Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of chronic pain in senior dogs and cats, yet remains dramatically undertreated due to the stoic masking of pain by affected animals.
Arthritis welfare in companion animals is a crisis of scale hidden behind the evolutionary mask of prey animal stoicism. The majority of senior dogs and nearly all senior cats have arthritis, but the behavioral signs are subtle enough that owners often attribute them to normal aging rather than pain. An arthritic cat that stops jumping, seeks warmer spots, and grooms less than before is telling a welfare story that requires clinical knowledge to read. Proactive screening, multimodal pain management, and environmental adaptation can dramatically improve quality of life for millions of senior pets.