Content
- What is osteoarthritis and why does it happen?
- Signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis in cats
- Arthrosis diagnosis
- Treatment of arthrosis in cats
usually suffer osteoarthritis or arthrosis cats of advanced age, elderly or senile, who begin to wear out one or more of their joints. It is a degenerative disease, that is, it worsens over time.
In Animal Expert, we will explain what is the arthrosis in cats and what are yours symptoms and treatments. Arthrosis is irreversible, since it is present in our animal, it cannot be reversed, however we can improve the quality of our feline, preventing it from affecting its daily routine too much.
What is osteoarthritis and why does it happen?
To correctly understand what arthrosis in cats is, let's use the definition given by the dictionary: "It is a degenerative and irreversible disease of one or more joints due to wear of the cartilages that protect them, losing their cushioning function.’
we must differentiate arthrosis from arthritis in cats, which is a chronic inflammation of the joints, but reversible in most cases. It often starts with arthritis and, as it goes undetected, over time, it turns into arthrosis.
It is a silent disease, as 90% of cats over 12 years old suffer from it and sometimes their owners never detect it. may have different causes that trigger it such as:
- Genetics, frequent in breeds such as main coon, Burmese, Scottish Fold, or Abyssinians, depending on the affected joint.
- Traumas, due to blows, fights, falls, etc.
- Overweight, although it is not the cause that would trigger it, but it would aggravate it.
- Acromegaly, a lesion in the pituitary gland that deforms the joints.
It can be linked to the appearance of diseases with any of these causes or simply surprise our cat, so we must be attentive to signs and symptoms that we can observe to deal with it in a timely manner.
Signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis in cats
Sometimes it can be difficult to detect diseases in cats, as it is not so simple to recognize certain anomalies, let alone observe signs of pain.
Inside of signs or changes in behavior that we can observe we find: character changes, more irritable or depressed animals, changes in hygiene habits or sometimes they stop doing it because it hurts them in certain positions and they can show some irritability or aggression when cleaning certain parts of the body like the loin or spine, all due to great sensitivity.
When we talk about more visible symptoms we can find the following:
- loss of habitual appetite
- joint stiffness
- Limitation on movements that were usual before
- Loss of muscle mass due to disuse of certain joints, very common in the hips of Abyssinian cats
- Defecate or urinate outside the litter box because they have difficulty entering
Arthrosis diagnosis
As already mentioned, arthrosis is a very difficult disease to diagnose and in many occasions it is detected through observation and suspicion of the owner, when he sees that the cat is not doing well.
If you believe that your cat may be suffering from osteoarthritis, you should go to the veterinarian so that you can do the corresponding tests and start treatment. This is the only way to delay, as far as possible, the effects of this disease.
The veterinarian will do the physical examination of our cat, and with that, they usually already have a pretty accurate diagnosis of what is happening. To confirm the diagnosis you can request xrays of the most affected joint.
Treatment of arthrosis in cats
As it is an irreversible disease, let's look for relieve symptoms so that he suffers as little as possible and at the same time prevent the spread of the disease. Each case will be evaluated in particular with the veterinarian, because sometimes you have other more serious illnesses that require more attention.
We can use conventional anti-inflammatory as well as natural anti-inflammatory for the most acute phases. We can also use Homeopathy or Bach Flowers for a more natural control of the disease.
Diet control will be an important part for them as overweight cats suffer more from the affected joints. If your cat is overweight, you should consult your veterinarian about the option of offering diets for obese cats. Don't forget that the food you choose should be rich in fish oil and vitamin Eas well as low in carbs. Remember that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate favor the formation of cartilage, so they must be present in your food.
Last, but not least, we must prepare the house so that our cat does not have to change its habits. See if you can, for example, get the litter box, water and food down to a more accessible place.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.