Basic Tips for Caring For A Cat With Arthritis

If your cat is getting old (or even if it isn't), then sooner or later you may notice that it starts limping, has trouble climbing steps, avoids jumping down from anywhere, and gets upset if picked up or handled roughly. Possibly upset in a 'suddenly turn around and take a couple of fingers off' way.

Arthritis gets a LOT worse in the cold. My cat Moss started limping in winter, every winter, from around six or seven years old (she is now over thirteen). It got gradually worse, and finally was making her very unhappy - and very difficult to brush, because her joints were so painful. And then summer rolled around, and suddenly she was tearing all over the house and playing happily again.

The cat asleep next to the oil heater.
She makes a great footwarmer.

1. Warmth. Arthritis gets a lot worse in the cold. Give your cat somewhere warm to spend most of the time. I posted about the cat bed I was given before, which was great. Sadly, it was ancient and has since died, but it's now cold enough to light the fire and run heaters around the house, so she spends a lot of time trying to merge with those.

2. Glucosamine tablets can be fed daily in food (it's also used to treat arthritis in humans). It can be a bit pricey though - and it's a long way to a pet store from where I live, so - while I do see improvements - tip 3 takes up the slack.

3. Fish oils. The omega 3 fatty acids in cold water fish (e.g. salmon and tuna) help with arthritis. I share a can of tuna with her once or twice a week (we get half each - works out well, as I'm only cooking for myself!), and I saw a huge improvement once I started doing this.

You can't cure arthritis in your cat, but you can make the symptoms go away. This last winter I've been treating her with the tips above - and nothing else, and she's been happy and bouncy all through (occasional limping moments and she hates going out into the cold, but otherwise very well off).

OOC: Return of the Cat

My cat is back with me, and will be making an appearance again on this blog. She is fit and healthy and happy, and (I suspect) has been thoroughly spoilt by my parents.

What was wrong? I don't know, but it could have been some kind of poison she ingested recently, or poison eaten long ago, then stored in the fat cells - to re-emerge when she lost too much weight (she's fatter now!)
More worryingly, it could be some long term illness or degradation. I may never know what the problem was, but for now she seems very well.

And still determined to knock off everything on every surface of my room, before settling down at night.

19th Feb. No Photos Today

Or possibly for the next few days, or longer. I had to rush my cat to the vets (well, the emergency after hours clinic) this afternoon. I walked into the flat about 5, put the shopping down, and fed her, and then she was shaking and falling over, and her legs were spasming. She was very much an unhappy cat.

It's neurological, but it could be anything from rat poison to kidney failure to a brain tumour. And the tests to start with (not including specialist brain imaging which it might come to) would be over $1000. So for now, I'm hoping not.

Anyway, kitty is recuperating at my parent's house for now. We'll see if she's okay in the morning.