conscious living, health and happiness for cats and their humans
Cats are masters at masking pain. Their ability to hide pain goes back to their wild origins. In the wild, a sick animal becomes prey. While acute pain may be more obvious, chronic pain from conditions such as arthritis can be challenging to discern for even the most dedicated cat parent. Even veterinarians often overlook signs of feline pain.Continue Reading
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Arthritis, a condition that affects as many as 1 in 3 adult humans, also affects cats. Feline arthritis is a degenerative joint disease. The cartilage within the joint is worn down, leading to inflammation, pain and decreased quality of life. As the condition progresses, the friction can wear down to the point where it damages the bones themselves. This kind of arthritis is most common and causes the most pain in the weight-bearing joints like the shoulders, hips, elbows, knees, and ankles.Continue Reading
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We previously featured high-sided litter boxes to help you contain the mess inside the box rather than all around the box. Even though all of these boxes have lower entrance areas, they may still be too high for senior cats, especially cats with arthritis.
Arthritis is a common condition that affects as many as 3 in 10 cats. It is often not diagnosed in cats because it is difficult to recognize even for the most dedicated cat guardian. The signs can be subtle, and since cats are such masters at masking pain, it often remains untreated. Only 7% of cats with arthritis receive treatment.Continue Reading
Arthritis is a degenerative joint disease. The cartilage within the joint is worn down, leading to inflammation, pain and decreased quality of life. As the condition progresses, the friction can wear down to the point where it damages the bones themselves. Osteoarthritis is often not diagnosed in cats because it is difficult to recognize even for the most dedicated cat parent. The signs can be subtle, and since cats are such masters at masking pain, it often remains untreated. As many as 3 in 10 cats suffer from this debilitating condition, but only 7% of cats with arthritis receive treatment.Continue Reading
This post is sponsored by Assisi Animal Health
Arthritis, a condition that affects as many as 1 in 3 adults, also affects cats. Feline arthritis is a degenerative joint disease. The cartilage within the joint is worn down, leading to inflammation, pain and decreased quality of life. As the condition progresses, the friction can wear down to the point where it damages the bones themselves. This kind of arthritis is most common and causes the most pain in the weight-bearing joints like the shoulders, hips, elbows, knees, and ankles.Continue Reading
This post is sponsored by Assisi Animal Health
When my dear friend Rita and her husband Rob came across a six-month old kitten who had just given birth in an Oklahoma City parking garage, they were not looking for another pet. After taking her to a vet to get her taken care of, they planned to find a good home for her. They named her Kitty Girl because they didn’t want to become too attached. However, as many of us know, the best laid plans don’t always pan out when it comes to cats. Kitty Girl fell in love with Rob. 18 years later, he is still her one and only love. For more about Kitty Girls history, read When You Get the Cat You Need, Not the Cat You Want, in Rita’s own words.Continue Reading
This post is sponsored by Assisi Animal Health*
We previously featured 18-year-old Daisy, who belongs to Pam Wheelock and her family. Pam is the founder of Purrfectplay. Five years ago, Daisy started having difficulty urinating and defecating. She was diagnosed with severe hip arthritis and spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the open spaces within the spine, which can put pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine.) Daisy’s spinal nerve impingement causes her to retain urine and bowel material. When there is a big enough volume, the “stretch reflex” allows her to empty her bladder/bowel. “Daisy had no idea when this might happen,” says Pam. “It used to happen even when she was sleeping.”Continue Reading
This post is sponsored by Assisi Animal Health
When your cat is sick or in pain, there’s probably nothing you wouldn’t try to get him or her to stop hurting. Unfortunately, treating pain in cats is often challenging. For starters, cats are masters at masking pain. Then, once pain is diagnosed, there are very few medications that are approved for long-term use in cats that don’t also carry some serious risks.
As an alternative to pharmaceuticals, many cat owners have turned to non-drug modalities like Reiki and acupuncture. Another therapy that is garnering more widespread use is targeted pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (tPEMF™). This therapy can benefits cats with pain associated with arthritis, pancreatitis, wounds, or post-surgical swelling as well as many inflammatory conditions.Continue Reading
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You may be surprised to know that 61% of cats over the age of 6 suffer from arthritis. As cats age, this number is even higher: 90% of cats over the age of 12 have some form of arthritis. Since cats spend a lot of their time jumping and climbing, their joints, especially weight-baring joints like the shoulders, hips, elbows, knees and ankles, are repeatedly absorbing a lot of impact, and this can lead to joint damage – particularly in larger cats or overweight cats. Continue Reading
Cold laser therapy, also known as low level laser therapy, is a treatment that utilizes specific wavelengths of light to interact with tissue. Laser therapy has been used for decades in human medicine, and is more recently being used in veterinary medicine. It can treat a wide variety of acute and chronic conditions.Continue Reading
Cats are masters at hiding pain. By the time a cat guardian recognizes that a cat is painful, chronic pain may already have a considerable impact on the cat’s quality of life. This can be especially true when it comes to arthritis, a degenerative joint disease that affects as many as 3 in 10 cats. Only 7% of cats with arthritis receive treatment for this often debilitating condition.
While there are conventional pain medications that can help control feline pain, most come with considerable risk and negative side effects. The Assisi Loop provides safe and effective pain relief without adverse effects.Continue Reading