Infographics on cat behavioural changes linked to health and on osteoarthritis in elderly cats

The information in this infographic about osteoarthritis in elderly cats may surprise you. It is a major health issue about which cat owners should be aware as it affects cat caregiving. Looking after domestic cats entering old age demands a little bit more vigilance to spot changes in a range of activities and sounds etc..

Observant cat caregivers can see changes in their cat when they are ill. They might not be able to identify the illness but to observe changes in activities, vocalisations, gait, and general behavior can be a signpost to understanding an as yet unidentified illness. 

The infographic below may help a cat caregiver in guiding them through these difficult times. This is a double cross-post from 2 other posts. They are overlapping topics concerning cats entering and during old age.

I hope you find them handy and if so please leave a comment and share your personal experiences to expand on the topic.

Painkilling injection for cats with osteoarthritis which blocks the pain signal reaching the brain

This is a new drug, as I understand it, called Solensia (frunevetmab injection) which has today, Jan 13th, 2022, been approved in America by the US Food and Drug Administration. It is described as the first treatment for the control of pain associated with osteoarthritis in cats. It is the also the first monoclonal antibody new animal drug approved by the FDA for use in any animal.

AP News explains that the cat-specific monoclonal antibody, which is a type of protein, recognises and attaches itself to a protein called nerve growth factor (NGF) which is involved in the regulation of pain. When frunevetmab binds to NGF it prevents the pain signal from reaching the brain.

This is an advancement in veterinary medicine for the treatment of pain arising out of osteoarthritis. Treatment options for cats with this disease are very limited.

One issue is that cats live longer, as do people, and when that happens there is a greater likelihood of chronic diseases developing such as osteoarthritis.

Accordingly, this treatment will be most welcome, I suspect, by many veterinarians and cat owners.

The video on this page is I believe designed for veterinarians but it does explain this drug quite nicely. There is a dog version of it with an equally complicated name that is also impossible to pronounce 😎.