Cats get dementia too. And it could help us find a treatment

New research has found that felines develop dementia in a similar way to us, opening the door to further research

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Cats who develop dementia-like symptoms in old age have similar changes in their brains to humans with Alzheimer's, a new study has found. The findings could open the door to new research, possibly helping us discover therapies for the notoriously difficult-to-treat disease.

"Compared to other diseases, our progress in treating Alzheimer's has been fairly poor," Dr Robert McGeachan, lead author of the study, told BBC Science Focus.

"Cats could be a better, more relevant model for the disease because we're seeing similar things happening in the brain. By studying Alzheimer's in cats, we can perhaps develop treatments that are more likely to be successful in humans."

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a collection of neurodegenerative diseases affecting people's memory, problem-solving, language and behaviour. Roughly 1 in 9 people aged over 65 has Alzheimer's and with global populations ageing, more than 150 million people could be living with the disease by 2050. Yet despite decades of research and fortunes spent, almost no effective treatments are available today.

HOW CATS GET DEMENTIA

The fact that cats exhibit dementia-like symptoms as they age isn't new. According to one survey, nearly a third of cats aged 11-14 exhibit at least one sign of feline cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) — the veterinary term for the cat equivalent of dementia. For cats over 15, that figure jumps to more than half.

Symptoms of feline CDS, much like Alzheimer’s, include changes in the sleep-wake cycle and disorientation. Cats may also become more vocal (meowing more) and often desire more comfort and attention from their owners.