Moving forward with detecting osteoarthritis in cats

OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) – otherwise known as degenerative joint disease – has historically been an overlooked disease in cats,1 although the number of reports published on feline OA has grown rapidly over the past 10 to 15 years. Radiographic studies have revealed that elderly cats are more likely to show joint changes consistent with OA.2-4 However, it has become clear that what is seen radiographically does not correlate well with the presence of joint pain or mobility impairment, and that even young cats can exhibit radiographic signs of OA.5 OA can lurk as an undetected disease, leaving cats to suffer long-term pain and disability. The lifestyle of a cat does not lend itself to an owner noticing something is wrong – few cats go for walks with their owner, and, even if they did, lameness is not a common sign of OA in this species. Cats may be inactive for up to 80 per cent of each day, with peaks of activity in the morning and evening. Therefore, there is a small window of opportunity for owners to observe their cat ‘doing things’. With age, most animals – including people – start to slow down. But, for too long, another reason contributing to this change in behaviour has been overlooked in cats – chronic OA-related pain. Chronic pain has a negative impact on a cat’s quality of life, and behavioural changes such as being reclusive and shunning interactions with their owner can break the human-cat bond. Although the sensory components of pain are intuitively easy to understand and detect, …