Arthritis in elderly cat

[Henerson]

Hiya

Old ginger boy has (we think) arthritis. He's been on You Move for probably a couple of years, but we've got to the point where he limps for a short while when he's been asleep, so I think it's time for something else.

Problem is, Old ginger boy quite often forgets he's 15 and throws himself off the top of fences etc, and we're a frequent flyer to the vets for injuries. I'm worried that if they put him on something that is a massive pain reliever, he'll think he can fly or something and do himself a permanent injury.

Is the metacam dose lower than the normal dose for maintenance purposes? I'm not keen on the injection for arthritis, simply because he hates going to the vet, and if a low dose of metacam would make the difference I'd rather do that for now, until we need something more.

Any thoughts?

Do a trial of Metacam and see how it goes. My last old boy became annoyingly sprightly after he started painkillers! This was pre-Solensia and when the Metacam stopped being effective he moved onto Onsior tablets.

If your cat starts Metacam just be aware there will be routine blood tests as it can cause kidney damage long-term. The vet should explain it all. My cat used it for arthritis for a little while but I changed to the injection as I didn't want to risk it. She goes once a month and though she didn't really like the vet, it's literally in and out in 5 minutes. It really has made a difference.

Cats can't tell you how much pain they're in and often hide it with things like arthritis so I would definitely give the right dose that the vet recommends. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't jump though if he was in a lot of pain or unable to. My cat stopped jumping a long time ago as her joints were too painful.

Our cat is on monthly injections of Solensia.

He's 11 and the jabs have transformed him. He's a much calmer boy and he can jump again.

He doesn't like going to the vet's either, but we think it's worth it.

@TheShellBeach same here! It really has made such a difference to our cat. Shes 17 and is so much more active and happier.

My parents cat was on Metacam for a couple of years. He's recently gone on to Solensia.

Be careful with Solensia, it can have horrendous side effects, though I know it works well for some cats.

Our 8yo cat is on daily Metacam and it's transformed his life. He has to have six-monthly blood tests but otherwise I just collect from reception once a month.

We've just started a trial of metacam for our Dcat (13yo) with arthritis and she seems ok on it so far. Still a bit reluctant to jump down from the sofa but early days.