Osteoarthritis commonly referred to as OA or arthritis is a degenerative joint disease present in cats. Cats who are older, overweight, those with genetic predispositions, as well as those with previous injuries have a higher prevalence of this disease. Arthritis in cats can be really painful, it is characterized as the gradual degradation of the joint cartilage which leads to pain, inflammation, reduced activity, and reduced agility. Over time the reduced use of a limb can lead to muscle atrophy which is the wasting or thinning of muscle. This makes it that much harder for your cat to move around reducing their quality of life.
Some owners may notice their cat not jumping up to the places they used to, trouble getting down from high places, reduced play or zoomies around the house, trouble using the litter box, behavior changes, and trouble going up or down stairs. Any one of these individual symptoms can be an indication of arthritis in cats.
The best time to intervene is early on. The more we can prevent damage caused by inflammation, the better your pet's outcome can be.
As a pet owner, looking for those subtle signs your cat is in pain will help us to understand the progression of their OA. Our cats will not show us they are in pain the same way humans will show pain. They do not verbally tell us they are uncomfortable and a closer look at their body language as well as observing how they move around at home can tell us a lot about how they are feeling. Unfortunately us seeing them as "just getting old" or "just slowing down" really means they are in silent pain.
Keeping an eye out for these changes, even though they may seem small to us, as well as taking a proactive approach will most often lead to the best outcomes leading to pain relief for your cat. You may ask "what can I give my cat for pain?" Proactive management of OA includes pain medication, prescription joint diets, joint supplements, monoclonal antibody therapy, weight control, and physical therapy. Research has proven that taking what is called a "multimodal" approach provides the best results, meaning using different therapies together rather than one along leads to better outcomes.
All of these services are available to our clients at our three locations.
We finally have a better option to help facilitate pain relief for cats!
Solensia is available to our patients at all three locations. Modern medicine is wonderful and when it can benefit our cats who historically have had limited access to safe pain relief, it is even better. Solensia for cats is one of the many monoclonal antibody therapies available now but as of 2024, the only one available for cats. The great thing about these medications is that it is safe to give your pet regardless of them having underlying health issues. Those pets whose body's were not able to process traditional medications such as cat specific NSAIDs now have an option to have pain relief. Depending on the cat, we have seen better results the longer they are on Solensia. We strive to have the best in veterinary care for our patients and are proud to offer this option for your cat.
"Before he was super lazy. Now he is more playful with our other cat. He didn't like to jump as much and now I can't keep him off of things! He lost a ton of weight since starting it as well since he was moving around more." Sara C. regarding her 5 year old cat Mayhem pictured to the right who has been on Solensia since November 2022