Our ten year old cats still jump up on the kitchen counter and the dining room table and into the linens cabinet, so I guess they’re still doing well - but I’ve already raised their food and water bowls and we have steps to get to their favorite window perch left over from our previous senior cat. 😊 They’re doing better than I am - I’ve got a toe surgery coming up!
Dear Mr Vancouver vet and Mr Pirate! Long time subscriber. Our cat Oscar is roughly 17 year old. He has been very careful when "jumping" down from a chair for some years. Very careful (takes time to prepare), and rests afterwards. A couple of month ago our vet recommended trying a monthly injection, it is called Solensia here in Sweden. We are now at 1.2 month. Two injections. OMG, he's appears so much "younger". He plays more, he "attacks" his 2 younger "brothers" at not even half his age. If there are no side effects, this is gold. When he was young, he was absolutely the fastest cat I've ever seen. From a run, straight up 5 meters (15 feet) in a tree. His walking has for some years been very staggered, now so much better. Very Best Greetings From Sweden!
Our oldest is 14 and has been getting Solensia for about half a year now. It's amazing what a difference it makes, and how their quality of life improves!
Seconding the Solensia reccomandation! My cat Chateigne is an old lady of 15 years who had a very active life and we noticed she was sleeping a lot more, had a hard time jumping, licked at her hind legs forcefully (removing her fur sometimes!) and also meowing at us, "complaining" of something. She also was reluctant to cuddle on people's knees because the position was hard on her legs. We want to the vet who diagnosed joint pain and prescribed Solensia. Immediately after the first injection she was so much better! She still slept a lot, she's an old cat but she stopped licking her fur away and doesn't complain as much and she cuddle us again! We've been doing an injection every 3 months and she really benefits from it, it's a godsend.
It's great to see you again! I'm planning on getting a cat soon. And yes, cats DO hide their illnesses. Thank you for this very useful information. It will help me later when I get my furry pet. I love Mr. Pirate! I'm so glad he is hanging in there! It's nice to see Clawdia say hi for a minute! Kudos to all cat squishers!
I lost an 18 year female in 2021 because of severe arthritis. She was in too much pain to move. Shortly after that Solensia became available and 2 of mine were diagnosed with osteoarthritis so we get 2 Solensia injections every month but you'd never know these cats have mobility problems. The injections are pricey but keeping these cats young as long as possible is worth it.
Hello Dr Uri! It is wonderful to see you and the cats again! I commented on your last video that my girl had started peeing out of the litter box. Well things got bad until it was much much better. Because she was peeing outside the box and had started limping we took her to the vet. The vet have her medacam and a narcotic for bad days. Sadly she got extremely constipated, started a stool softener twice a day then three times a day when nothing happened after 3 days. She got really sick from the constipation stopped eating and drinking. We tried an appetite stimulant so she would eat but kept not moving anything. Finally she had a short seizure and the vet said it was enema time. She came through very well and the vet gave her a shot that would last a month but then developed an UTI. Recovery was so slow we made plans to put her down. About 5 days before the appointment she suddenly started eating more and moving. We changed the appointment to another evaluating and the shot. The vet was also amazed at how well she had recovered, she had even started putting the weight she lost back on. She had a vet tech come give her solensia shot. I was actually surprised you didn't mention solensia in this video. It has helped my girls' arthritis so much she is jumping into things again! No more limping or wobble this drug is like a cat fountain of youth! I hope you have as much luck with Mister Pirate!
It's always hard to see your furchildren get older, slower and sore. Glad your helping educate on the topic so we can help them in their golden years. Also, I love you Mr Pirate!
Raised bowls, stairs to the sofa and bed, and monthly cartrophen shots have helped my kidney cat age gracefully in the last few years. A great topic for more awareness.
It's so nice that Mr. Pirate is still there. It's so obvious how much you two appreciate each other 🥰 My 15 and 16 yo cats still jump and do their thing but I definitely can see they're not as confident as they used to be when they wanna jump. It's like they're counting: "1...2...3...hmmm not sure, let's try again...1...2...3...go!" The 2 questions are very interesting and I'd never heard about the landing thing so I'm definitely gonna try to observe their landings. Thank you for that information and I'll wait for the next video!
I adore how the Helpful Vancouver Vet treats the cats. The little kiss on Mister Pirate’s head was so cute, and Mister Pirate just being chill with everything is the best thing
Aww Mr. Pirate is handsome as always! My 19-year-old Ruru has really improved on Solensia. He's back to jumping and taking walks! Elevated food/water bowls have helped, too.
