A great diet and exercise does wonders for cats too!
While cats aren’t known to go through a feline midlife-crisis, they do feel their age, particularly in their joints. Painful, stiff, and swollen joints could be a sign of arthritis, and while older cats are more likely to have joint problems (it’s inevitable), a case of grumpy bones can start happening at any age.
For those still in the "People With Good Knees" club, arthritis is a condition where the cartilage - the soft bit that sits between your joints - is either taking longer than normal to grow back, or not at all, leaving your bones to rub together like flint stones. Don’t worry if you’re wondering how you didn’t notice sooner — cats are masters at hiding pain, a necessary skill for not looking vulnerable to predators in the wild.
Yes, the backyard counts as “the wild.”
Some of the signs you can look for (and that kitty can’t hide) is hesitating to climb stairs, playing for shorter amounts of time, and getting irritated around you or other people.
Joint problems come with the territory of getting older, but it’s not all doom n’ gloom people! Regular exercise, a boost in joint hero ingredients, and lots of warm snuggly things (matching Fall sweaters anyone?) will have kitty feeling like new, and you feeling like the good pet parent you are.
(RE) VITALIZE THOSE JOINTS
Remember the joint heroes we talked about earlier - and you were wondering what the heck those are? Glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, taurine, chondroitin, and methylsulfonylmethane are the ingredients in Scruffy Paws Hip n’ Joint Vitalize, chosen specifically for their abilities to reduce pain, swelling, and stiffness in kitty’s joints.
Joint heroes!
Even better, the Hip n' Joint vitalize comes in a flavorless liquid formula with a convenient dropper — a great and accurate way to make sure your furry loved one is getting the full dosage consistently. Even better? These drops, like all our products, are made in the United States. Products that do good and are made well? *Chef’s kiss*
So...what do these ingredients do exactly?
- Glucosamine Hcl and Chondroitin: glucosamine and chondroitin make up a part of normal cartilage in the body, and it turns out this dynamic duo can help with pain relief and joint improvement with no side effects - no wonder the shelves get cleaned out when the pharmacy has them on sale.
- MSM: AKA methylsulfonylmethane (pronounced meth-yule-sol-fen-all-meth-ayne) reduces inflammation, joint and muscle pain, as well as oxidative stress (an imbalance between oxygen-carrying molecules and antioxidants in the body), and antioxidant capacity. Which is a very smart way of saying this helps kitty deal with the effects of osteoarthritis, and a great word to drop in your pet-health group chat.
- Hyaluronic acid: More than a hype skin care ingredient, hyaluronic acid eases pain and improves joint function, it also seems to delay the need for a total knee replacement. Yes to quality of life! Just don’t try to get your cat in on your night time routine — trust us, the drops are a much better idea.
- Taurine: An essential amino acid that comes in short supply for cats, taurine is responsible for maintaining vision, heart function, immune system,and the gastro-intestinal tract. Cats don’t produce enough taurine naturally, and it also doesn’t stick around in their bodies for very long. So a protein rich diet, or a good amount of taurine for our vegan fluffy ones, is very necessary to keep essential body functions going.
Now that we’ve talked about the good stuff for kitty’s joints, what else can you do to help manage joint pain?
Get Moving
It sounds counterintuitive, but mild to moderate exercise makes a huge difference in managing joint pain. Talk it over with kitty’s vet to come up with a routine (you don’t want to end up doing more damage), and dig up their old favorite toys to start chasing again. The play time will do you both some good!
Make it Accessible
Another sign of joint problems is when kitty starts using places other than the litter box to do their business, because either the box itself isn’t easy to get into anymore, or it it’s located in a place that’s hard to reach - like the bathroom upstairs. If that’s the case, a litter box with low sides (or a ramp to the entrance) in a spot that’s easy to get to in time will do wonders in making your cat’s life easier, and yours, of course.
Warm and Snuggly
Did you say soft AND warm? A house covered in snuggly fabric with familiar smells is next to heaven for your furry one. Need a bit more heat? A hot water bottle tucked under a pile of blankets just might be what grumpy cat needs, and if you’re feeling brave, you can also get a heating pad that warms up gently for kitty to curl up on occasionally - just remember to plug it out afterwards!
We’re all getting up there one way or another, and your cat is no different. While the life stages bring changes that take some - or a lot of - adjusting to, the love you have for each other remains the same! And if you’re willing to put the work into “making it work,” you’ll both have many healthy, happy years ahead together.
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The Scruffy Paws Hip n Joint Vitalize have been designed to protect, relieve and rejuvenate your cats joints. All it takes is few drops a day to help your senior kitty start moving like a kitten!
