Question about arthritis in cats

[slick]

Do any of you have a kitty with arthritis? The reason I ask is because Max is now limping quite badly and is favouring one of his front legs. It just started yesterday but this morning it's worse. I've examined his leg and paw but can't see anything. I will call the vet but was hoping for some information here if you have any. It seems to get a bit better the more he walks; it's only when he's been sitting for a period of time which leads me to believe that it's a joint problem.

How is arthritis diagnosed? Anyone know?

Thanks.

[AbbyMom]

I'm not absolutely positive about how they diagnose it. But one time my RB tiger had a lung x-ray and while we were looking at the film, the vet assured me that the cat did not have arthritis (which I suspected at the time.) She said she could tell by looking at the joints.

The x-ray was expensive, but the good news is that it's quick and doesn't hurt!

Good luck to your kitty. Hope he's better soon.

[carole]

Slick I am 100 per cent sure Ash has arthritis, I have mentioned it to the vet, she just agrees, never has offered me any treatment as such.

Just watch your kitty when it gets up from a sleep, does kitty appear to be stiff and limp more, usually a good sign.

It is in Ashes hind legs, he limps, sometimes worse than others, and if you pick him up, you can tell by his voice he is sore, he does not talk much normally at all.,hence I avoid doing that too much.

I have noticed with the warmer weather approaching us here, he is not limping as much.

I know they can give them anti-flammatory drugs as with humans, but of course they will have side effects.

I know that it is just as painful in cats as humans (and I know all about that), so if the condition progresses , i think these drugs would be necessary.

[slick]

Thanks for your replies, I've been out all day. Yes, he does seem to be stiff after getting up from sleeping yet, he does NOT cry out in pain at all when I feel or squeeze up and down the leg and shoulder and he's fine when I pick him up. And it's only on his right front leg. His back-end is fine.

This did happen once before but it cleared up by itself in a couple of days. Right now he is limping but not as much as this morning. My gut is telling me it's more than just a sprain. My baby is 11 so I guess I have to expect something like this.

I guess I'm just a little anxious because I'm going away for two days on Tuesday and I don't want the cat-sitters to be dealing with this. I'll watch him tomorrow morning and maybe make an appt for tomorrow night.

Thanks again.
{{{HUGS}}} to you

[rosethecopycat]

I believe they are having sucess with a drug called Metacam.

If you google it, you may see some bad press out there, but with PRECISE dosing, it can work wonders.

Newly approved, some vets are not familiar with it.

[smokey the elder]

Please get your cat x-rayed. Smokey the Elder started limping; it turned out to be cancer! I don't want to alarm you but I'm glad I got it checked out; it was a rare aggressive cancer.

My vet was using Metaxam on cats before it was approved; it's the same stuff as a human drug called Mobic. He claims it's safe if carefully dosed.

Good luck with your kitty!

[catfancier]

Has it been a gradual process? If so, it could well be arthritis, especially if you are going into winter. Older cats certainly feel the smallest amount of cold weather!
Have you checked his claws for length? If they are quite long, they can grow into the pads and this can be painful.
My old cat, Sophie has arthritis in her front left leg quite badly, but she is still getting around fine at the moment (especially with the warmer weather coming). However she does have a large amount of calcified bone at her 'elbow' joint - when you feel her leg, the whole joint is swollen and hard.
When arthritis sets in for cats and dogs, they lose the fluid surrounding the cartilage and the bones rub against each other. Usually the diet doesn't help a whole lot (unless you are feeding a diet specifically formulated for older animals), so the bones get supplied with more calcium than they need, causing the bones to painfully calcify, and sometimes, fuse together. This is where supplements for bone and joint health come in, such as shark cartilage, green lipped mussel extract, condroitin and glucosamine (usually in the form of tablets). Metacam is an excellent anti-inflammatory to help with the pain, and is used both for long term and short term pain relief (on prescription).
Some good products we have in NZ are (these are over the counter):
Bomazeal Cat Pep (for Cats)
Bomazeal Senior (for dogs)
Sasha's Blend (both)
SF4 (cats)
MyBeau (oily mineral supplement, for both).
Let me know if you would like further info!

[slick]

My goodness you people are a wealth of knowledge.
I'm really in a bind here because Max is on the fence; he's not bad enough to take to the vet, yet it's obvious that something is going on. He will limp badly for a couple of hours, then the limp magically disappears. It's so strange. Tonight, I checked his paw pads and they looked normal and his claws are fine because I snip them on a regular basis.

This is really not a gradual thing. As I said about 3 or 4 months ago, he limped for about two days then it disappeared and he has been just fine until now. Yes, the weather is getting colder so that might be a factor.

Smokey: thanks for the warning. I'm not one to panic but it's certainly something to keep in mind.

Catfancier: I felt all the joints in Max's leg and I could not feel anything unusual but this could be the beginning stages. I have booked an apt to take Max in and I will have him x-rayed if necessary and yes, I'll check on the Metacam. Giving pills to Max is not an easy task, but doable thanks to the burrito wrap.

