Cats suffering in silence with pain of arthritis

CATS have been found for the first time to suffer from arthritis, Scottish researchers have revealed.

Vets previously thought that felines do not suffer from the disease because their symptoms were less prominent than in other species.

But scientists at Glasgow University have now found that as many as 30 per cent of all cats over the age of eight may now be in pain with arthritis, badly affecting their quality of life.

Professor David Bennett, from the university's vet school, said the condition was difficult to diagnose in the pets as they do not limp like dogs and horses - animals traditionally thought to be susceptible to the disease.

Cats also do not normally vocalise their pain in the same way as other creatures.



But Prof Bennett said: "This does not mean that cats suffer from arthritis any less frequently than dogs and other animals. Arthritis is often a very painful condition and it is always difficult to detect and quantify pain in animals, and cats in particular."

There are an estimated nine million cats in the UK, with one-quarter of all households owning at least one of the animals.

Prof Bennett said the key to recognising pain in cats was to check for any lifestyle changes related to mobility.

These include an unwillingness to jump or an inability to jump as high as previously, and a reduction in overall activity.

Reference:News