An older pet can love being brushed and still hate it a little more every year. Stiff hips make standing for a brush tiring, a sore spot makes a hand-over-the-back feel risky, and a cat who used to groom herself may leave her lower back to you. The fix is not to groom less. It is to groom shorter, softer and with a purpose: keep the coat comfortable and use the contact as a gentle health check.
Ageing cats often cope less well with their usual self-grooming. International Cat Care notes that a drop in grooming can point to long-term pain such as arthritis or dental disease, so a scruffier cat is a reason to ask your vet, not just to reach for a brush. Mats tend to form over the lower spine and hindquarters, the places that are hardest to reach when joints are stiff.
Older dogs usually still tolerate brushing well. The RSPCA suggests gentle grooming is something many older dogs enjoy, and it is a chance to find lumps, bumps and tender spots early. Blue Cross says to build up with a soft brush, short sessions and tasty rewards. That is the whole recipe; the planner below just tunes it to your pet.
Grooming is the easiest way to give an older pet a hands-on check every few days. Run your hands slowly over the body and notice anything that is new: lumps or bumps, sores, scabs, a patch that is warm or that they pull away from, and changes in the coat. Blue Cross lists unusual lumps and bumps, fleas and ticks, and problems with teeth, eyes and ears as things to look for while you groom.
You are not trying to work out what a lump is. Nobody can tell by touch, so a new lump is simply a reason to book a vet visit. Write down where it is, roughly how big, and the date, so your vet can see whether it is changing.
Shorter, softer, and stop one stroke before they ask you to.
Older pets often wear their nails down less because they walk less. The RSPCA says senior dogs may need their nails trimmed more often if they are exercising less, and a vet can do it for you. If your dog walks mostly on pavements, nails often stay short on their own, but Blue Cross notes that dew claws and the nails of lame or arthritic dogs are more likely to overgrow.
Cats need the same attention. International Cat Care explains that senior cats can struggle to retract their claws, so they snag on carpets and furniture, and that overgrown claws can curl round into the pad, which is painful and can lead to infection. Check the claws regularly, and if you are unsure how to trim them, ask your vet or a vet nurse to show you once. Overgrown claws can also be a sign of something else going on, so mention them at the next check.
Book a visit if you find a new lump or one that is changing, a spot your pet flinches from, red, scabby or smelly skin, claws that curl into the pad, or an older cat who has stopped grooming herself. Do not try to treat skin problems or pain at home, and never give human painkillers: several are dangerous to dogs and cats. The planner above is for comfort and early noticing, not diagnosis.