My 17 year old cat has really bad hip arthritis and gets Solensia once a month for it. It's worked miracles and now she's very active and always in a good mood. A few small accomodations have also made a huge difference. All her sleeping spots are tucked behind plants on the floor or kept low, not higher than sofa height, so she doesn't need to jump much. Staying active by playing several times a day in small increments so she stays fit but not too overwhelmed. I also have heated floors which she really appreciates.
I second the use of Solensia for anyone who can afford it. Solensia doesn't rebuild or repair joints and it doesn't reduce inflammation like a steroid. Instead, it's a pain killer that acts by interfering with the chemistry that causes pain to be communicated from the arthritic spots. It's administered as a once monthly shot and it can take up to 3-months before it takes noticeable effect, but given that there really isn't any thing else that acts as a pain killer for arthritis that's available. However, the cost is per shot is about $100. My 18 year old cat has arthritis in her back, both hips, and both knees, and while I can tell she's still is some pain, she's now able to jump on to a chair (rather I like it or not). A form of the drug is also available for dogs, but has a different name.
I'm so glad Mr Pirate is still well! It can be hard to tell, when uploads are so infrequent. Our oldest is having age related arthritis, and is getting Solensia for about half a year now. It helps him with mobility a lot!
I just. I love the clip at the end of the video. It's a very relaxing image that also drives home a sense of the quality of life we want for our pets. Great choice.
Oh Mr. Pirate! Love to see you both! I have an older man cat named Wilson who has arthritis in his spine and he really loses his ability to jump up and he doesn’t hold his tail up all the way anymore…I started getting him Solensia injections and he really perks up for about 3 and a half weeks…he starts showing pain again before he gets another injection. I hope you discuss Solensia in your next video because it seems too good to be true. I worry it’s causing some harm in the long run because he’s been losing weight and his kidney function has been deteriorating. He’s been put on a renal diet and I am torn between trying to extend his life as long as possible or make sure what life he does has is comfortable. My biggest fear is a choice I make is responsible for harm coming to him
Solensia is interesting. I had a cat live up to almost 19 on it. It's really a tradeoff, at a certain age the comorbidities add up and the best you can do is push away one death for another to get the longest life at the highest quality possible. You should talk to your vet about this but losing weight isn't uncommon to see in a cat with degrading kidney function. In my case it was a sign of Lymphoma, by the time the pap smear found it she was already too risky to treat at her low weight. I wouldn't worry too much about the injections - the monthly visits aren't ideal but in my opinion the ideal way to balance it is not only the quantity of life, but the quality. I've probably put over a grand in injections between my deceased kitty and my other one that is turning 14. The worst part about the injection seems to be the day of, likely due to some kind of immune reaction. Over time the drug's effectiveness wears off quicker (around 3 weeks compared to 4). I'm not sure if that's due to the immune system picking it off quicker or just the amount of NGF in the cat. All in all I thought (and still think) it is worth it. As with anything though there's always a risk and you need to weigh the reward.
Hello, lovely to see you again. Did I miss something about Sir Lancelot? (LaNCeee)I remember watching a video of you saying how to raise your voice at the end when calling cats. 🐈⬛ 😊
@@HelpfulVancouverVetaw I’m very sorry to hear that, he was a darling boy. You must miss him dearly, but what a fantastic life he lead with you. I’ll never forget him 🤍🙏🏻
@HelpfulVancouverVet; I am really sorry to read that. Your cats are all so genuinely beloved, so I'm sure that was hard. Many sympathies, & sending you a big squish! 🫂
My 12 year old cat was diagnosed with severe arthritis. We never knew he was in pain, he just slowed down considerably and we assumed it was just old age. He is currently on Solensia and he got a new lease on life: he runs everywhere, jumps up and down furniture again and plays with the other cats once more. He is on borrowed time, it won't ladt for ever but we are gratefull for the extra time with him.
So happy to see you and Mr. Pirate! This video is very helpful. We appreciate that we can watch out for any health issues of our two boys, Bob and Frank to make sure they stay happy and healthy!
OMG Mr Pirate, it's so good to see you again! 😍 My 12yo male was diagnosed with arthritis in his right knee 6 months ago. He's taking daily Omegas and they helped A LOT! He's like a kitten again, you were so right! Also he used to have dandruff and that is gone as well, side effect from the omegas. Win-win!
