The dogs have given me permission to “bark about” an issue that many senior cats deal with. After all, they share their home with two felines and even though they won’t admit it, they are all friends and care about each other! Plus they agree that “meowing about” just doesn’t sound as good as “barking about”!
I want to be clear that neither of our cats have been diagnosed with arthritis. I did, however, read an interesting article on the subject which led me to suspect that our elderly cat Conrad might suffer from it. I thought that other cat families may be interested in what the symptoms could be if they want to watch for it in their own cats, as well as sharing a bit about the issues we’ve been dealing with as Conrad has aged.
Conrad got a clean bill of health at his last yearly vet appointment. Even though he will no longer groom himself and won’t always use the litter box, our vet felt those were all things that were part of his normal aging. He had also lost some weight at one point, and his thyroid was checked and found to be normal. He eats and drinks fine, and all his bodily functions are normal as well.
A few months back I read an article on VetDepot.com (if you would like to read the complete article, click here). It listed some of the symptoms of feline arthritis (also known as degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis) as the following:
- Cats may stop grooming themselves.
- They may have difficulty rising, climbing, and jumping.
- They may become grumpy, and less sociable and playful.
- They may have accidents because of difficulty getting in and out of the litterbox.
- They may eat less, resulting in weight loss.
- Inactivity can cause a loss of muscle mass.
- They may be noticeably stiff and sore, and may limp.
Conrad has most of these symptoms, except that he has become more sociable as he has aged, though he can be grumpy at times (but who wouldn’t be when a 68 pound puppy thinks you want to play with him). He also definitely eats more, not less. He doesn’t limp and doesn’t show signs of being stiff and sore, but he does stand and lie in some strange positions sometimes.
Now, after reading how arthritis is very under-diagnosed in cats, I wondered if our vet had missed something. But we decided for many reasons not to pursue it further with our vet at this time. Conrad is at least 16 years old (he came from a shelter and may be even older than that), and he hates being put in the crate and going to the vet. I don’t want to put him through a whole lot of stress, and possibly needing x-rays or other tests. His condition hasn’t changed in months (if it was progressing we would take him in), other than the fact that he looks scruffier because he doesn’t groom himself.
We decided instead to just try giving him a joint supplement to see if that made any difference in how he got around. After weeks of being on that, we didn’t see any significant changes, even though we thought here and there we might have seen some improvement (I’d get excited if I actually saw him washing a paw!). We decided to switch and try a different kind of supplement….Revitamal. We did see one significant change….he put on some weight! At this point we are going to keep him on some sort of senior cat supplement, and maybe we’ll hit on something that shows an even bigger improvement.
I feel badly that Conrad is kind of a mess from not grooming himself. I’d like to put him in a soapy bath and clean him up good! But again, I’m not going to put him through that kind of stress. We try to brush him, but he often bites us when we do. So I brush or comb him a little bit here and there, and wipe him down with a wet cloth when he’ll tolerate it. When he is due for his next wellness check I will bring up arthritis to my vet. But my research turns up that supplements are perhaps the best form of treatment, since cats do not tolerate NSAIDS, a common treatment for canine arthritis, as well as dogs do.
Another thing to do is to just adjust their environment to keep them comfortable. We feed Conrad in our bathroom on the floor with the door closed so the dogs don’t bother him. We frequently carry him downstairs to his kitty litter to reduce accidents in the house. He has many comfy beds to lie on, and we feed him most times when he is hungry (which is quite often!). We are just doing our best to make his senior years as comfortable and stress free as possible (Luke gets scolded when he harasses him).
Obviously, I am not a vet and I am just sharing how we are dealing with Conrad’s issues. You may choose to deal with things differently if you are in our position. I often worry we are not doing the right thing, but we’ve made our decisions based on knowing Conrad’s personality. Everyone with pets knows that it is a constant struggle to balance out running to the vet for every little thing, and missing something they should have gone to the vet for. Our choices might be different if we saw these issues in Samantha, who is far younger at 12 years old, and not skittish like Conrad has always been.
We are joining the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop. Many thanks to our hosts 2 Brown Dawgs Blog and Heart Like a Dog. Please visit them and others through the links below.
Out of the last 4 cats mom had two lived the longest and suffered from arthritis. Conrad looks a lot like Danny did in his last few years. Have you ever tried baby aspirin (80mg)? Mom crushed up an aspirin every 3 days and put it in Herb’s food, his back legs were really bad. Conrad looks like he is being kept very comfortable! Love Dolly
Baby aspirin is something I never thought of, Dolly. We actually used to give that to Sheba when she had an occasional limp and it did help her. Once she was diagnosed with arthritis they gave us a prescription for something else, though we don’t have to use it often.
Look at that young handsome Conrad! So cute. Of course he’s still cute as an old man too 😉 The only supplement I know of for cats (besides Revitamal, now) is Cosequin for cats. It was pretty much the only thing we ever prescribed for arthritic cats because like you said there just aren’t many options. I’ve never personally used it, but we had clients who regularly did. It’s a capsule you sprinkle over their food.
I believe that is what we had Sam on for a while when she was limping. They didn’t diagnose arthritis but thought it was worth a try anyway. She did get better. The one I tried with Conrad was from Mercola pets (Dr. Karen Becker if you’re familiar with her). But it was out of stock when we ran out so that’s why I switched to the Revitamal.
My kitty doesn’t have arthritis, but he has other pain issues he deals with. Sometimes when it seems like he’s in pain, I’ll plug in a heating pad, turn it on the lowest setting, and set it on his bed or somewhere else he wants to curl up. It seems to give him a little comfort. We actually discovered this accidentally when I was using it for myself, got up for a minute, and he was on it purring away! It might be worth a shot if Conrad likes curling up in warm spots 🙂 But it sounds like you’re doing all you can to make sure he has a happy, comfortable senior life!
