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Understanding Cat Arthritis Symptoms Caring For An Arthritic Cat
The increasing amount of cat owners feeding
highly processed commercial cat food is reported by many veterinary
experts to be a contributing factor in the increasing amount of cat
arthritis happening in cats.
It is certainly not coincidence that owners who feed their cats
homemade and raw food see lower occurrence of degenerative arthritis in
their cats.
Today, although there are no concrete proof to show that commercial
cat food contribute to arthritis development in cats, it is widely
believe that they play a big part, From there, we understand that your
cat’s diet would play a major effect in preventing this stressful cat
disease.
Apart from diet, overweight older cats are also more likely to
develop arthritis because of the extra pressure they put on their
joints causing the cartilage and bones to wear off faster. Naturally, a
cat who enjoys a healthy diet and who exercise regularly will be less
likely to suffer from the same condition.
The symptoms of arthritis in cats would be that he will find it
difficult to walk around and run. Moving around stiffly, he will not
make jumps that he use to make and will have difficulty in climbing up
stairs. Showing signs of depression, your cat would hide away and
appear listless and even bad tempered. Not allowing you to touch and
stroke him in areas where he is painful, he might cry out if you touch
him on a painful joint.
To diagnose arthritis in cats, veterinary will observe, use blood
test and most importantly the x-ray examination. The X-ray will show
joint degeneration in areas of worn, irregular bone position and
possible distortion of the joint and see if the bone is causing pain
and forcing the cat to stand in an awkward position to compensate for
the discomfort.
Arthritis treatment will include medication to help your cat ease
the pain on his joints, to aid the regeneration process of cartilage
and bone, to build up the fluid within the capsular joints to provide a
cushion for the joint itself. Your veterinary will prepare dose of
glucosamine and chondroitin that are use for the same purpose in humans
for your cat.
You can help your cat to recover by encouraging him to walk whenever
possible to prevent the joints from stiffening further. You should try
to create a warmer environment for him to rest. A warm water bottle
place under his bed might do the trick. The warmth will help your cat
to ease pain and loosen his muscles which might be tense because of the
constant pain that he is suffering.
Recovery from arthritis is possible with the right treatment and
care. Although a hundred percent recovery is not possible, your cat
will still be able to enjoy a high quality of life.
Tags: Cat Health and Care Cat Health Understanding Cat Arthritis Symptoms Caring For An Arthritic Cat cat food cat ease |
