Consult your veterinarian for advice if you believe your cat is suffering from arthritis.
Arthritis in cats paws.
Cat arthritis symptoms early symptoms of arthritis in cats are often found in the animal s range of motion.
Treating arthritis in cats can be more challenging than treating dogs for a couple of reasons.
Some cats are more likely to develop arthritis due to their breed.
Exercising a cat can sound tricky but many cats love to play with toys on the end of a string chase a laser light or even play hide and seek with a reward of.
He may want to take a separate picture of that paw to get a good look at it.
Causes of arthritis in cats.
The pain resulting from arthritis may cause a decreased appetite for some cats.
Arthritis in cats can develop for a number of reasons.
Recent studies have shown that up to 90 of cats aged over 12 years are showing signs of osteoarthritis hardie et al 2002.
Although fairly uncommon in felines arthritis tends to affect the elbow joint when it does strike but many joints can be afflicted.
Exercise and food management.
Paws and effect a cat advice blog answering letters from readers about cat health and behavior issues since 2003.
Arthritis treatment for cats.
Old age arthritis or osteoarthritis is a rapidly growing area of feline medicine.
Weight management is a cornerstone of successful arthritis therapy for cats just as in people and dogs.
Both obesity and arthritis in cats are on the rise with arthritis cases increasing 67 percent from 2006 to 2011 according to banfield s 2011 state of pet health report.
Once you have a positive arthritis diagnosis your veterinarian might send you home with medications to help control her pain.
He could also suggest giving her supplements.
Arthritic cats may have difficulty accessing the litter box and may urinate or defecate outside of the litter box.
Similarly weight management requires two things.
If medication is needed we all know how difficult daily dosing of meds can be in a cat.
However cats are very adept at hiding any illness especially pain as this would be seen as a sign of weakness in the wild.
If one paw in particular seems to be bothering her let your vet know.
This kind of arthritis is usually because of an inherited weakness in the cartilage.
Many arthritic cats simply become less active.
We give advice on how to deal with arthritis in cats for the best possible quality of life.
Cats with arthritis may be painful when handled.
Some cats with arthritis will stop grooming themselves resulting in an unkempt haircoat.
Though arthritis cannot be cured there are various remedies and procedures that can help ease the pain for your cat.
Arthritis in cats can be particularly hard to spot.
