References
Current insights into feline osteoarthritis
Abstract
Osteoarthritis is a painful condition which affects the majority of older cats but is often not recognised because of differences in the ways that affected cats exhibit the signs of chronic joint pain compared to dogs. There are also inherent challenges to the physical examination of cats which add to the difficulty of reaching a diagnosis, including the small size of their appendicular joints and a reluctance to allow manipulation and palpation of painful joints. Furthermore, even when osteoarthritis is identified, it is frequently not treated or is not treated effectively, in part as a result of concerns regarding adverse effects and costs of treatment as well as the practical difficulties of daily dosing with medication. Understanding the gait and behaviour changes that are characteristic of osteoarthritis is a key part of the diagnostic process and is more sensitive than radiography in identifying the presence of the disease. Once the condition has been diagnosed, a wide range of well-tolerated treatment options exist, allowing a multi-modal treatment approach to be adopted and tailored to the needs of the cat and the owner, which will deliver effective pain management in an affordable way and will not become a daily stressor to either party.
Osteoarthritis is a very common problem in older people and older dogs, but until recently it was considered an uncommon problem in cats, in the author's experience. However, it is now recognised as a significant cause of pain for many elderly cats (Hardie et al, 2002; Slingerland et al, 2011) that shows itself differently in cats compared to dogs, and so can easily be missed unless a feline-specific approach is adopted. The most commonly affected joints are the hips, stifles, tarsus and elbows, and spondylosis of the thoracic and lumbar spine is also very common (Lascelles et al, 2010a).
While there is no doubt that osteoarthritis is a very common problem in older cats, it is difficult to put an accurate figure on its prevalence. This difficulty arises in part because of the lack of any widely accepted and practically applicable diagnostic test for the condition, so published studies have used different approaches to identify affected cats as well as focussing on different target populations.
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