James Bond is now thirteen.

When a cat enters their teens, we are getting into elderly cat territory. While James Bond has slowed down, napping more often and being less likely to join in the reindeer games of the two semi-kittens, RJ & Olwyn, he’s in pretty good shape.

I’m always on the lookout for ways to keep him that way. While his Ninja Paw is as swift as ever, one of the things people and cats have in common is arthritis.

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It might seem strange that a creature as absurdly flexible as a cat would develop arthritis, but while cats are not as vulnerable as dogs, it can happen. Signs to watch for include a different gait or hesitance while walking, stiffness and slowness upon waking, and a reluctance to jump or play. Cats try to hide their pain and infirmity, so we need to be alert to small signs.

Some clues might be that our cat doesn’t perform a full body stretch any more, or sleeps on the floor when they usually loved the bed or couch. They might cry at night, or become either more clingy, or more hidey, than usual. If we suspect joint pain, they should be checked out at the vet’s office. This is the best way to make sure there isn’t anything else going on, and if our cat does need medication for arthritis, our vet would be the best one to determine dosage and spacing.

Such monitoring is important because pain medications are slow to clear the cat’s body. Widely spaced doses might be called for, or even contraindicated if our cat has liver or kidney problems. Liquid glucosamine seems to be especially helpful, and does not have the possible side effects of NSAIDs like aspirin. Steroids like cortisone are considered problematical and aren’t suited for a long-term problem like arthritis.

There’s one more supplement I don’t see mentioned in cat arthritis roundups, yet I feel is worth investigating. MSM is a sulfur compound many holistic practitioners recommend for arthritis in people, horses, dogs and cats. It’s a tasteless powder which can be mixed with our cat’s food. It is non-toxic and has no known bad interactions with other drugs. A few years ago, my thumbs started aching on me, and I need them to hit the space bar! So that’s what I’ve been taking for my own arthritis; and it works.

To help our cats resume their former routines, try putting a footstool near their favorite chair or at the foot of the bed, and consider getting them a warming bed, either electric or the kind which reflects their body heat.

Is there anything we can do to prevent arthritis, or help them once it appears? Keeping their weight at optimum and encouraging play becomes even more important as they age, and their metabolism and energy slows. The proper diet keeps our cat trim and energetic; and helps in a third way, too.

As an auto-immune disorder, arthritis is connected to inflammation and an overactive immune system. Grains, not being part of a cat’s ancestral diet, can cause digestive upsets and put the kind of stress on their system that leads to a confused immune response.

Supplementing their low carb diet with probiotics and brewer’s yeast, and seeing if they want to munch on some kitty grass, are all ways of getting more nutrition into their system, and more antioxidants into their diet.

James Bond seems to be benefiting from these additions. He’s always been a fan of kitty grass, I’ve upped the brewer’s yeast in his food the past couple of years, and when I started adding a probiotic into the cat’s dinners every night; he came over afterward and rubbed his head on my chest several nights running.

I think that means he feels better; and he knew his dinner had something to do with it.

Well, anything for my Bundle of Boy.

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