Osteoarthritis

Such restricted movement can be the first sign of osteoarthritis. A study confirms that 90% of all cats over the age of 12 suffer from chronic joint disease¹. In many cases, the irreversible and painful wear and tear on the joints remains undetected. This is because the changes in a cat's behavior are only minimal at first and even as the disease progresses, the visible signs are often not as pronounced as in dogs, for example. It is therefore particularly important to keep a close eye on your cat, even at a young age. If you notice anything unusual about your cat's behavior - even if it's just that it's suddenly less playful or grooms itself less often - you should see your vet as soon as possible. This pays off when it comes to osteoarthritis! After all, an early diagnosis and a quick start to treatment will make it possible to maintain your cat's quality of life for a long time.

DEFINITION

What is osteoarthritis?

As your cat gets older, its body also changes. Muscles deteriorate with age and less exercise accelerates this process even further. The bone structure also changes over the years and this can lead to signs of wear and tear in the joints, known as osteoarthritis.

But what exactly happens in osteoarthritis? In a healthy, young joint, a layer of cartilage covers the ends of the bones. This acts like a shock absorber. The synovial fluid in the joint space also ensures that the bones glide smoothly over each other during movement. This is why this fluid is also called synovial fluid. Over the years, the joint cartilage can become brittle and very fine cracks appear. In addition, the body produces less and less synovial fluid. The result is that the joints no longer contain enough "lubricant" and the resulting friction in the joint leads to inflammation and pain. The inflammation, which often flares up again, in turn promotes further wear and tear and keeps the process going: a vicious circle in which the joint cartilage is damaged even further!

Even if only one joint is affected, osteoarthritis can affect the rest of the musculoskeletal system due to the pain-related relieving posture (the cat tries to relieve the painful leg and puts more strain on other parts of the body). This can then affect other joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. However, protective postures can not only lead to incorrect and excessive strain on other joints, but the joint protection also damages the diseased joint itself: The lack of movement means that the remaining joint cartilage is no longer supplied with sufficient nutrients. This causes additional damage and accelerates cartilage degradation.

The insidious thing about osteoarthritis is that it progresses gradually and is unfortunately often only noticed when a large part of the joint cartilage has already been irrevocably destroyed.

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of osteoarthritis

Cats are known to be masters at hiding their pain. Unlike dogs, for example, osteoarthritis does not always manifest itself in the form of lameness. You should therefore look out for other warning signs and be alert if you notice changes in your cat's behavior:

CAUSES

Causes of osteoarthritis

There are many causes of osteoarthritis:

• Congenital or acquired misalignment of the joints with resulting incorrect loading
• Overloading and incorrect loading
• Unhealed injuries (e.g. joint injuries)
• Overweight
• Age-related joint wear and tear

In principle, osteoarthritis can affect any of your cat's joints. Heavily used joints such as the hips, elbows, hocks, knees and toe joints are particularly frequently affected.

DIAGNOSIS

Examination and diagnosis

If symptoms typical of osteoarthritis occur, it is advisable to take your cat to your vet as soon as possible. For an accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment, you will be asked detailed questions about your pet at the practice and review its medical history: Does your pet have any pre-existing conditions? Does it need to take medication regularly and if so, what kind? Have you noticed any changes in your cat's behavior?

This is followed by an adspection, a visual examination of your cat. As osteoarthritis is a common disease in cats, the vet can usually make a suspected diagnosis just by looking at your cat. The way your cat behaves in different postures and movements - such as when standing, sitting down and getting up, walking or jumping off the examination table - is enough to indicate whether and which joints could be affected. Any visible swelling of joints can also be identified.

During the subsequent palpation, the affected joints and muscles are palpated and examined for swelling, crunching, pain and mobility.

X-rays or ultrasound, and in some cases CT or MRI, can be used to confirm or rule out the diagnosis. These examinations are often supplemented by a blood test to get an overall impression of your cat's health.

TREATMENT

Treatment of osteoarthritis

Depending on the stage of the disease, the treatment of osteoarthritis can be challenging. The good news is that the earlier treatment is started, the sooner you can positively influence the course of the disease and slow down its progression. This will improve your cat's quality of life and you will hopefully be able to spend many more happy hours with it.

Various things need to be taken into account during treatment:

• Sufficient, appropriate exercise
• Reduction of excessive strain on the joints (e.g. reduce weight, avoid jumping)
• Feeding in line with requirements, which can be supplemented with veterinary support, e.g. with feed supplements

Pain treatment in particular should be an important part of the therapy and should take place right from the start. Your cat should be given an anti-inflammatory medication during periods of swelling or pain. Firstly, this has the short-term effect of reducing the inflammation in the joint and thus alleviating the pain. Secondly, the treatment also counteracts the development of a so-called pain memory. This is because if your cat suffers from pain for a long time or repeatedly, the body can literally remember this pain and it becomes increasingly difficult to treat the pain. This is why painkillers should be used early and in a targeted manner. However, as any medication can also potentially cause side effects, regular check-ups with your vet are strongly recommended. Together you will discuss the best treatment options for your cat.

Would you like to give your cat additional support? As a long-term therapy, the administration of veterinary medicines with regenerative effects on the joint cartilage is recommended. A combination of several therapy methods tailored to your pet can have a positive effect on the course of the disease. Make sure that medications are used that can be combined with each other and cause as few side effects as possible. This is particularly important if your cat has to take other medication.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Everyday life for cats with osteoarthritis

If your pet suffers from osteoarthritis, you can support and relieve it with a few easy changes:

• Install aids such as ramps/boards at different heights (e.g. as a climbing aid to the windowsill or another level on the scratching post)
• Create play opportunities that avoid uncontrolled movements as far as possible (e.g. intelligent food toys or fishing and stick toys)
• Create resting places that are easy to reach even with limited mobility. Make sure that your cat can lie down gently and comfortably to avoid calluses and painful pressure on the joints. It is also important for resting places to be warm and dry and not exposed to drafts.
• Easily accessible feeding and drinking places as well as (if necessary, several) litter boxes with a deep entrance will make your cat's everyday life even easier.

PREVENTION

Tips for prevention

Prevention is the best treatment - this is especially true for osteoarthritis. You can implement the following tips to keep your cat's joints healthy and resilient for as long as possible:

• Take acute injuries to the joints or musculoskeletal system seriously and treat them accordingly. This will prevent consequential damage.
• Regular and sufficient exercise is important: the more active the cat, the "smoother" its joints. However, try to minimize the risk of injury during exercise games.
• Regular weight checks with your vet and weight reduction if necessary (being overweight damages the joints at any stage of life).
• Ensure that they are fed a balanced diet that meets their needs.

Sources:
¹ Hardie EM et. al., Radiographic evidence of degenerative joint disease in geriatric cats: 100 cases (1994–1997). J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002; 220: 628-632.