Well it’s similar to us humans. Arthritis is usually found in older or even geriatric cats. It can be found in younger cats, but that’s not so common. Again similar to humans.
Still, whoever has arthritis, is not exactly going for a joy ride and there are steps you can take to make sure your cat remains healthy and will possibly bypass this chronic and painful disease.
If your feline friend does develop arthritis, it could be one of several forms. Osteoarthritis is a result of wear and tear on the bones, just as you would suspect when getting older. The shoulders and leg joints are often targeted. Polyarthritis affects more joints at the same time. The cartilage is gradually eroded and the bones do not have the flexibility anymore and movement becomes painful as the bones do not have the usual thick layer of cartilage in between them. Traumatic arthritis is the result of an injury to the joint. Although cats are usually very agile, they can sometimes hurt themselves when they jump or get into an accident or even fights. The joint can be injured and this could develop into arthritis.
Unfortunately cats cannot speak to us in words and so we usually observe that they might be having problems with movement. Just like us their joints become stiff and you can see that. Also jumping might become a problem. Also, if you touch a sore spot they will shy away from you. Although cats usually sleep 16 out of the 24 hours of the day and then spend quite a time grooming themselves, you might also find that your cat is sleeping even more and also reluctant to play and may become irritable because of the constant aches and pain.
Still, just as we age, when your cat gets older, he and she may stop jumping, have difficulty getting upstairs, or on his or her favorite places. His movements become slower and you can almost see him/her walking with some pain.
What can you do? Well, the first step would be to visit your veterinarian who can do some tests to determine if your cat does have this disease. There are arthritis medication that is available such as NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) which can help reduce inflammation and therefore also reduce pain.
It is also important to make sure your cat gets enough exercise and is not overfed. Overweight cats are more prone to this disease as the weight bears down on their joints.