Haven't watched this channel in a while - nice to see Mr. Pirate still being around. I think he's roughly as old as my granny cat who turned 18 this year and has been going strong, except for a urinary tract infection this year.
Good to see you back Dr. When my Maine Coon got to 14 years old I noticed he was slowing down and careful about getting up and down. I purchased a supplemental product called Cosiquin. It helped him with the up and down part pretty well. Hope you have a great holiday season.💙🐾🐾
Howdy Doc Uri. Met you years ago when I was volunteering at the cat shelter. Wanted to let you know our great success story. My good friend passed in '17. He was a longtime volunteer at the shelter and left them a significant donation and me, his cats. I lost one about a year and half ago to a brave battle of 5yrs of CKD 6mos of SQ every 8hrs. The last one, his beautiful Bombay was diagnosed with CKD (and IBD) 1.5 years ago and on SQ 3x day since, B to control anemia. SDMA crept up to 29 as of July but recent SDMA down to 17, creatinine 185 bun 20, urine not concentrated otherwise good. She's doing great, all things considered and for the most part happy, playful, loving girl. Interesting note, she's being overseen by one of your protegees. Hydration is KEY. Hello to Mr. Pirate
Aww, Dr. Uri, I've missed you! But seriously, those Mr. Pirate ear licks are just adorable, he adores you!❤ Thank you for bringing out this vlog because I have two 14 year old senior kitties and my Angie is having difficulty jumping on her usual perch so I got her stairs and she's now back on her perch. I'm afraid my vet will recommend a monthly injection 😢. I'm researching but I trust you #1. So happy to see my Pirate looking so sharp and Clawdia is a cutie pie, totally precious.👏👏👏❤️😻
Our kitty had terrible arthritis is her foreleg, so bad it had to be amputated when she was only 9. She responded really well, very good on the remaining 3 legs, eventually it caught up to her and she was no longer able to squat in the litter box. Poor poor kitty. She had 4 good years though.
I’m glad to see you back! And Mr. Pirate too, glad he’s still with you. Looking forward to the video on managing arthritis. I’ve already talked to my vet, I’m keeping my eye on symptoms and we’re ready to act when needed, but I’d love to see what actions you’d recommend. Thanks!
Thank you for this content, I will watch to see if she sticks her landings and confirm my suspicion that she's not jumping up on the counters as much (which I don't mind at all. This is their house, they just let me pay the mortgage for them).
so happy to see Mr. Pirate & Clawdia! watching this as I nervously wait for my cats dental cleaning to finish in Tsawwassen. glad I watched your video on that a couple years ago, thank you
Happy to see you back - and Pirate! My sweet female, Phoenix, age 15, has SUPER severe arthritis. She did struggle with obesity from ages 6-10, so that didn't help. It affects all her joints. She does the crisscross front leg walk way more dramatically than Pirate. ;-) She is on 50 Gabapentin 1 time a day, CBD, tiny bit of Meloxicam (we keep an eye on her kidney values, which remain good despite severe but controlled hyperthyroidism), and love. I know upping her Gabapentin to 2 times a day may help but the cost of the tiny=tabs is a lot so we reduced to 1 and are tying that for a bit. We have step stools everywhere for her so she can get on and off her favorite couches and chair. One other thing to mention is that with arthritis, they have a hard time grooming places - especially their nether-regions. So she needs some help occasionally and also gets mats. One good thing we noticed with the Meloxicam is that she can now lay in a lounge out position and all four feet relax to the floor. For years we just thought it was a "her thing" that two were always sticking up in the air. Oops! We saw good success with just one dose (18 months ago) of the once a month injection, but due to a year of multiple spine surgeries for me, it is too hard to take her in 1x/month. Plus, it is newer in the USA and not sure I trust it as much as I need to. Thoughts on it??
My 18+ year old boy was diagnosed with arthritis in his hips a couple years ago, and it's hard to watch him suffer. I look forward to your video on any care tips!
When I first witnessed Mr Pirate I didn’t even have a cat. She is now 5 years old. I used to think this little man was the most adorable cat in the world. Right now I’m obviously biased, but I’d say he’s still tied at first place 😊.
I've been observing my cat since I watched this video. No signs of arthritis so far; not bad for an old boy of nearly 17 years. In fact, I put an old dining chair into the kitchen a couple of months ago and he loves it, jumping up on the seat for attention whenever he can.
