Cats can experience arthritis too just like humans. There are two reasons for arthritis in animals, the first one is because of the deterioration of the joint of the animals. This deterioration can be caused by the wear and tear throughout the years.When the material that acts as a sort of cushion gets worn out with old age the bones will start rubbing with each other that will cause inflammation and a lot of pain. Another cause of arthritis, although it is quite rare is when the immune system of the body starts attacking the tissues of the joints.
Unfortunately our pets do not have the ability to communicate directly with us. They are not able to tell us if there’s anything wrong with them or if they are feeling any pain. This makes it almost impossible to diagnose arthritis on dogs or cats at an early stage of the disease. It is usually detected at a later stage when the symptoms are truly pronounced. Senior cats would show some distinctive signs that they are suffering from arthritis. These would include:
Altered Walking or Gait- This is something that you should be able to notice right away. The cat would have some difficulty in moving around.
There Should be Some Noticeable Stiffness While Rising- Your cat would take its time in rising, something that it might not be in the habit of doing in the past.
Your Cat Might be Reluctant to Jump- When you start noticing that your cat starts hesitating from jumping, then you know that something’s definitely wrong. A cat is a naturally agile animal and only pain would limit its movements.
Changes in Personality- Arthritis like other diseases might cause some changes in the behavior and personality of your pets. They might become more aggressive, or they might be overly depressed.
Once you start noticing these symptoms in your cat then it is very likely that they are suffering fro a disease like arthritis. It can still be treated using various anti-inflammatory drugs but sometimes the best that you can do for your pet is to give them cat arthritis pain relief when their condition has deteriorated already to a point where there could be no real corrective treatment for it. You have to be careful though in giving pain killing drugs to your pets as some of these medicines are harmful and sometimes even fatal to animals especially cats. Don’t make the assumption as well that if a drug was prescribed for dogs that it will serve the same purpose for cats. That is not the case. Never give your animals any drug that was not prescribed by a veterinarian. That would be the only way that you can be sure about their safety and health.
The best way to help save your pets from suffering the pains of arthritis is by helping to prevent it. You can help them by giving them regular exercise and making sure that they do not become overweight since that is a common cause for arthritis.