Thanks for your comments.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Gee, the geriatric ward is busy these days! I've noticed that Tubby's been limping since we got home also. I don't know how they diagnose arthritis, but I'll tell you Tubby's whole life story if you want to hear. Anyway, the last time I took him in for his 6 month checkup, I asked the vet about arthritis because he's like Max in that sometimes when he gets up, he seems sort of stiff and clumsy. After he's up and about for awhile, the stiffness seems to dissappear. So I asked her and the only thing she did was feel his spine - which does feel much more boney these days. I never used to be able to feel the individual vertabrae, but now I can. She felt his spine and then told me about Cosequin. There is a version called Feline Cosequin or Cosequin for Cats. From what I understand, this is very similar to something that humans take for arthritis and it works. I think MOFF takes the human form and she said it makes a difference. I've noticed a difference in Tubby since he's been taking it, but I might have to up his dosage. From what I understand, it helps bring fluid to the joints to help soften up the....."stuff".....that is between the joints that tends to dry out and get brittle as we get older. Sorry, don't remember the technical term for "stuff."

From the vet, the Cosequin was a bit expensive, so I started ordering it online from here. I got the 5 pack so it would last a bit longer and to save on shipping costs. Right now I give Tubby one capsule a day sprinkled over his wet food treat in the morning. He has another 6 month checkup this Saturday, so I'm going to ask about upping his dosage. I don't want to put anymore of a strain on his kidneys than I have to, but I don't want him to be all stiff and sore either.

I know there are others here who use it. I believe Catsnclay is one of them. You could maybe do a search for Cosequin and find more info on it. Also, be sure you get the Cat version. I'm sure they have adjusted the dosages because they have dog and horse versions also. A horse version might not be the best thing for little Max.

So, I hope this helps. If you have anymore questions, you know you can ask anytime and I'll be glad to help. Please let us know what the vet says and if they do, in fact, take an x-ray. They've never x-rayed Tubby, just felt his spine.

Oh, and one last thing. The Cosequin is a "natural" remedy type of thing so it's not like antibiotics where you immediately see that it's working. It's a gradual improvement over time, but I did see an improvement in Tubby, and if I'm right about Catsnclay, she saw an improvement also - enough to where her kitty was back to jumping on the counters.

Good luck at the vet and give poor Max an hug and smooch from me - and of course Speckles too.

[catfancier]

Cosequin is also known as Noractive (we used to have Cosequin here in NZ but it was replaced with Noractive Cat), and it comes in the form of little sachets that you sprinkle on the food. There are 30 sachets in a box, which is quite convenient because you basically buy it monthly. I don't know if it's sold like that in the US, but the manufacturer is a company called Norbrook (they also make Noromox, Noroclav, Norocarp... anyone see a pattern?!!!). This is their website: http://www.norbrook.co.uk/home2.asp
Obviously it would pay to talk to your vet about their products, as they may not have heard of it or stock it. I'm guessing from the Norbrook website, they are UK based.

[carole]

Rochelle do you have any idea the cost of this product, and some of the other over the counter meds, do they have many side effects? I found it very interesting, as I am sure Ash will need something in the long term. Thanks for the info.

[catfancier]

The prices will vary between clinics and also regional/geographic areas (it is not well known that clinics in Southland charge a lot less than clinics in Auckland. Don't know why that is, I guess they base it on higher incomes in more heavily populated areas, and what people are willing to pay or reasonably expected to pay. You could imagine from that, that Wellington is somewhere in the middle!)
We were charging about $28.70 for a bottle of Bomazeal Cat Pep. They contain 100 tablets, and it's initially something like 2 - 3 tablets/day for the first 2 - 3 weeks, then one tablet/day after that, as a maintenance dose. I could be confusing this with dogs however, so don't quote me. The Bomazeal Senior was recommended at $39.95 for 100 tablets. It pays to check (if you are looking into the Bomazeal products) if your clinic can or will order in larger size bottles, I know they come in 300's as well.
Noractive I can't remember the exact price, but I think it was somewhere between about $28 - $33 for a box (30 sachets), somewhere around $1/sachet, but remember that this is available on prescription, if your vet recommends it. It isn't OTC.
I don't know the price of SF4, we didn't sell it.
Actually I've just been browsing on the net and you can go to: Pet Post, look up Animal Health on the left hand side, then Nutritional supplements, and that gives you a huge list. The ones to look for are Bomazeal Cat Pep, McFarlane SF4 for Cats, Pet Mussel and Pet Shark. Their prices are really good too, and they offer free delivery for orders over $50. I would ask your vet first if they think that it would be beneficial.
(Having said that, I have spoken to the Bomac Rep - Bomazeal - and she told me that Cat Pep can be given simply as a nutrional supplement to boost cats, rather than an aid for helping older or arthritic cats). Hope I have helped!
As for side effects, I haven't heard of anything damaging happen to any patients, but it would pay to maybe do some further research, email Bomac Laboratories or whichever company makes the product you're interested in, or again, ask your vet. I think they're ally pretty safe.

[catfancier]

Try this link for info/prices on My Beau (developed by Massey in Palmerston Nth).
http://www.petpost.co.nz/scripts/pro...?idproduct=805

[carole]

Thanks so much Rochelle your wealth of knowledge was so helpful, I am going to keep it for further reference. cheers.

[NoahsMommy]

Slick,

At work, the vets prescribe Cosequin for arthritis. We put Livv on it and were pleased with the results. In fact, I was just thinking that we needed to refill that for her.

We also just started prescribing the Metacam for dogs, haven't seen them use it with cats yet.

Hope your little one feels better with whatever you decide.

Take care,
Kelly