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COMMON FELINE MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
Musculoskeletal disorders are conditions that affect the bones, joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles of the cat. Primary diseases of the bone in cats are rare, however joint disorders are fairly common. The most common musculoskeletal disorder in cats, is, by far, degenerative joint disease (DJD), also known as osteoarthritis or feline arthritis. One of the first studies into how common DJD is in cats was performed at NC State, over 15 years ago, and this study found that ninety percent of cats over twelve years of age had evidence of arthritis on x-rays (1). A more recent study by Lascelles and the team at NC State found that just over 90% of all cats have radiographic evidence of degenerative joint disease somewhere in the body (2). Other musculoskeletal disorders seen in cats include dysplasia of the hip, elbow, or shoulder; knee (patella) luxation, cruciate ligament disease and tendon contracture.
DJD involves deterioration of all the components of the joint, and this deterioration (of cartilage, and the underlying supporting bone) results in inflammation and pain. In cats, the pain is most common in the hips, knees, hocks (ankles), lower back and elbows. The condition is chronic and, with time, the pain may be so debilitating as to lead to a poor quality of life for the cat. Importantly, with time, pain that is not controlled can lead to changes in the pain-sensing system resulting in a neuropathic type of pain in these cats.