Mary Allen
Joint diseases in cats are not that uncommon. Our house tigers are only masters at hiding pain, which is why many diseases in cats are unfortunately discovered much too late. One such condition is osteoarthritis. Cats usually show few symptoms but suffer silently. In this article, we explain how you can recognize arthrosis in your cat at an early stage.
What is Osteoarthritis?
Of course, cats also have joint problems and diseases. Osteoarthritis is such a typical joint disease that can even become very painful. This chronic joint disease occurs predominantly in older cats and is due to damaged cartilage tissue in house tigers. Cartilage and synovial fluid are the buffers between the joints and prevent the joints from rubbing against each other. If the cartilage is damaged or worn out, the cartilage surface changes and cracks – further cartilage damage is inevitable. The resulting friction between the joints is intensified and expresses itself as pain in the cat. Joint inflammation such as arthritis can also contribute to osteoarthritis in cats. While arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease and can be triggered by infections or rheumatism, arthrosis in cats can also be the result of arthritis.
From the age of 9, the majority of cats show irreversible wear and tear of cartilage and joints. The most common joints affected by osteoarthritis are elbows and shoulders, followed by knees and hips.
Treating Osteoarthritis in Cats
Early and rapid treatment is crucial for feline arthrosis. This joint disease should be diagnosed by a veterinarian or animal naturopath so that other health problems can be ruled out as the cause. The use of painkillers and other conventional medications should also be based on a diagnosis.
Osteoarthritis in cats cannot be cured because the cartilage is already destroyed. It is all the more important to supply the cartilage and joints with important nutrients such as collagen, anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, or mineral-containing calcium sources at an early stage so that regeneration can take place more quickly and the elasticity and stability of the cartilage are maintained.
To treat advanced arthrosis in cats, measures such as pain therapy, physiotherapy, acupuncture as well as medication, and feed additives are used. Depending on the severity, painkillers and various therapies must be administered consistently. You should make sure that the medication is well tolerated by your cat and does not cause any side effects with any other medication that the cat is taking.
Otherwise, we recommend keeping your cat warm, especially in winter. Your berth should not be in a draft and not by the window in the cold season. In the case of outdoor cats, it should be avoided that they stay outside for too long in the rain and snow. If the little stray comes home soaked and frozen, it should be rubbed dry with a towel and, if the cat allows it, blow-dried.
Healthy for Cat Joints – Choose the Right Nutritional Supplement
To strengthen the cat’s joints, feed supplements are the first choice. In particular, green-lipped mussel powder in combination with rosehip powder has proven itself in the treatment of osteoarthritis proven in cats. As such, these supplements can also be found in cat food and some therapeutic snacks and treats. Green-lipped mussel powder is known for its high content of glycosaminoglycans, omega-3 fatty acids, and amino acids. The effect of rosehip powder on the joints and arthrosis has already been proven in numerous studies. It contains an exceptionally high level of vitamin C, 20 times more than lemon, and also provides important galactolipids. They are known primarily in human medicine for their mode of action in joint diseases such as arthrosis.
Another important factor in cat osteoarthritis therapy is pain relief. Devil’s claw is considered a promising remedy here. Because the African sesame plant is a traditional remedy from South Africa and Namibia and is still considered an insider tip in natural veterinary medicine. Laboratory studies have shown that devil’s claw has compounds such as harpagosides, which have pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects on joints. In addition, the plant does not cause any known side effects, in contrast to typical osteoarthritis drugs. If the devil’s claw is mixed into the cat‘s food, it can significantly reduce the pain after just a few weeks.
Causes of Joint Disease in Cats
There are several possible causes of osteoarthritis in cats:
- Excessive recurring (improper) loads on the joints
- Malnutrition in young cats – over-or undersupply of nutrients
- Genetic causes, such as slow cartilage formation
- Trauma to the joint (broken bones, dislocations, bruises, etc.)
- Dysplasia (hip/elbow dysplasia)
- Patella luxation (dislocation of the kneecap)
- overweight
Heavy repetitive stress on joints (frequently jumping from high objects, sprints, etc.) can damage the cartilage in cats and also impair the production of synovial fluid. Malnutrition in young cats – too few omega-3 fatty acids, collagen, calcium. – also lead to the loss of cartilage mass. If the cartilage lacks “healthy nourishment”, the cartilage cells cannot grow and are not elastic enough to cushion loads. Especially with age, the cat’s articular cartilage decreases in elasticity, becomes stiffer, and wear and tear progress faster.
These disruptive factors cause the cells in the cartilage to be disproportionately activated and the destruction of the proteins in the cartilage is intensified by synthesis and degradation enzymes. This reduces the collagen content in the cartilage over time and the cartilage cells die off. Rigid scar tissue forms, damaging both the cartilage and the joint. Chronic inflammation is the result.
In the cat, this process causes permanent pain in the joints in advanced stages. At this point at the latest, it is necessary to add important nutrients to the feed for the development of cartilage tissue. Strengthening the cat’s joints and protecting the cartilage mass should be the goal of treatment.
Osteoarthritis in Cats – Interpreting the Symptoms Correctly
Animals have a higher pain threshold compared to humans. As a rule, cats do not show their pain, so the owner does not immediately notice that something is wrong with the house cat. The symptoms of osteoarthritis in cats can vary from animal to animal. They are often unspecific, which unfortunately makes early observational diagnosis difficult. Arthrosis in cats can therefore go unnoticed for a long time.
However, some behavioral patterns may indicate your cat is suffering from joint problems:
- Stiff posture
- reluctance to move
- Avoid jumping from high heights
- Less exercise in general
- lameness
- behavior changes
- Fever
- Decreased play instinct
- fear and aggressive behavior
- Increased sleep
- Changed running behavior
- trouble getting up
- Crooked posture
These non-specific symptoms do not all have to occur at the same time, individual signs can also indicate arthrosis.
Diagnosing a joint disease like osteoarthritis in cats requires a visit to the vet. Lameness tests, X-rays, and computed tom,raphy (CT) can be used to diagnose arthrosis. The CT and X-ray images show best how advanced the arthrosis is in the cat and which treatment makes the most sense.