Arthritis In Cats Age

Just as in humans cats develop arthritis as they age.

Arthritis in cats age.

Hanie elfenbein dvm phd. Recent studies have shown that up to 90 of cats aged over 12 years are showing signs of osteoarthritis hardie et al 2002. Arthritis occurs when the cartilage between bones deteriorates. Arthritis also known as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease causes pain and inflammation in a cat s joints.

Old age arthritis or osteoarthritis is a rapidly growing area of feline medicine. Due to the challenges of diagnosing arthritis in cats it can be difficult to tell how many cats are affected. As cats age they absorb less protein from food. Age weight health status and previous injuries play a big role in feline arthritis.

Prevalence of arthritis in cats. An obese cat has a much harder time dealing with aging joints. Even younger cats under the right circumstances can suffer from arthritic changes. This will aggravate arthritis pain.

Arthritis is one of the most common ailments seen in middle aged to older pets. However recent studies looking at radiographs of older cats produced startling results. Reviewed and updated for accuracy on may 29 2019 by dr. Ensure that your cat s meal is appropriately balanced.

Arthritis occurs when the cartilage between bones deteriorates. Keeping a cat in good shape through proper diet can help relieve the symptoms. How to spot arthritis in cats. Most cats don t develop obvious signs of arthritis until they are at least 10 years old.

Although fairly uncommon in felines arthritis tends to affect the elbow joint when it does strike but many joints can be afflicted. However cats are very adept at hiding any illness especially pain as this would be seen as a sign of weakness in the wild. Protein is important to arthritic cats. If a cat seems stiff or painful has swollen joints loses muscle mass or has a hard time moving around it might have arthritis.

This makes joints less flexible causing stiffness and pain. Arthritis causes changes within the affected joints that are painful for the affected pet. Your cat s food will also play a role in managing arthritis pain. Most senior cat foods are designed with arthritic felines in mind.

In one study published in 2002 90 of cats over 12 years of age had evidence of degenerative joint disease. Cats that are obese are more likely to be affected by the signs of arthritis than a cat that is lean. 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.

Senior cats have the highest risk for contracting osteoarthritis a type of arthritis in cats that s also known as degenerative joint disease djd.