Cat Arthritis Pain: A Significant Welfare Gap

Degenerative joint disease in cats causes widespread chronic pain that is among the most undertreated welfare problems in companion animal medicine.

Key Facts

Radiographic evidence of DJD affects approximately 90% of cats over 12 years and 61% of cats over 6 years
Only 45% of owners of cats with confirmed DJD had discussed pain management with their veterinarian
Cats with DJD show reduced jumping height, stiffness, and reluctance to be handled but rarely vocalize pain
Meloxicam and robenacoxib have been approved in many countries for feline pain management
Physical rehabilitation including hydrotherapy and physiotherapy are emerging welfare interventions for feline DJD

Welfare Considerations

The gap between DJD prevalence - affecting the vast majority of older cats - and treatment rates reflects how poorly cats communicate chronic pain and how inadequate the clinical recognition framework has been. The absence of obvious pain behavior leads owners and many veterinarians to attribute mobility changes to aging rather than treatable pain. When cats with confirmed DJD are treated with appropriate analgesia, owners consistently report improvements in activity, social engagement, and grooming that retrospectively quantify the suffering from untreated pain. The development of long-acting injectable pain medications that eliminate the stress of daily oral administration is significantly improving treatment feasibility for cats.

What You Can Do

Request DJD assessment and analgesia discussion for all cats over 7 years at every veterinary visit
Monitor your cat's jumping height and mobility month-to-month as welfare indicators of developing arthritis
Ask your vet about long-acting injectable pain medication that avoids the stress of daily tablet administration
Provide ramps, low-sided litter boxes, and elevated feeding stations to support arthritic cats' daily function