Did you know an estimated 40% of all cats are living with arthritis, a painful joint condition, but we often do not recognise the signs or put it down to old age.
What is osteoarthritis?
• There are many different types of arthritis, but the most common is osteoarthritis, essentially the same chronic condition that humans suffer from.
• Healthy joints are covered by cartilage, a rubbery material that creates a cushion between the bones and provides a smooth surface for movement.
• When arthritis occurs, this cartilage breaks down, causing swelling, stiffness, movement problems and increasing pain.
• Arthritis is normally found in older cats, although it can affect youngsters too.
• It’s usually caused by natural wear and tear of the joints, but can also be linked to injuries, as well as joint abnormalities such as hip dysplasia.
Cats are very good at hiding pain, which means they might not whimper or look obviously lame. Also, because our furry friends are four legged (unlike us!), they are more adept at redistributing their weight to cope with discomfort. As a result, a limp can be harder to spot.
If your cat suffers from arthritis and you have been struggling to give them their daily pain medication, there are now other options for managing your cat’s osteoarthritis pain. We recognise that giving medication every day can be difficult to keep up with, particularly over long periods of time.
We offer a convenient monthly injection, removing the challenge of daily pain medication. It blocks a key pain mediator and reduces the pain your cat feels associated with osteoarthritis. The drug has been shown to significantly reduce pain and improve the mobility and quality of life of cats. – All this for a full month with a single injection.
Give us a call, or book an appointment to find out more.