Arthritis in Cats: Signs and How to Help an Older Cat

Why arthritis is so easy to miss in cats

Cats are experts at hiding when something's wrong. As both a small predator and, to bigger animals, prey, a cat that advertised weakness in the wild made itself a target — so the instinct is to carry on quietly and avoid whatever hurts instead of kicking up a fuss. That wiring still runs in the cat on your couch, and it works directly against it at home, because the person who'd happily help never gets the message.

The numbers are striking once you go looking. In one widely cited feline review, around 90% of cats over 12 showed radiographic signs of joint disease, yet only about 4% were lame. The joint changes, in other words, are close to universal in older cats, while the obvious symptom we all watch for — a limp — turns up in a tiny fraction of them. Lameness just isn't how most cats express joint pain. They express it by doing less.

The signs worth watching for

Because the tell is behavioural, the whole game is spotting change against your own cat's normal. The RSPCA notes that advancing age is the main risk factor for feline arthritis, and the everyday signs it flags — reduced activity, trouble climbing or jumping, limping, and difficulty using the litter tray — are the ones to keep half an eye on as a cat gets older.

Height is usually the first thing to slip. A cat that used to launch onto the kitchen bench in one motion starts hesitating at the base, taking a run-up, breaking the climb into stages, or quietly giving up on the high spots and choosing a chair instead. The litter tray tells a similar story: high sides that were never a problem become a small mountain to climb into, and a cat that starts toileting on the floor beside the box is often flagging sore hips, not bad manners.

It helps to split the signs into early and advanced. Early on the changes are easy to rationalise away: a cat that used to sleep on top of the wardrobe now favours the bed, or plays in shorter bursts, or is a little slower to rise after a long nap. Later, the picture gets harder to ignore — visible stiffness first thing in the morning or after rest, an obviously reduced range around the house, restlessness or pacing at night when a cat can't get comfortable, and a clear reluctance to be handled. The earlier signs are the valuable ones precisely because they're the ones you can act on before the joints get worse.

Grooming is another giveaway. Twisting to reach the lower back, hips and tail base hurts when those joints are stiff, so the coat there turns scruffy, greasy or matted while the easy-to-reach front stays tidy. Overgrown, sharp claws are another clue — a cat in pain scratches and stretches less. Add in the temperament shifts, and the picture fills out: more time hidden away, less time on a lap, a grumble or a flinch when a hand runs over a sore spot, and a general reluctance to be picked up. None of these is dramatic on its own. Two or three together, in a cat past middle age, are worth taking seriously.

What helps a stiff cat at home

Most of what makes an arthritic cat comfortable costs very little and starts before any supplement or medication. The theme is the same throughout: take the strain out of the movements that hurt. Give a cat a way up to the places it loves without the big vertical leap — a stool or a low step beside the bed, a cushion bridging the gap to the windowsill — and you remove a dozen painful jumps a day. Swap a deep, high-sided litter tray for one with a low cut-down entry so getting in and out stops being a hurdle.

Warmth matters more than people expect. Cold settles into stiff joints and makes a sore cat sorer, which is why an arthritic cat will hunt out the warmest spot in the house. A soft, supportive bed out of the draught helps, and in a cold snap a gently heated bed built for cats can make the difference between a cat that settles and one that fidgets all night. Footing counts too: smooth tiles and floorboards are hard work for weak legs, so a few runners or rugs along the routes a cat uses give it grip and confidence.

Think in terms of the routes a cat takes every day and smooth each one. Raising food and water bowls a little means a cat doesn't have to crouch down low over them, which is uncomfortable for a sore neck and shoulders. Keeping everything a cat needs on one level, or making sure there's an easy path up to the rooms it likes, saves it from a staircase it would rather avoid. If your home has a favourite sunny windowsill or a perch the cat won't give up, a mid-height stepping point turns an all-or-nothing leap into something manageable. The aim isn't to wrap the cat in cotton wool — it still needs to move — just to take the sharp edges off the movements that have started to cost it.

The single biggest lever, though, is weight. Every extra gram a cat carries loads joints that are already sore, and a lean cat moves more easily and hurts less than a heavy one — full stop. Keeping a cat trim does more for its joints than most bottles on the shelf. Pair that with gentle, regular movement — a short daily play session that keeps muscle on the legs without asking for big leaps — and you're covering the two things that matter most.

Where supplements fit

Supplements are the layer most owners reach for first, and they do earn a place — just not as a fix on their own. Two have the best evidence behind them for joints. The first is the glucosamine-and-chondroitin group, the compounds in a dedicated feline joint supplement, which support the cartilage and fluid inside the joint. They're slow workers — you feed the joint over weeks, and they don't switch off pain overnight — so they're a steady, long-term maintenance play.

The second is marine omega-3, the EPA and DHA in fish and salmon oils, which are anti-inflammatory and have shown real promise at easing the signs of joint disease in cats. Both are daily, long-game additions that support the joint over time, and both do their best work alongside the weight and comfort basics. One caution worth repeating: run anything you're adding past your vet first, especially if your cat is older or already on medication, so nothing clashes.

Working with your vet

The most useful step is also the one it's easiest to keep putting off — a proper vet visit. Stiffness and slowing down can be arthritis, but they can also be other things that look similar from the couch, so a diagnosis rules out the mimics and confirms what's going on. From there your vet can set up proper pain relief, which is where the real difference is made; the home tweaks and supplements sit underneath that, making the day-to-day more comfortable while the treatment does the heavy lifting.

One firm safety line before you're tempted to help from the medicine cabinet: never give a cat a human painkiller. Common ones like paracetamol and ibuprofen are dangerously toxic to cats even in tiny amounts, and a well-meaning dose can be fatal. Pain relief for a cat has to be feline-specific and vet-prescribed, full stop. Get that part right and an arthritic cat can stay comfortable and mobile for a long time yet — the condition is manageable, and most of the management is well within reach.