Petunia has always been a bush dweller. She has always stayed on the floor and never shown any interest in getting up anywhere. I gave her her own cat tower and she never used it.
One of my Maine Coons has severe OA in her hips and shoulders, diagnosed at age 6. She will be 9 years old in January. We've worked hard to get her pain under control. She gets gabapentin twice daily, Onsior once daily, joint supplement Trixsyn twice daily, Adequan shot every 10 days, and Solensia shot at vet once monthly. The Adequan shot really helped and then when Solensia became available, that was the game changer for her comfort. We also tried the Alissi Loop right after diagnosis, but that made no appreciable difference. We use the "K&H Pet Products Lectro-Soft Outdoor Heated Dog and Cat Bed, Electric Thermostatically Controlled Orthopedic Pet Pad" which our vet recommended. We have one for each cat and they love them.
Oh wow, I'm glad to hear you are taking such good care of your cat friend! The video on how to manage cat arthritis will be published in a few weeks, but it sounds like you don't need it :-)
@@markusfritze That is not entirely correct, according to the documentation of the medication. What is written there, is that it should not be used when the cat has stage 3 or 4 kidney failure.
I missed you and Mr. Pirate. I lost my best friend but seeing you with yours makes me so happy. I have 3 elderly cats. Thank you for helping me look for arthritis in them. I have osteoarthritis in my shoulder and it's not super pleasant; I don't want that for my babies.
My cat is 21 years old and struggles with arthritis. But as you say, she hides most of the symptoms as she still jumps up and down the bed. We give her a high proteín diet that has made a big difference in her general condition. She looks younger and feels better too. Thank you for your video.
When our old Mogwai got to about 15, we noticed he was hesitant to jump down from things and took more time to wind up to jumping up, so we got him foam stairs to get on and off the bed and used floor cushions to help him get on and off our relatively low couch. Also got raised bowls and water fountain so he didn’t have to bend down to eat and drink. When he was about 18 we tried supplements for joints. I think epitalis helped him somewhat. There were no injections available then. I’m going to try it again when our 10 and 11 year old cats show signs of slowing down, before we try injections. We adopted both when already old, our 11 year old boy has only been with us 18 months and our 10 year old girl has not been with us a year yet and is only just getting used to being picked up, being brushed etc so getting to the vet for injections or dental is still a big deal. She gets quite stressed. As she’s just learning to trust us, I’m hoping we can get to a point where we can offer some comfort, other than just using familiar items and Feliway. Our boy is quite adept at avoiding blood draws for tests so not sure how well they’d manage to get a needle into him if it has to go near the affected joints.
Arthritis has been on my mind for my cat. He is 9 1/2. He is missing a back leg and I am suspecting the other back leg may have some arthritis. He is having problems jumping up on things. I have made ramps and and steps for him. I have wondered how arthritis is diagnosed for cats. I appreciate your video very much. He will be seeing our vet, soon.
My cat has started limping lately, he however still have his adventurous spirit of jumping where he wants, and I can move around his limbs without him expression discomfort. I adjusted his favorite spots so he does not have to land as high and still monitor him but I cannot help but worry that he's in pain. Thank you very much for making this!
You should definitely get him checked out. Arthritis isn't the only cause of lameness out there, so any time a cat or dog shows discomfort walking (limping, lameness, decrease in activity) it is worth investigating.
Aw hello to all of you! Our older boy was at his checkup and our vet noticed he had a little clicking in his back legs. She recommended giving him some supplements to help & making sure he's a healthy weight. He is still jumping around and playing with his brother, but we're keeping a good eye on him. Thanks for your suggestions! Also love our Petlibro feeders :D we don't have the super fancy one but it works great!
Thanks for another informative video! My two cats of 12 and 10 years still jump and climb trees, so I guess they don't suffer from this yet. They tell me to say hello to Mr. Pirate and Ms. Clawdia from them!
My cat was unwell and stopped eating and as she's eighteen, I honestly thought this was it for her. Yesterday she would have been euthanized. But I didn't give up on her, I brought some food and her favourite treat, Laughing Cow cheese the lactose free kind. She ate a few pieces of that and the day before THAT was going to happen, she perked right back up and was her old self again, thank God! and I did!