The heating pad is such a great idea! We had the wood stove going last weekend, and Conrad was curled up right in front of it on the warm stone! But then the temperatures warmed up a lot, so we haven’t had it going since. Though soon enough we will!
It sounds like you’re doing the right thing – Conrad looks like such a sweetie and I agree with the way you’re proceeding – it would be so much easier if they could tell us what’s going on. Our cat didn’t develop (noticeable) Arthritis until she was about 18. It sounds like you’re doing everything you can to make his life great, don’t worry that you’re not doing enough – he sounds perfectly taken care of and loved to me.
Thank you so much, Jen. It is so tough with animals to know, especially since they are so good at hiding their pain too. We just have to learn to be very observant, don’t we?
Interesting about the arthritis. X-rays would be able to diagnose, but I totally understand about not putting Conrad through it. What about acupuncture? I know of older dogs who were helped with it.
Oops forgot to thank you for joining the hop!
You’re welcome! I wonder if anyone around her does acupuncture….I might have to look into it.
The cat before us had arthritis…in his back. It got so bad he had to have surgery. It sounds like you are doing all you can for Conrad.
Thank you. Oh, that is really tough that your cat had to have surgery for arthritis but I hope it helped.
Sorry we have not been around..so busy ATM Conrad bless him..it is hard as they age and you see the changes.our Marbles who is 13 has some arthritis..it is hard for her to jump up and she is crabby..she has the same appetite so she has put on weight which of course adds to the load on her joints..she is on a small dose of Loxicom which we will taper off when the weather gets sunnier ..the vets don’t recommend long term use..she has become a bit more agile which we hope will get her losing some weight as well…Doc the foxie also has arthritis and has a Cartrophen shot when it is bad.we exercise him over summer by swimming in the dam non weight bearing adn good for his joints..you are doing what you can for Conrad and i am sure he appreciates it..if he is reluctant to be groomed i suggest getting some ordinary rubber dishwashing gloves and wet them..then just stroke him and pat him and the excess fur will come off and he gets a bit of a wash 🙂 hugs Fozziemum xx
I know how that is, Bev (being busy)….I need to visit you as well! Luckily weight has never been an issue for Conrad which makes it easier…I know that is the most challenging part of dealing with arthritis. Our golden Sheba has it too so we work hard to keep her at a healthy weight. It sounds like you do all you can for your two as well.
Thank you so much for the tip about the rubber gloves! I am definitely going to try that!
xxxooo
Great post and I’m relieved that Skeeter is not showing any of those symptoms. Well, she’s grumpy, but she’s always been grumpy! lol
Thanks! Maybe Skeeter could be the next “Grumpy Cat”? You could get rich…LOL!
Arthritis is wicked whether humans, cats, or dogs have to suffer from it. My cats never had any sign of it, but several of my dogs have as they got older. It is always best to treat your pet the way you feel is best for them.. Nobody knows them like you. ♥
Thank you, Melissa. Sheba has arthritis as well, but so far hers is very well under control with supplements. But we’ve never had a cat with it (that we know of).
Conrad is quite a guy……..I too have joint issues but my vet didn’t really find any signs of it when I had my last physical although we told him I don’t like stairs and can’t hop up on things any longer. He told us to try Cosequin but I don’t like it no matter how Mom disguises it. But we know lots of kitties for whom it DOES work (dogs too). Hope Conrad will be comfy – love makes aches feel so much better! (wink)
Hugs, sammy
Thanks, Sammy! At least love is something that we have more than enough to give, and have no doubt that it will help. 🙂
Our dog Sheba is on joint supplements and does very well with it (she has been diagnosed with arthritis).
Conrad really liked the joint supplements we gave him, it was not Cosequin, and if your Mom would like the name I can find it for her.
Our 14.5 yr old Kitty starting limping and showing hesitation jumping down from her hived garage bed. Vet ran tests and gave us med to try. It did not help. Next time I called the assistant suggested it might be arthritis and had us try Dasuquin for cats. It is glucosamine and chrondrotin supplement. Within days she stopped limping and is back to roaming and hunting.
So glad things worked out for your kitty!
Come to think of it, we did go through a similar thing with Samantha. Tests had ruled out arthritis, but she was limping and couldn’t jump, so they suggested a joint supplement anyway (same one as you I think). It took months for her to get back to normal. Eventually we stopped the supplement and she’s been fine ever since.
We haven’t had a cat with any signs of arthritis, but Mom’s first cat who lived to be 19 had it. She stopped grooming, had bathroom issues, etc. It is hard to see a dignified cat start to not look tip top and do things that would previously embarrassed them, but it is part of life. Conrad still looks like a handsome guy.
Thank you, Emma. It is difficult to see them age, but you are right that it is part of life. Conrad does still have his handsome face, even if the rest of him looks pretty rough!
it’s great what you do to make it as comfortable for Conrad as possible. I wish him many comfy senior years and I’m sure he knows that he found the best furmily what is always on his side.
Thank you so much, Easy! Honestly, Conrad hasn’t always been the easiest cat. His first two weeks here he hid under the bed. These days it’s cleaning up after him. But it’s always worth it to hear his purr and for the love he gives back.
oh sweet Conrad <3
he is such a beautiful boy xx
It sounds like your doing everything right! Thanks for the great info!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Thank you for saying that, Jenna! I’ll forever worry that maybe we’re not doing enough….but I just want him to be happy too, and I think he is as content as he can be in his old age.