Most senior cat foods are designed with arthritic felines in mind.
Arthritis in cats age.
Reviewed and updated for accuracy on may 29 2019 by dr.
Due to the challenges of diagnosing arthritis in cats it can be difficult to tell how many cats are affected.
Senior cats have the highest risk for contracting osteoarthritis a type of arthritis in cats that s also known as degenerative joint disease djd.
Arthritis causes changes within the affected joints that are painful for the affected pet.
This makes joints less flexible causing stiffness and pain.
Recent studies have shown that up to 90 of cats aged over 12 years are showing signs of osteoarthritis hardie et al 2002.
How to spot arthritis in cats.
Arthritis occurs when the cartilage between bones deteriorates.
Feline arthritis can be caused by injury infection an autoimmune disorder or degenerative problems involving the joints.
Joints that have been injured in the past are also more prone to becoming arthritic later in life.
Feline arthritis is more common in middle aged and older cats.
An obese cat has a much harder time dealing with aging joints.
Cats that are obese are more likely to be affected by the signs of arthritis than a cat that is lean.
By lorie huston dvm.
Hanie elfenbein dvm phd.
Protein is important to arthritic cats.
However recent studies looking at radiographs of older cats produced startling results.
Age weight health status and previous injuries play a big role in feline arthritis.
In one study published in 2002 90 of cats over 12 years of age had evidence of degenerative joint disease.
Your cat s food will also play a role in managing arthritis pain.
This will aggravate arthritis pain.
Prevalence of arthritis in cats.
Arthritis is one of the most common ailments seen in middle aged to older pets.
As cats age they absorb less protein from food.
Arthritis also known as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease causes pain and inflammation in a cat s joints.
Most cats don t develop obvious signs of arthritis until they are at least 10 years old.
Arthritis is the general medical term for inflammation of the joints while osteoarthritis is the term that specifically refers to a form of chronic joint.
However cats are very adept at hiding any illness especially pain as this would be seen as a sign of weakness in the wild.
Old age arthritis or osteoarthritis is a rapidly growing area of feline medicine.
Ensure that your cat s meal is appropriately balanced.
Even younger cats under the right circumstances can suffer from arthritic changes.
If a cat seems stiff or painful has swollen joints loses muscle mass or has a hard time moving around it might have arthritis.
Keeping a cat in good shape through proper diet can help relieve the symptoms.
