arthritis geriatric kitty

[nanniecat]

my beautiful Placide will be 21 this year! in my mind she is just a baby! she has been getting the Solensia shot for abt 6 mo? she is due for another this week. but i noticed the last one didnt have quite the same effect? i discussed it with vet tech this week when she had a mani/pedi. thats when she gave me that wake up call abt her age. she is still jumping on the bed but her walking is not that stable? when i bend down to pet her she sorta plops? she gets around, still using her litter box. is this normal? i have never had a geriatric cat b4 so i dont know what is normal. she is seeing her vet ev 3 mo. blood work and kidneys good. she is not due for her 6 mo ultrasound with onco until jun. she has lost weight, the vet is aware and we discussed. i realize i have to sit with her everytime or she wont eat much. still scouring internet and stores for a good novel protein. any advice?she is my ONLY child

 

[stephanietx]

It's so hard when they get older and it starts showing. You can feed her kitten food for more nutrients and calories. How are her teeth? Sometimes if they're having issues with their teeth, they won't eat well and then they'll lose weight. Do you give her anything else for her arthritis such as Cosequin or Dasequin? Does she have heated beds to help soothe her achy joints?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Could you get some pet steps so she can get up and down more easily?

 

[nanniecat]

It's so hard when they get older and it starts showing. You can feed her kitten food for more nutrients and calories. How are her teeth? Sometimes if they're having issues with their teeth, they won't eat well and then they'll lose weight. Do you give her anything else for her arthritis such as Cosequin or Dasequin? Does she have heated beds to help soothe her achy joints?

she sees a vet for ck up ev 3 mo. he always cks her teeth and ears. she has had a heating pad for a long while. the only med she gets for it is the solensia. i do not give her otc supplements. she can only have "novel" proteins due to a previous diagnosis of FGESF. in dec 2022, her onco advised she was cured and was in excellent health.(shockingly!) right now she is alternating btwn purina duck and tiki girl salmon in consomme. i wonder if its just that as she has aged she has gotten needier? and i notice that abt the time she is due her solensia shot her appetite is way off and she seems depressed? is it because she is feeling the pain more? shot wearing off? a mo ago i brought her to vet cause she was losing wt. he did blood work,ckd her kidneys, it was all good. i started hovering over her when she ate. when she stopped i pushed the food together put it back under her nose and she ate. but it is difficult to do that 5-6 times a day. is this normal with a geriatric cat? is that the normal care? i dont know if something is wrong or she just an old lady that needs a lot of care. i can and will do it if so.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I think a lot of what you are describing is part of the overall aging process that many cats experience. Some will get needier, and others won't, so it really all depends on the individual cat. Feeby (18+ yo) has multiple health issues, including arthritis, so she is a bit different than Placide in that regard. She sleeps with us at night but is really more interested in keeping to herself most of the day. However, she does seem to rely on me to bring her food at times, rather than go to her food dish by herself. In order to keep her weight maintained, as she is a horrendously picky eater, she eats baby food meat that I make nutritionally complete with supplements - in addition to some cat food. I have to alternate over 2 dozen different cat foods to ensure she never has to eat the same food very often; otherwise, she tires of it.

She is due for her 6th Solensia injection, and while I don't notice any lessening of its impact nearing the month-end mark, there is just so much that it can do. It won't make Feeby walk faster or jump on things she doesn't feel comfortable doing. But, for her, she is no longer limping as she was before the injections started. I have heard of others who use both Solensia and Adequan, which is another injectable form of arthritic pain blocker, but it does contain a joint support supplement as well. Maybe you can talk to your vet about the pros and cons of adding Adequan to Placide's regimen.

I do make or buy interim steps for Feeby to use to get to places like beds, couches, and other similar 'perches'. I don't buy cat steps because they are really too small to allow her to sit down if she wants to during her trips up and down. The steps I use are about 6" in height, and big enough to let her rest on them if she chooses. She uses these steps to jump to footstools and other types of furniture which are about 12" high, and then she can jump to the desired hang out 'perch'. She uses these steps religiously. Might be something else for you to consider.

Sorry for the long post, didn't know how else to give you another perspective without going into detail.

 

[lorie d.]

First of all congratulations on having a cat who is approaching her 21st birthday! My oldest cat lived 17 years and at the end of his life he really wasn't able to function the way a cat should anymore. Ask your vet about giving Placide about half a baby aspirin, my mom did this for our family dog when I was growing up and it really helped our dog with pain and made his life easier.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Here is an article about giving cats aspirin - Aspirin For Cats: Dosage Chart | Aspirin Poisoning Explained (upgradeyourcat.com).

 

[nanniecat]

Hi. I think a lot of what you are describing is part of the overall aging process that many cats experience. Some will get needier, and others won't, so it really all depends on the individual cat. Feeby (18+ yo) has multiple health issues, including arthritis, so she is a bit different than Placide in that regard. She sleeps with us at night but is really more interested in keeping to herself most of the day. However, she does seem to rely on me to bring her food at times, rather than go to her food dish by herself. In order to keep her weight maintained, as she is a horrendously picky eater, she eats baby food meat that I make nutritionally complete with supplements - in addition to some cat food. I have to alternate over 2 dozen different cat foods to ensure she never has to eat the same food very often; otherwise, she tires of it.

She is due for her 6th Solensia injection, and while I don't notice any lessening of its impact nearing the month-end mark, there is just so much that it can do. It won't make Feeby walk faster or jump on things she doesn't feel comfortable doing. But, for her, she is no longer limping as she was before the injections started. I have heard of others who use both Solensia and Adequan, which is another injectable form of arthritic pain blocker, but it does contain a joint support supplement as well. Maybe you can talk to your vet about the pros and cons of adding Adequan to Placide's regimen.

I do make or buy interim steps for Feeby to use to get to places like beds, couches, and other similar 'perches'. I don't buy cat steps because they are really too small to allow her to sit down if she wants to during her trips up and down. The steps I use are about 6" in height, and big enough to let her rest on them if she chooses. She uses these steps to jump to footstools and other types of furniture which are about 12" high, and then she can jump to the desired hang out 'perch'. She uses these steps religiously. Might be something else for you to consider.

Sorry for the long post, didn't know how else to give you another perspective without going into detail.

thnx. i got the transitions b4 she started solensia.and she does use them except to get down.and i realize that has a big impact on her front legs and paws. try as i might she jumps off the side of the bed by her pallet. not enuf room to put any transition. but i did try and she jumped over it!. i even tried moving the pallet but she wouldnt use it at all. she started out with adequan but i did not c any results. and i didnt want her to keep getting pricked all the time. my goal with her is to make her life as easy and comfortable as i can. she has overcome so much and is still a happy cat. since all of the tests at vets says she is healthy! i am going to attribute her behavior to old age. so unusual for her, she never let me touch her at all for 15 yrs! i guess she is saying ok, i trust u now. i used to joke with her that maybe she would get too old to run and hide and i could pet her. #becarefulwhatyouwishfor sadly, when she wakes me up 3-4 in the morning and i stumble to get her food she gets under my feet and occasionally i have tripped over her or almost stepped on her! i am always afraid i have hurt her. i resist the urge to run to the er with her. thnx for the help. its a learning curve for sure

 

[nanniecat]

Hi!
Could you get some pet steps so she can get up and down more easily?

shas had them for over a year.she does use them to get on the bed but not off