A is for Arthritis

Arthritis.  What do you think of when you hear the word arthritis?  People with gnarled fingers?  Pain?  Difficulty moving?  Aging?  All of the above?  Well it is all these things and more.

Sonny, in my day we caught our own mice!

Often called "wear and tear" arthritis, osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis in cats.  In most cases, over time, cartilage in joints breaks down, and OA symptoms begin to occur.  In cats, the commonly affected joints are in the back, knees, shoulders, and elbows (sound familiar?)  OA can also evolve from a traumatic injury, like a ligament rupture or a broken bone that didn't heal quite right.

Advanced elbow OA

And arthritis is painful (ask anyone who suffers from it!) 

The way cats express pain is different from people and dogs.   With cats, it's  difficult to see the changes in mobility and behaviour that can signal osteoarthritis. Unless you happen to see your cat in the litter box, you might not notice that she's having more difficulty squatting to urinate and can't easily dig to cover her feces. You might not notice that she doesn't jump to the top of the bookcase anymore, and you might like it that she no longer jumps on the counter. You just notice that she's sleeping more and isn't that normal when they get old?

I've got a hint for you,  it's not.

What can be done for our kitty?  Well, nothing will turn back the clock, but we can slow the progression of disease when it is recognized.

Fat cat is sad

1:  Maintain a healthy weight.  Obvious right?  But many of our kitties are carrying around quite a load.  As many as 58% of all pet cats are classed as overweight with 18.7% of these falling into the obese category!


2:  Regular exercise.  Even our geriatrics benefit from routine play.

3:  Pain management.   Numerous products are available to help combat the pain of arthritis; some are best combined with others and some cannot be combined.  What we do know is that arthritis pain is best addressed by what is called a multi-modal approach, meaning that several approaches combined yield better results than any single therapy.

Our first line medications are glucosamines.   These are believed to function both to decrease inflammation around joints reducing discomfort and slowing the progression of arthritic changes, and also to help provide nutrition for the joint fluid that is necessary for a joint to move smoothly.

The most common forms of glucosamines are oral supplements and injectable medication.  For oral supplementation, I like Dasuquin.  It is a powder that can be mixed with kitty's food and has a great track record of palatability. But if your kitty is a finicky eater--and frequently our older kids are--there is another option.

Adequan is an injectable PSGAG (polysulfated aminoglycan) that has proven success in helping maintain joint health.  In kitties, we give a series of injections every 5 days for 1 month, and then monthly for maintenance.  My own Milliecat has benefited from this treatment regime and is able to reach the couch again with ease. 

More advanced medications are available such as non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs such as Onisor, Metacam, and Rimadyl.  They work by reducing the inflammation in the affected joints.  However, these must be used judiciously in cats because there is a very narrow window of safe doses.

And NEVER give a kitty any human medications for pain!  Most will cause illness, and many will cause death!

As always, the best care for your cat is obtained through a thorough exam and consultation with your cat's veterinarian!