Arthritis In Cats Age

Reviewed and updated for accuracy on may 29 2019 by dr.

Arthritis in cats age.

Arthritis is one of the most common ailments seen in middle aged to older pets. However cats are very adept at hiding any illness especially pain as this would be seen as a sign of weakness in the wild. Arthritis is the general medical term for inflammation of the joints while osteoarthritis is the term that specifically refers to a form of chronic joint. This will aggravate arthritis pain.

Age weight health status and previous injuries play a big role in feline arthritis. Protein is important to arthritic cats. Your cat s food will also play a role in managing arthritis pain. Old age arthritis or osteoarthritis is a rapidly growing area of feline medicine.

Just as in humans cats develop arthritis as they age. Arthritis also known as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease causes pain and inflammation in a cat s joints. Cats that are obese are more likely to be affected by the signs of arthritis than a cat that is lean. Even younger cats under the right circumstances can suffer from arthritic changes.

Arthritis causes changes within the affected joints that are painful for the affected pet. Recent studies have shown that up to 90 of cats aged over 12 years are showing signs of osteoarthritis hardie et al 2002. Most cats don t develop obvious signs of arthritis until they are at least 10 years old. An obese cat has a much harder time dealing with aging joints.

Feline arthritis is more common in middle aged and older cats. Feline arthritis can be caused by injury infection an autoimmune disorder or degenerative problems involving the joints. Ensure that your cat s meal is appropriately balanced. In one study published in 2002 90 of cats over 12 years of age had evidence of degenerative joint disease.

Keeping a cat in good shape through proper diet can help relieve the symptoms. Arthritis occurs when the cartilage between bones deteriorates. Although fairly uncommon in felines arthritis tends to affect the elbow joint when it does strike but many joints can be afflicted. Hanie elfenbein dvm phd.

How to spot arthritis in cats. 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. Prevalence of arthritis in cats.

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. By lorie huston dvm. Arthritis occurs when the cartilage between bones deteriorates.

Most senior cat foods are designed with arthritic felines in mind.