kitty~ma for Miss Kitty.

Cats are genetically wired to hide pain. Here is a link to an article with a list of signs of pain in cats. [link] I'd say that if the arthritis is causing changes in how she moves, Miss Kitty is having enough pain to medicate. It might be worth a call to your vet to ask for either an anti-inflammatory or an opioid for her. In addition, even though the brand is a bit spendy, I am a big cheerleader for these Hip + Joint treats for cats [link] When Harvey was 14 he got so achy he stopped grooming, playing, or even jumping onto our laps. I started giving him those treats, and within a week, he was greatly improved. I have video footage of him chasing his tail up on an 8-inch wide ledge by the stairs from a month after he started taking them. I wasn't fast enough with the camera, or I would have video of him doing it again last month.

Thanks, Andi. I will e-mail the vet. We have tried those Hip + Joint treats with no apparent change.

I thought I had mentioned them to you before. Sorry about that. I hope your veterinarian is willing to try a pain med without another visit.

No need to be sorry, Andi. I appreciate, very much, your knowledge and willingness to share.

The vet just called. She is so great. We are going to try some powdered glucosamine. Kitty, being the old cantankerous lady that she is horrible about being medicated. Hopefully tuna flavored powder on her food will help. If we don't see a difference in a couple of weeks, we will try some transdermal tramadol. I just hate to go to narcotics if we don't have to. That can't help her balance and footing. But I hate the idea of her being in pain and not letting us know.

The first little vial of kitty-specific opioid they gave Harvey, I made it last for almost a year. These things are smaller in volume than the old Avon lipstick samples. Pretty sure I could have been more liberal with it. I spend a lot of thinking, "Is he getting off my lap because he has to pee (making a cat drink 9 ounces of broth every day will do that to a cat), or is he not able to get comfy because he's in pain? Give me one more sign, tell me if you need your medicine." To be fair, I believe there have been times Harvey has asked for his med. It's made to be absorbed in the mouth, under the tongue or between cheek and gums. Harvey does not appear to like taking it, but sometimes he will stand in front of me licking his chops, smacking his lips. I give it to him then, for sure.

Interesting. Does it make him loopy or just more at ease? My doc said if we went with the narcotic, it would be rubbed in her ear.

I pick up the glucosamine tomorrow. As I guess we give that through the end of Oct to see if she moves easier.

I hope Miss Kitty gets relief from the medicine.

The first time we gave it to Harvey, about twenty minutes later, he started running around, playing, chasing Sammie, with a vigor we had not seen in quite a while. We interpreted this as, "Holy schnickies, I feel AWESOME! " But we could see how some people might interpret that as opioids making a cat manic. Sometimes when Harvey gets his med, he simply goes to sleep. But often, that happens at times when we have observed him being too restless to settle down and sleep. I have never seen any signs of adverse reactions such as dizziness or a more unsteady gait.