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Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,997
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

My 13 year old male cat looks like he is slower and stiffer when walking.  I mostly notice it in his back legs. 

 

He has a fairly recent diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, but he has been on meds and has had his levels checked.

 

He's still affectionate, but not the "love bug" he has been.  I am wondering if he has arthritis and is hurting.  If he does, is there anything for cats to treat it?  I know there is for dogs, but not sure about cats.

 

He is an orange tabby named Oliver.

 

Hyacinth

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,363
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

There aren't as many meds for cats as there are for dogs, but there are some and your vet can help you with those. Many more cats suffer from arthritis than originally thought...mine included.  By the time they're showing it and getting less affectionate, they're in a fair amount of pain.

 

it's wise to get your vet to check your cat first, especially because he's being treated for another condition, rather than start looking into OTC supplements on your own. There are a lot of supplements out there, some better than others, but you need the full picture of what's going on.

 

There also could be other things going on like ligament sprains, etc., that need to be ruled out. Your vet will start with something and up the ante as needed.


You probably know this, but never give a cat Tylenol or Advil or even aspirin.

 

Good luck for your Kitty!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,510
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

@hyacinth003 wrote:

My 13 year old male cat looks like he is slower and stiffer when walking.  I mostly notice it in his back legs. 

 

He has a fairly recent diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, but he has been on meds and has had his levels checked.

 

He's still affectionate, but not the "love bug" he has been.  I am wondering if he has arthritis and is hurting.  If he does, is there anything for cats to treat it?  I know there is for dogs, but not sure about cats.

 

He is an orange tabby named Oliver.

 

Hyacinth


Maybe he's still adjusting to his new medication and is not himself yet. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,031
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

@hyacinth003   For my cat Sammy we found a few things that really helped.  He responded very well to glucosamine powder I sprinkled in his food.  The brand that had worked best for him was cosequin.  I remember it was chicken flavored.  We also went to a holistic vet for accupuncture and also cold laser treatments.   All these things really restored him.  However, obviously not everything works the same for everybody.  I think there's a lot of trial and error.  Like we tried different glucosamine brands until we found the one that worked for him. We did the accupuncture and cold laser as a trial to see if he would respond, and he did.  So, fingers crossed that you try/find the thing that helps your kitty.  I think too there is also a connection with the hyperthryoid not being under control and achy joints.  So it could be this will resolve on it's own without more intervention. But for me, I'd probably proceed with trying these things or some of them to help kitty feel better.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,184
Registered: ‎12-16-2013

@hyacinth003 What about feeding him salmon or giving a fish oil supplement?  I give my older dog a fish oil supplement along with glucosomine.

Super Contributor
Posts: 396
Registered: ‎11-13-2010

I bought a set of steps for my cat to put by my bed and one for the sofa. My vet said that jumping up and down would be worse for her arthritis in her spine. It seems to have helped alot.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,955
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

With a couple rare exceptions, our kitties have often lived to healthy old age.

 Weeble, who was a pretty sickly guy, still enjoyed a longish, cherished life (close to 20 in human years), and had Cosequine every day.


We treat our cats with benign neglect BUT take them to our good local Vet if they show ANY signs of discomfort or outward symptoms. They respond with typical feline distance and contempt. 

They continue to purr. We continue to love them.

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,781
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Those are great questions for a vet.

 

When it comes to my pets, I rely on my vet to help me and no one else.

 

(There a local pet store owner who "thinks" he knows everything, he flaunts that he went to seminars.  After he was said and done, he was more or less pushing products he sells...should of saw that one coming)

 

 

Frequent Contributor
Posts: 98
Registered: ‎03-18-2010

We recently had to let go of our oldest cat. She was about 18 years old. We adopted her 5 years prior. She was diagnosed with renal failure her last year, but she had arthritis in her back legs really bad. Our vet gave us pain medication to give her daily. It was a liquid given by syringe. It did help for awhile, but she got to the point she could barely get up, lay down or walk. We had super low litter boxes for her, steps by the beds and furniture. I would carry her alot. But she started to change and did not really want affection or to be by anyone. I knew she was suffering and we let her go. Her last day, she was really bad and it made me feel so quilty that I probably waited to long. She was our sweet grandma cat and those 5 years with her were wonderful. She is truly missed.

 

You should take your cat to the vet. There are some things they can do. Pain medication helps. If your cat has changed and not as friendly or keeping to himself, those are signs he is in pain or something is wrong. Please have him checked. 

Super Contributor
Posts: 345
Registered: ‎11-11-2010

I've dealt with a few kitties with arthritis / painful joints. One of my current kitties has some arthritis in his back (confirmed by X-rays). He is taking dasequin (spelling?) sprinkled on his food. Sometimes he'll eat it, sometimes not so much. I think it's helping. He also has kidney and liver issues that are being treated by supplements (from the Vet not OTC). I lost my kitty Annie a couple years ago. She was born with a hip deformity that didn't show up until she was about 6. She also had lots of autoimmune problems. She was treated for pain by cortisone shots every 4-6 weeks for many years. I think they may have shortened her life (she only lived to 12 years) but they really helped with the pain. They tried many other things for her but the shots were the most effective. I took my Abu kitty in for acupuncture for kidney disease and painful hips. It worked well for him but I think you'd have to have a pretty mellow cat for that to work.  I agree with what others have said: steps to get onto furniture and beds; low litter box; lots of comfy, warm places to rest. Good luck with your kitty! I also have a 13 year old orange boy, George (kidney disease - only being treated with prescription food for now).