Arthritis In Cats Age

Arthritis occurs when the cartilage between bones deteriorates.

Arthritis in cats age.

Due to the challenges of diagnosing arthritis in cats it can be difficult to tell how many cats are affected. Joints that have been injured in the past are also more prone to becoming arthritic later in life. Protein is important to arthritic cats. Your cat s food will also play a role in managing arthritis pain.

Cats that are obese are more likely to be affected by the signs of arthritis than a cat that is lean. An obese cat has a much harder time dealing with aging joints. In one study published in 2002 90 of cats over 12 years of age had evidence of degenerative joint disease. Arthritis causes changes within the affected joints that are painful for the affected pet.

Most senior cat foods are designed with arthritic felines in mind. Senior cats have the highest risk for contracting osteoarthritis a type of arthritis in cats that s also known as degenerative joint disease djd. Hanie elfenbein dvm phd. Arthritis also known as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease causes pain and inflammation in a cat s joints.

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. Arthritis is one of the most common ailments seen in middle aged to older pets. Recent studies have shown that up to 90 of cats aged over 12 years are showing signs of osteoarthritis hardie et al 2002. Although fairly uncommon in felines arthritis tends to affect the elbow joint when it does strike but many joints can be afflicted.

Keeping a cat in good shape through proper diet can help relieve the symptoms. Even younger cats under the right circumstances can suffer from arthritic changes. Ensure that your cat s meal is appropriately balanced. By lorie huston dvm.

If a cat seems stiff or painful has swollen joints loses muscle mass or has a hard time moving around it might have arthritis. However recent studies looking at radiographs of older cats produced startling results. This makes joints less flexible causing stiffness and pain. Prevalence of arthritis in cats.

Old age arthritis or osteoarthritis is a rapidly growing area of feline medicine. This will aggravate arthritis pain. Arthritis occurs when the cartilage between bones deteriorates. Most cats don t develop obvious signs of arthritis until they are at least 10 years old.

Just as in humans cats develop arthritis as they age. Feline arthritis can be caused by injury infection an autoimmune disorder or degenerative problems involving the joints. As cats age they absorb less protein from food. How to spot arthritis in cats.

Feline arthritis is more common in middle aged and older cats.