care? He already has health insurance and I've started a senior cat food topper for him so he doesn't drop weight.

I would love to be wrong about this because I want him to be around longer but most importantly, I want to make sure he gets the care he needs to have the best quality of life possible.

Sorry for the ranty post. Thank you in advance!

This is my new kitten (90% sure it's a male), picked him up yesterday.

Born 04.26.2026

880-900g (according to the kitchen scale)

Very clingy and playful

I just wonder if he is small for his age..I got my girly when she was around the same age and I swear she was at least 30% larger. But she turned into a 16lbs long girl so I might be biased. Especially his face is half the size of what my girly's face was, while his ears are larger 🤷

I am open to any advice or suggestions. He'll have his first vet appointment for deworming and microchipping. He'll get neutered in 3 months.