Arthritis
Is your CAT having difficulties getting around?
There was a time when we believed that cats did not get arthritis, but really it was just that cats didn’t used to live long enough to show signs of arthritis! With longevity comes joint troubles!
The main places that cats get arthritis is their elbows and their lower back.
Jumping Up Less and Sleeping More?
The main symptom of spinal arthritis is the cat will no longer easily jump up onto high places - they can get onto a bed but not onto a tall chest of drawers. They also are no longer flexible enough to get around to lick and groom the lower spinal area. This means that little ‘tufty’ knots start to form as the dead hear clumps because the cat can’t reach back to remove it. The main symptom of elbow arthritis is the cat does not like to jump down from places, and is often slower going down the stairs.
Since it is often older cats who get arthritis, the symptoms seem just to be of a cat getting older and ‘lazier’. Because they move around less, they also tend to put on weight as well.
Younger cats can ‘slip a disc’ in their spine and show similar symptoms, but more often will suddenly comaplain about their owners trying to touch their back.
In days gone by, there were no really good drugs to help cats with arthritis - aspirin, ibuprofen (Nurofen) and paracetamol kill cats by destroying their kidneys and liver. It was not until recently (5 - 8 years) that really good painkillers have become available for cats, and now it is possible to see how much of a cat’s ‘laziness’ is due to pain. Once on medication, many cats start to run around like kittens again, and start jumping up again, so it is nice to think we can relieve what used to be an ‘invisible suffering’.
What are these NEW Medications that make her comfortable?
NSAIDS (same family as Ibuprofen but refined for cats) - Rimadyl and Metacam are the main ones, one comes as tablets and one as drops. Metacam, in particular, has made a huge difference to many cats, turning them from crabby old cats to comfortable elderly feline friends again. They can cause gastric irritation in some cats, but in general are safe and effective.
Polysaccharides - Cartrophen (Pentosan) injections which improve the lining of cartilage (and the bladder as well). This is useful for cats who will not take medications orally, and if it works, keeps the cat comfortable for 6 - 12 months. The cat usually has to have 4 injections, each a week apart.
Glycosamines - extracts of green lipped mussels, fish oil supplements, such as Benelox, and also Deer Velvet tablets are palatable and natural products that can be used in conjunction with the others and helps mend cartilage as well.
Prednisolone - cortisone in various forms. This used to be the only safe painkiller for cats. Its use for this function has declined since the other products are available. However, sometimes if the cat has several problems going on together, cortisone is powerful enough to modify arthritis as well as other conditions.
It used to be hard to know what a cat in pain looked like. Now that there are very effective medications to alleviate the pain, it is really nice to see the improvements it makes in a lot of cats’ lives.
And another thought about Jumping
Since humans came down from the trees, we have ignored all the spare space up above our heads which cats would LOVE to own! And, significantly, it is thought that the lack of Climbing - with all the energy that that entails - is part of the Obesity Epidemic among our cats. Whoever saw a fat mountain climber eh? Chubby swimmers, even runners, but not the ones who go Up for Entertainment! While Dr Kim agrees there is no downside to being a Fat Cat (till they become Diabetic), a little aerial manoeuvring may bring untold benefits to your city-living feline cohabitant! So have a look and see what kind of interesting Cat Tree to the top of the bookshelves or cupboards you can create. Go on - you might as well give up aesthetics for feline satisfaction!