Hello Everyone,
It's been a while since I've been on TheCatSite, well over a year but last night I received some not so good news regarding my oldest cat, Pepper and I didn't know where else to go to receive the kind of support I would get here.
She was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both of her back knees
She has been having trouble jumping and walking stiffly the last couple of days, so I made an appointment with her vet right away (and I have to say her vet is fantastic, she's a lovely woman). I know with the symptoms she was having she could of been diagonsed with something a lot worse than arthritis (kidney, spine, hip problems, etc.) but just knowing that my sweet baby girl has been and is having pain and discomfort is killing me!
We have started her on meds right away and I am hoping it won't be long until she is starting to feel better.
My Pepper will be 8 yrs. old in August, I really didn't consider her an "older" cat because she has always been so healthy and active...it's quite an eye opener. My vet told me that osteoarthritis is quite common in older cats and dogs, so if anyone else has had experience with this, I would appreciate any advice you can give me on things I can do to help make Pepper more comfortable and her life a bit easier (maybe some massage tips, exercises, etc.).
Also, if anyone can give me the names of websites I can research and books that I read, it would be greatly appreciated. I want to understand all I can about how osteoarthritis will effect Pepper and how she lives her life.
Thanks in advance for any and all help!
It's been a while since I've been on TheCatSite, well over a year but last night I received some not so good news regarding my oldest cat, Pepper and I didn't know where else to go to receive the kind of support I would get here.
She was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both of her back knees
My Pepper will be 8 yrs. old in August, I really didn't consider her an "older" cat because she has always been so healthy and active...it's quite an eye opener. My vet told me that osteoarthritis is quite common in older cats and dogs, so if anyone else has had experience with this, I would appreciate any advice you can give me on things I can do to help make Pepper more comfortable and her life a bit easier (maybe some massage tips, exercises, etc.).
Also, if anyone can give me the names of websites I can research and books that I read, it would be greatly appreciated. I want to understand all I can about how osteoarthritis will effect Pepper and how she lives her life.
Thanks in advance for any and all help!