Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Cat Arthritis - Know How to Care For Them


Elderly cats are commonly known to catch arthritis, which is the wear and tear of joints in parts of the body. Its main causes include high age, due to which a time comes when unfit bodies exhibit joint degeneration and high pain due to tendon tissue damage. Arthritis is just as common in cats as it is in people and identical to their reasons in humans, they are caused due to high age, obesity, weak bones, genetic issues, Lyme disease, high level of activity and the stress factor. The chief cause of cat arthritis is high age, yet younger cats can also catch arthritis due to genetic and other stress problems.

Most of the cat owners find it difficult to spot any pain caused by arthritis due to the fact that they are already slow on account of their old age. But they might not be that lively and energetic due to arthritis. Cats cannot share their pain with their owners and for that reason they often hide or deal with the pain caused, which is why arthritis is pretty difficult to be spotted in them and the pain, equaled with the stress, results in early feline death in many cases.

However due to the innovation in technology, other symptoms in cat arthritis are described as follows. Cats often show signs of stress and depression, unwilling to play or jump, maintain a low level of activity, sleep more frequently, may appear bony than usual due to the excessive muscle waste and may signal pain and stiffness when standing or walking. Changes in mental attitude are also common which will result in changes in behavior such as less interaction and increased anger.

The diagnostic procedure of probable cat arthritis would include a detailed analysis of your cat's physical strength and a history of the disease would be taken. In addition to those, blood tests, X-rays and ultrasound etc of the aching joints could also be performed to get a clear diagnosis. Feline arthritis mostly includes Osteoarthritis and Traumatic arthritis where there is damage to the joints in both cases but Osteoarthritis can become serious in some cases depending on the nature of the cause, the damage done and the physical status of the cat; the condition may become untreatable a few times, but you can at least try to present comfort to the cat in the small life it has left.

Treatment to cat arthritis can be done through various ways. Glucosamine and Chondroitin are one of the most common cures adopted mostly by vets. Glucosamine is a significant element of the cartilage and joint fluid and Chondroitin improves the arrangement of the ligaments and restrains the joint-breaking enzymes inside. Regular and long-term vet-prescribed dosage can make a big difference to your cat suffering from arthritis and may enable her to recover in a month.

Anti-inflammatory drugs and pain-relievers such as Tramadol and Vitamin C and Corticosteroids such as Prednisone can alleviate any immediate pain but their consumption is lessened nowadays due to their high side effects. Alongside physical exercise and weight control are not only natural remedies to the current arthritis level, but they also keep the feline body fit, energetic and should prevent a large number of diseases in the future too, allowing your cat to spend a long and happy life.

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