Senior cats frequently experience mobility limitations from arthritis and neurological changes that require proactive management for quality of life.
Cat arthritis pain is a welfare crisis characterized by near-universal prevalence in senior cats combined with extreme underdiagnosis and undertreatment. The stoic nature of cats and the subtle behavioral changes associated with feline arthritis (reduced jumping height, less grooming of lower back, avoiding stairs, reduced play) allow the condition to progress unrecognized while cats suffer chronically. A cat that stopped jumping onto the couch three years ago is not displaying a personality change but is indicating pain that has gone untreated. Owner education through simple validated questionnaires asking about activity changes enables earlier recognition. The recent approval of frunevetmab (Solensia) for cats, the first licensed anti-NGF treatment for feline pain, represents a breakthrough in cat welfare since it provides effective monthly pain relief without the kidney toxicity concerns of chronic oral NSAIDs.