Cat joints breaking down

Hello my 11 yr old orange male tabby is suffering from what appears to be breaking down of the joints. He has trouble walking and moving around. He is overweight and I have tried to put him on a diet. His weight is 20pds. It breaks my heart to see him walk around like he does and has more inmobility than mobility. He has been tested for diabetes and hypothyroidism and is negative. Please help me. My vet suggested that I try to put him on a diet and did not give me a lot of info to work with.

  • Vetinfo

    By: Erika Raines El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 04/19/2011

    If your cat does not have diabetes, it is likely that he has arthritis. You can help your cat deal with the discomfort of arthritis by a restricted diet to decrease his weight, administering glucosamine chondroitin supplements and additionally there is a possibility to obtain prescription medication from your veterinarian to decrease the pain and discomfort associated with arthritis. Weight loss can be challenging in cats. The best approach for most cats is to purchase a high protein cat food and feed them two to three measured meals daily. In order to decide how much your cat should be fed, your veterinarian or one of the nursing staff at his or her clinic, should be able to give you an estimate of how much your cat's ideal weight is. You should then follow the feeding directions for your cat's ideal weight rather than his current weight. This can be very difficult, but will be a great benefit to your cat in the long run. Glucosamine chondroitin supplements can help to slow the damage occurring in his joints and can even help to encourage more healthy joint fluid production. In addition to these measures, your veterinarian should be able to offer you medications such as tramadol or Metacam (generically known as meloxicam) to decrease the discomfort your cat is experiencing.

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