If you are an animal lover like I am and consider your pets your children or, at the very least, a huge part of your family, you probably do whatever you can to ensure they are as healthy and happy as possible. From someone who has volunteered in feral cat rescue, a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who realize how important it is to treat your animals with the utmost love and compassion. I suppose I am opening this article with that statement to come to you with "my tail between my legs." You see, I love my cats more than anything, and even that attentive love did not clue me in to the fact that my 10-year old cat, Simon, was suffering from Feline Osteoarthritis.
Like humans, arthritis is very common in our animals, which is quite unfortunate because they cannot tell us that they hurt. In fact, they will most likely try and hide their pain because of their instinctual need to mask weaknesses of any kind. My other cat, Squirt, was second alpha male of the feral colony I rescued him from and he will never show pain. He simply shakes it off like an ice hockey player to prevent anyone from seeing he is vulnerable. I expect this from Squirt who fought two years to survive, I didn't from Simon. While he was also rescued from an abusive situation as a kitten, for the most part, he has lived a very pampered and sheltered life and has a low tolerance for pain. I'm stunned he masked his hip pain from me.
Nonetheless, as I stood in his vet's office looking at the x-ray of his hip joints and listening to the diagnosis of Feline Osteoarthritis, I felt a sickening sensation of failure in my stomach; I had let one of my babies down. I should've known he was hurting, but I didn't. I thought he was inactive because he was overweight and old. It never occurred to me that he had something else going on. I say this to ease your mind if you are feeling the same way I did. Don't beat yourself up if your pet has just been diagnosed with arthritis and you had no idea. Our pets, especially cats, are very astute at tricking us!
Once I got home from the vet, I went online to begin my research of Feline Osteoarthritis; what could I do to ease Simon's pain without having to give him a pill? If you have ever read the many comedic articles on how to give a cat a pill, or tried to give your own cat a pill, you know that this really is the true issue, not the illness! Simon is a charmingly sweet and beautiful animal, until you try to do something that he doesn't have on his agenda. It is really something to watch this unassuming animal turn into, as I love to call him, "the exorcist-cat" in less than a second when you are approaching with medicine. So, what do you give an "exorcist-cat" to ease arthritic pain and inflammation? Treats!
As I began my investigation of the different treatment options for Feline Osteoarthritis, I came across suggestions for cat treats. While I normally didn't feed Simon or Squirt cat treats because of the unnecessary calories, I found an all-natural cat treat that contained glucosamine and chondroitin for the treatment of arthritic pain: she shoots, she scores! These cat treats would not only help the arthritis pain and stiffness, but were also a great source of protein and contained nothing but all natural chicken breast and added vitamins. I ran to the store and bought them right away!
Of course they were a success with my little brats. They gobble them up like I do chocolate and I don't feel guilty giving them to them...like I do when I gobble up chocolate! But they are more than just a culinary success, they have done exactly what they promised they would.
Simon was diagnosed with Feline Osteoarthritis in April and in six months he has made a complete turnaround. He is active again, playing and wrestling with Squirt. They chase each other up and down the stairs and have turned my loft into a world cage-fighting arena. He also runs up the stairs when it's feeding time. He has no hesitation jumping up and down off of things and even scales the wall of my loft.
Other advantages have been much-needed weight loss (in both of them!) and protection from the all-too-common bladder problems our altered male cats can face. Glucosamine and chondroitin aid in the prevention of bladder infections due to their anti-inflammatory and rebuilding action in the bladder and urinary tract walls. Needless to say, my 10-year-old "old man" is a kitten again and we all couldn't be happier.
If your pet has been diagnosed with arthritis, I encourage you to look into glucosamine and chondroitin treatment options. It is a safe, natural way to treat this condition and I can honestly say I have had great success with it.
I also wish you and your pet the best of luck during your journey toward healing. I sincerely hope that you are able to find a treatment option that bears the same success I have had with Simon. After all, our pets are an integral part of our family and they love us unconditionally. Don't they deserve the same?
-Sharon Platz Please visit my page http://www.squidoo.com/arthritisincats for a helpful video and links that contain additional information on the various types of arthritis, treatment options, and glucosamine and chondroitin supplies.
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