Arthritic cat

[Desley (booktigger)]

My girls have an electric heatpad, made by Petnap, but dont think it makes much difference with Zia, although she enjoys sleeping on it - you can't cover the one I have though, so I put it on top of a fleecy blanket.

[Mark]

Not at all - I always use fleeces or cotton baby blankets on Alice's Flectabed and it still works fine. Bearing in mind the cover is very thick anyway....

You can tell how well they work if you feel one when a cat has laid on it for a while. The only thing they are not recommended for is for animals that are suffering from hypothermia, due to the fact that they only reflect heat, rather than generate it. Apparently the foil material inside was developed by NASA and is used by emergency services 

For quality of manufacture, I rate Flectabed and Savic residence beds at the top of the list. I like the Savic beds as the ridge around the edge supports their necks.

I got mine about 3 years ago. Sharon bought a few with the first ever money from purrs to go in the foster pens and I bought one at the same time.

I thought  had put a link in previously  http://www.nutrecare.co.uk/Product-2511/Dog-Beds/Flectabed-Q-dog-bed Size 2 

I just checked and size 2 is the one Argos sell and it is on offer  "Recommended by vet of the year 2008, Brian Faulkner"

[Christine (Blip)]

Blip will only sleep in her beds if I line them with towels.  That would rule out a Flectabed for her, wouldn't it?

[Mark]

I'm not a fan of Snugglesafe as they are rock-hard and about 2" deep, so I can't imagine them being very comfortable.

Jaffa would disagree with you there.  He loves to warm his bum on his    He does prefer his hot water bottle though.  The heat pad stays hot for longer though so when the bottle has gone cold he moves to his heatpad.

Does he have a flectabed to compare it with? 

Size 2 is best for most cats as size 1 is a bit small. This is the one Alice has with a faux suede cover. They are really well made. The cover comes off for washing. Some places sell another version with a faux sheepskin cover. Also you can buy spare covers.

There is also a cheaper version on eBay for about £9 but it makes a crinkling sound.

I saw an infra-red bed. It is a pet version one made for humans and is supposed to be good. I am thinking of getting Alice one but they are £175
http://www.amazinghealth.co.uk/heated-pet-beds.htm (I  found them for £140 online so maybe something to consider buying in the autumn)

I know it is a lot of money for a cat bed but if it makes the difference between her having stiff joints and not, it is a no-brainer

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I'm not a fan of Snugglesafe as they are rock-hard and about 2" deep, so I can't imagine them being very comfortable.

Jaffa would disagree with you there.  He loves to warm his bum on his    He does prefer his hot water bottle though.  The heat pad stays hot for longer though so when the bottle has gone cold he moves to his heatpad.

[Mark]

I'm not a fan of Snugglesafe as they are rock-hard and about 2" deep, so I can't imagine them being very comfortable. I bought a couple but they don't get used. I much prefer flectabed which reflects body heat. They get surprisingly warm. PAH sell them although they are cheaper online. Alice also has an orthopaedic heated bed which I think helps her as well.

[bunglycat]

There is also something called synflex not sure if thats the same as synoquin -they do synflex for humans too as was thinking of trying that or cortaflex for myself !

[Millys Mum]

Like Christine i give regular metacam to my old guy and it really helps. You could look into acupuncture but if she has been going downhill joint wise for 2 years you may not see just how much has changed upto now until she has some medication to life the pain and get her moving again

[paddypaws]

Thanks for replies....am off to PAH to see if they have a snugglesafe for my little kitten. Of course if she got off her furry back side and sat out in the sunshine on a day like today I could save my hard earned pennies!
Blip....I hear what you are saying about weighing up the options, and it certainly sounds like in your case the Metacam is the only fair way to go. I think I will persevere with the supplements for a while longer and see how she does.

[Christine (Blip)]

Paddypaws, I forgot to recommend a heat pad.  Blip has a Snugglesafe and that seems to comfort her too.  Can't hurt anyway!

[Christine (Blip)]

Blip, who is twelve in June, has spondylosis and I have her on daily Metacam.  The difference is wonderful to see: instead of hobbling around in pain she moves normally.  Supplements may or may not help - it probably depends on the individual - but they won't stop pain.

I know that this regime risks shortening Blip's life, but I make the same choice for her that I would make for anyone I love and for myself: better a shorter life without pain than a longer miserable one.

My mother has suffered the chronic pain of arthritis and I realised how bad it is when I called in to her home unexpectedly one day and found her crawling up her stairs on her hands and knees.

I don't however know whether Nellie's hyperthyroid condition would affect any prescription.  Big hugs to her anyway 

[Desley (booktigger)]

I am a lot more against it than I used to be, although her 3 monthly check up showed her kidneys had improved, despite still being on Metacam, what I cant work out is that she had been arthritic for ages and coped, yet now can only go one day without - although I think the gingivitis (that is due to the kidney failure) is her biggest problem, but I dont know how long she had had that before putting her on daily Metacam, so it still doesn't quite make sense.

[paddypaws]

Thanks....that is why I really do not want to use metacam etc unless I really feel there is no other option

[Desley (booktigger)]

HAven't used fish oils personally, just tried multiple glucosamine supplements, and unfortunately now on MEtacam, which has affected Zi's kidneys.

[paddypaws]

Hi, does anyone have experience with dosing of fish oils to help with arthritis? Nellie is 16 and has been getting increasingly creaky for the last 2 years. Yes, the vet has examined her....but of course they never move around normally in a vet office do they?
I have been using cortaflex/synoquin for about 2 months now, and she also takes  salmon oil supplement most days. I can't say i have seen a huge improvemnt, although maybe the warmer weather will improve things.
I am upping the dose of fish oil to one of the small capsules every day....and can even add more, but do know that too much fish oil can give a smelly oily coated cat! She is also taking a yeast type multi vit most days.
Does anyone have any advice for this? Of course I can ask my vet about painkillers such as Metacam, bit would raher avoid any pharmaceuticals if possible.
( She is HT and is on a stabilising dose of Felimazole )