Handle Degenerative Joint Disease in Cats

If your cat is having a hard time jumping, running, or climbing around like usual, it may have a problem with its joints. Feline degenerative joint disease is a term used to describe several diseases that can make it hard for a cat to move its joints. These diseases not only limit a cat's movement, but they can also cause it pain and distress.[1] If you suspect that your cat has degenerative joint disease because it it having a hard time moving, you should have it looked at by a veterinarian. Your veterinarian can assess your cat's joint health and, if they find that your cat does have degenerative joint disease, treat your cat's pain and discomfort.

Steps

Diagnosing and Treating Degenerative Joint Disease

  1. Take your cat to be seen by a veterinarian. If your cat is having a hard time moving, or you suspect that it is having joint problems, then you should take it to be seen by a veterinarian. Call your veterinary office, tell them what you think the problem is, and make an appointment for the cat to be assessed.
    • When you bring the cat in, be sure to tell the veterinarian what your cat's symptoms are and why you think that it is having joint trouble.
  2. Allow testing to be done. When you bring your cat in to be seen by a veterinarian, the veterinarian will likely do a general assessment of your cat's health. After that, then they will take a close look at the cat's joints. If the veterinarian suspects that your cat has degenerative joint disease, they will need to do some further testing to get a definitive diagnosis.[1]
    • The two diseases that are included under the term feline degenerative joint disease are osteoarthritis and spondylosis deformans. These diseases can cause loss of cartilage between the bones, inflammation between the bones, or bony spurs developing in the joints. Your veterinarian may use the general term or either of these more specific terms.
    • In most cases, the veterinarian will need to x-ray the joint to look for inflammation or abnormal growths.
    • The vet may also want to take a sample of the fluid in the joint to look for other signs of inflammation.
  3. Begin treatment. Treatment for degenerative joint disease typically includes medication to ease pain and discomfort. Your veterinarian is likely to prescribe a non-steroidal pain reliever (NSAID) or an opioid pain reliever to ease your cat's pain. However, long-term use of these medications has not been thoroughly studied. Thus, you should have your cat's health monitored regularly by a veterinarian if it is on these medications.[1]
    • Other types of treatments, such as surgery, are typically not suggested for cats with degenerative joint disease. The inflammation created by the surgery, combined with the advanced age of most cats suffering from this condition, doesn't make surgery a good risk to take.
  4. Consider alternative treatments. There are some alternative treatments that may be helpful for a cat with degenerative joint disease. Among them is acupuncture, which can help to ease joint pain, and the use of supplements that promote joint health. These supplements, including glucosamine, promote joint health by increasing key enzymes and fluids in the joints.[1]
    • While there is little research about the effectiveness of supplement use for degenerative joint disease in cats, there has been a lot of promising research on their use in humans and dogs.

Giving Long-Term Care for Degenerative Joint Disease

  1. Continue to treat chronic pain. There can be a lot of pain associated with degenerative joint disease and it is your job as a cat owner to make sure that your cat's pain is managed as much as possible. Pain can be managed with several types of medication, including NSAIDs and opioids. Both should be prescribed by your veterinarian.[1]
    • Since cats are notorious for hiding their pain, you will need to assess its pain medication needs as best as you can. Discuss your cat's pain level with your veterinarian if you are unsure whether your cat has chronic pain or needs medication regularly.
  2. Make your cat's daily routine easier. If your cat has been diagnosed with degenerative joint disease, then movement will become more difficult for your cat. With this in mind, you should change the cat's environment to accommodate its newly limited mobility. Keep essential items, such as food dishes and litter boxes, in close proximity to where your cat spends its time. Also, make sure that the cat does not need to climb stairs to complete essential activities, such as getting to a water dish.
    • Make sure the sides of the litter box are low enough for the cat to get in and out of it.
    • You may need to stall ramps or stairs in your home to ease your cat's daily movement. For instance, if your cat sleeps on your bed at night, you may need to install stairs or a ramp to allow the cat easy access.[1]
  3. Enrich your cat's environment. If your cat has degenerative joint disease, it may not be able to complete all of the activities that it used to. In order to keep your cat's mind active, even when its body can't be, you should enrich its environment. Give it areas to watch the outdoors and puzzles to work on that don't take much strength.[2]
    • Enriching your cat's environment will go a long ways towards keeping your cat happy even though it is losing mobility.
  4. Help your cat lose weight. If your cat is overweight and it has degenerative joint disease it may help the cat to lose some weight. Less weight on the cat's body means less pressure on its joints, which can decrease the cat's pain and discomfort.[3]
    • Discuss weight-loss plans with your veterinarian in order to assure that your cat gets a balanced diet while still losing weight.
  5. Give love and affection. If your cat has been diagnosed with degenerative joint disease, it will need veterinary care but it will also need your love and affection. A cat that is in pain and unable to enjoy all the things in life that it once did will require more attention from you. Your love and affection can sometimes fill a void that is created when the ability to move is reduced.[2]
    • Spend quality time with your cat every day. Pet it, play with it, and just generally show it that you care.

Identifying Degenerative Joint Disease

  1. Identify problems with movement. Since the hips and the elbows are the joints most often affected by degenerative joint disease, look at these joints first for problems with movement. Make sure that your cat is walking normally and that its joints are moving freely.[1]
    • If your cat is having difficulty using its joints, this means that the problem with them is fairly advanced. Have your cat seen by a veterinarian right away if your cat is having this type of problem.
  2. Look for signs that your cat is hiding pain. It can be hard to figure out when your cat is in pain because cats are notoriously good at hiding it. Showing outward signs of pain shows weakness, and so cats keep their pain to themselves whenever possible. With this in mind, try to assess your cat's pain level. Look for changes in routine, avoidance of normal movement, and reactions when you try to move your cat's joints.[3]
    • Hiding pain can come across a change in routine or behavior. If your cat is trying to mask pain, it will have to change its way of life to accommodate avoiding normal movement.
  3. Look for changes on the surface of the joints. If your cat has severe degenerative joint disease, its joints may be swollen or deformed due to inflammation. If you happen to notice that your cat's joints look strange or different than usual, take the time to inspect them closely.
    • A swollen joint could signal a variety of health problems, including trauma. If any of your cat's joints are noticeably swollen, have it checked out by a veterinarian right away.
  4. Assess areas that have experienced trauma. Degenerative joint disease can occur with no specific cause, but it is more likely to occur in a joint that has be subjected to trauma or excessive wear and tear. If your cat has had an injury to one of its joints in the past, be sure to keep an eye on that joint for signs of osteoarthritis.[3]
  5. Look for problems in older cats. Degenerative joint disease is largely a problem for older cats. In most cases, it is connected to long-term wear and tear on joints, and so it rarely happens in young cats.[3]
    • If your cat is older do an annual assessment of its ability to move its joints freely and without pain. If you see signs of pain or discomfort, have the cat looked over by its veterinarian.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 http://www.cliniciansbrief.com/sites/default/files/FelineDegenerativeDisease.pdf
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/arthritis-and-degenerative-joint-disease-cats
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/resourcesforyou/animalhealthliteracy/ucm382772.htm
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