Arthritis? How Diagnosed?

How is arthritis diagnosed in cats? Is it a blood test or one of those assumptive diagnoses?

Our cat has been resting on top of our dishwasher when it's running for about a 5- 6 weeks. We don't keep the house cold but the kitchen is always warmer and even I've noticed the counter surface above the washer is nice and toasty. The real cold weather is mostly passed so I'm not sure if this is purely behavioral or driven by biology.

He just saw the vet last month but the behavior was so new we didn't think to bring it up at the appointment. Is there a test they do for arthritis or is it all anecdotal? He'll probably see the vet again in two months for his other issues.

I've had senior cats before but never ran into arthritis as an issue so I'm not sure what to look for in cats.

As far as I know a vet looks for stiffness or swelling and an xray will show arthritis. Look for signs of problems jumping or climbing, slowness of movement, limping. On your next vet visit ask him/her to check his movement of joints.

Good info from verna davies. (I agree.)

The fact that he jumped on the counter may be a good sign.

Cats love warm places and, maybe, yours just discovered the warmth of the dishwasher 5 weeks ago (?), hence, the change in behavior. If he's a senior cat, maybe he is a little more sensitive to cold, or cool, and/or just likes a little more warmth.

If he likes warmth, perhaps you could get a heating pad (one that runs 8-10 hours without shutting of). (Put a towel/rag, or two, on top of it and make sure it doesn't get too hot.) Or, there are heated beds (and, even, heated houses) for cats & dogs available.

My cats will huddle around the outside dryer vent when the dryer's running -- at times when I think it's too warm for them to want that heat. My indoor cat wakes me up when the electric blanket goes off -- then, goes back and lays down after I turn it on. One cat (passed) stayed outside in the very coldest of winter days, and, in the summer, came in to a storage room, climbed to a shelf just a foot from the ceiling (heat rises -- it was the hottest place in the room) -- and would stay there most f the day, most days -- and was very content. I have plenty more stories. Point is -- no telling why your cat's sitting above the dishwasher... a new-found comfort, I assume.... but, I do know that cats change habits -- sudden changes after doing something for years.

So, I agree with Verna -- watch for the signs she mentioned and mention it to your vet, when you get a chance.

How about one of these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=self+heating+blanket&index=aps&tag=

He does seem to be slowing down. It's not so noticeable but when he walks down the stairs he takes them slower than I remember him taking them. My husband thought it was because his typical sleeping spot is upstairs so he's groggy when he comes down. We really don't know how old he is or what kind of life he had before us. He looked to be in his prime when we brought him in but for all we know he was 7 and just got the estimate of 2 from the vets because he teeth were in good shape.

He just had his check about 3 weeks ago so he's not due for another few months and I did not think to bring up the new behavior. At that time it seemed like a novel behavior. I really expected it to be a phase.

I've seen self-heating beds and blankets at the shelter. I think I'll look into those.

verna davies said:

How about one of these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=self+heating+blanket&index=aps&tag=

Click to expand...

lol that is what I was thinking of exactly!

marmoset said:

... He does seem to be slowing down. It's not so noticeable but when he walks down the stairs he takes them slower than I remember him taking them. My husband thought it was because his typical sleeping spot is upstairs so he's groggy when he comes down. We really don't know how old he is or what kind of life he had before us. He looked to be in his prime when we brought him in but for all we know he was 7 and just got the estimate of 2 from the vets because he teeth were in good shape.

Click to expand...

I guess I tend to just take it for granted that older cats will get some degeneration in their joints and muscles as they age.

It could be that going down the stairs especially is tweaking some discomfort in his hips/ back/ knees.

I think someone could make $$$ if they designed one of those electric stair chairs, small enough for cats and dogs! Both animals are trainable in my experience, and maybe their could learn to take the chair down the stairs.
electric chair for stairs at DuckDuckGo



Until his next vet appointment (re: maybe xrays and manual exam), you could take some videos of your cat as he traverses your house, going down the stairs and with any other maneuvers that seem difficult or slower for him. That will help the vet out a lot.

Cosequin can help arthritic joints work better. Dasuquin also works. Ask your vet about adding a joint support supplement to your cat's diet.

Arthritis is diagnosed by X-ray.

Arthritic cats can still jump. But as you noticed, jumping down or walking down stairs is where the arthritis really catches up to them.

My Krista is stubborn and won’t use cat stairs. But I have set up cat trees in her environment that I chose because, with just a little training, she can use those as stairs now. She used to jump up to the kitchen counter for meals. Now she can break that one big jump into two smaller ones. She still insists on a big jump down. But the other way I can tell her arthritis is bothering her is that it takes her several seconds to get into a crouch. There’s always a tense moment in the transformation where I wonder if she will continue into a crouch or if she’s getting ready to barf.

Cosequin/GlycoFlex (I suspect anything with glucosamine-chondroitin) gives my Krista the poop and soups. She has a normal poop and then shortly after, she has a soupy number. This is with half doses too. I’m not sure I have patience to try again with smaller doses and work our way up. I might try her on CBD oil since she doesn’t tolerate the proven path (glucosamine-chondroitin.). For what’s it’s worth though, she moves really well on the GlycoFlex. I wish we could keep it but the soup poops are too much drama and comedy for us.