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Dr Kim Kendall
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 'Specks' was not enjoying winter anymore. He had reached the venerable age of 12 without any major mishaps, but now the cold nights were making him uncomfortable.
Going outside to 'do his business' had become a chore, and after the first round of urinating in the house, we realised he just wanted a litter tray indoors again. But that wasn't the end of it.
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'Seizing up' for winter
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Now, however, Specks was spending more time in front of the fire and under the doona, and he really looked like an old man. He came in for his annual checkup, and while there was nothing specifically wrong, Specks just didn't seem to look forward to the mornings any more. After a full health check and 'metbolic assessment' - done by blood tests and urine tests - we decided that Specks was really just 'seizing up'.
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Can cats get arthritis?
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I can remember being told that 'cats don't get arthritis' when I first became a vet. I think that really what was happening is that cats did not used to live long enough to show signs of arthritis. We know now that cats can, in fact, 'slip a disc' in their spine and that, in the longterm, this can lead to the spine 'freezing up'.
One of the very early signs is that the cat just stops jumping up on benches, and sometimes not even onto beds anymore, and just 'slows down'. Further down the track, the cat stops grooming it's back and near the tail - it just can't reach there comfortably anymore and the hair balls up and sticks out. Eventually it all just gets too hard and the cat gets very grumpy and immobile.
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What painkillers are safe for cats?
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Specks was in the reasonably early stages of having a bad back, with X-rays showing that he had only one 'old' slipped disc in his lower spine. Since the rest of him was in good shape, we decided to give him one of the newer painkillers that work in cats. Bear in mind that earlier painkillers, such as aspirin, nurofen and paracetemol KILL CATS very efficiently, so it is important to use only drugs designed for the cat's very special type of metabolism.
Once Specks was on his medication he became 'almost like a kitten again'! In fact, the owner hard dark words about her cat jumping up on the kitchen benches again - she thought he'd stopped because she didn't like it, but he'd only stopped because he couldn't do it! He even started going outside again instead of insisting on a litter tray.
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Happy news for older cats
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With so many more cats living well into their 'teens', the judgement as to what is an 'old cat' becomes more problematical. I have to admit to not knowing how much pain cats were in until now because we can effectively relieve it. Cats are also looking much happier after major surgeries now that we can block the pain. So, if your elderly feline friend is starting to think twice about going outside this winter, it may be that she is just a bit stiff, and a warm bed and 'kitty painkillers' may make the winter happier for you both!
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Author: Dr Kim Kendall BVSc MACVSc (Feline Medicine) graduated from the University of Sydney in 1982 and established the East Chatswood Cat Clinic in 1994, a dedicated cat-only Veterinary Clinic. The practice does everything for cats and is a full service veterinary clinic.
www.catclinic.com.au
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