It's a sad day when you realize that your cat can't jump on your lap without crying in pain. You aren't getting younger and neither is your cat and she is probably experiencing feline arthritis symptoms. Here's some tips to for keeping feline arthritis pain under control.

The bottom line is that feline arthritis is a disease that is centered on the joints. There are different types, and they range from osteoarthritis, bacterial arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. It can cause a significant amount of pain, stiffness and swelling. The causes can be due to trauma or infection in the joints, degenerative changes in her skeletal structure and possibly even metabolic disturbances.

Feline arthritis pain in cats tends to set in around nine years of age. However, if you have a three to four year old fatty cat, she may develop osteoarthritis at a younger age. It will vary on the cat, but it doesn't normally start as soon as a 60-pound dog, because larger animals put more stress on their bodies. However, obesity, stress or trauma can bring about this disease sooner than desired.

At first, the arthritis cats symptoms may show up just every now and then. An animal may only limp mildly after it's gone through a lengthy exercise. The stairs may not be as easy as before and jumping efforts fail or are clumsy.

If you have a fat cat, the kindest thing you can do is to control her calorie intake and help her drop some ounces or pounds. Your cat relies on you for proper food habits, so its time to curb the treat and snacks that are fattening up kitty.

Ask you vet about a cat food higher in protein, but lean on fat. This helps keep the excess body fat and weight in check, and there are certain products that fulfill this requirement.

Find a nutritional supplement for your cat that works to decrease joint inflammation brought on by feline arthritis. They stimulate the growth and repair of already damaged cartilage and increase joint fluid development.

At this point, a homeopathic food supplement may prove to be most effective as it is easy to add to your cat's food or water. It is all possible that these supplements will slow down the progression of feline arthritis

If your cat has reached the mid-level stage of arthritis, then it's consistently dealing with feline arthritis pain. It becomes even harder to rise from lying down, and there's noticeable difficulty in jumping and trying stairs.

The development of muscle atrophy could occur in the gluteal and thigh muscles. Treatment should be the same as when you first notice arthritis, but there may be addition of a non-steroid anti-inflammatory medication. They tend to decrease the joint pain and lower inflammation. Seek out your veterinarian's advice before changing out medications. If your cat progresses to an advanced stage she may require a powerful feline arthritis pain management prescription medication like a steroid drug.