So good to see Mr. pirate. He looks remarkably well. A lucky kitty indeed, his dad is a kitty doc. Thanks for the informative video. Hoping our kitty will live long enough to be susceptible to arthritis. I’ll know what to look for.
Thank you (and Mister Pirate) for explaining this hard-to-spot condition. Our cat Tarvek has been withdrawn lately, and i am learning better cat-care from your wise and experienced observations.
How old is Pirate now? 22? 23? He still loves your shoulders! Yeah, Nisse, my 14-year old (15 in January), has atrhritis in his back, a way down. And he takes Solensia once per week, and when I asked him why doesn't want to go to the vet he said "How would you like to go to someone who pokes you, sticks you with needles, and calls you fat?" And that is a good point.
We may be able to offset this negative impression by teaching his hooman how to give cats a back massage, which should improve his comfort and mobility. How to give a cat a back massage: th-cam.com/video/blU3oUVsaBI/w-d-xo.html
looking forward to the video on managing arthritis! my vet said my cat has some in her back paws but that it wasnt bad enough to do any medicine so i've been trying to find other ways to make her more comfortable
Looking forward to your managing video. My senior boy is on Solensia and Gabapentin, but sometimes I question if his pain is being adequately managed, or if it might be time to say goodbye. I hate the idea of him being in pain all the time. He still reminds me when it's food time though, and will climb the little cat stairs I have by the bed. I worry every time he goes down them of course, because his control is touch and go depending on the day.
MrPirate seems to love and thank you with licks to talk about that.❤ Good to see you back. BTW my new elder cat here is Scottishfold and polydactyl, his cartillage is so soft I'm afraid for his cuticles as even cutting his claws the sides don't necessarilly shed. I try to treat is as arthritis.
I built a little ramp for my old boy, he uses it to climb up onto the sofa. He can jum but its obviously easier and more comfortable to avoid jumping, especially during flare ups.
Really looking forward to your advice on treating arthritis. I knew Dexter has arthritis, but didn't know it is in his elbows. He gets monthly Solensia, and I try to give him gabapentin for pain, but that's a battle!
I've missed you! So glad that dear Mr Pirate is still with us. You've taken such great care of him🙏
Thank you very much!
Yeah that's the comment I was going to make. I know he's old...hopefully he still has some more years left.
He was 14 years old in the famous video, so 20 years this year???
I LOVE that one of the diagnostic questions is whether your cat still jumps into places they don't belong! Such a species-specific question!
Right?!
Our ten year old cats still jump up on the kitchen counter and the dining room table and into the linens cabinet, so I guess they’re still doing well - but I’ve already raised their food and water bowls and we have steps to get to their favorite window perch left over from our previous senior cat. 😊 They’re doing better than I am - I’ve got a toe surgery coming up!
Are paratroopers cats?
Mr Pirate kissing your ear, it's too much cuteness.
Aww both Mr Pirate and Clawdia are back and still being squished!! I love this 🥰
I love how affectionate your "shoulder cat" Mister Pirate is with you 😻
Dear Mr Vancouver vet and Mr Pirate!
Long time subscriber.
Our cat Oscar is roughly 17 year old. He has been very careful when "jumping" down from a chair for some years. Very careful (takes time to prepare), and rests afterwards.
A couple of month ago our vet recommended trying a monthly injection, it is called Solensia here in Sweden.
We are now at 1.2 month. Two injections.
OMG, he's appears so much "younger".
He plays more, he "attacks" his 2 younger "brothers" at not even half his age.
If there are no side effects, this is gold.
When he was young, he was absolutely the fastest cat I've ever seen. From a run, straight up 5 meters (15 feet) in a tree.
His walking has for some years been very staggered, now so much better.
Very Best Greetings From Sweden!
Thank you for sharing.
Our oldest is 14 and has been getting Solensia for about half a year now. It's amazing what a difference it makes, and how their quality of life improves!
@@Squirrelsquid I wish I had known this earlier.
Seconding the Solensia reccomandation! My cat Chateigne is an old lady of 15 years who had a very active life and we noticed she was sleeping a lot more, had a hard time jumping, licked at her hind legs forcefully (removing her fur sometimes!) and also meowing at us, "complaining" of something. She also was reluctant to cuddle on people's knees because the position was hard on her legs. We want to the vet who diagnosed joint pain and prescribed Solensia. Immediately after the first injection she was so much better! She still slept a lot, she's an old cat but she stopped licking her fur away and doesn't complain as much and she cuddle us again! We've been doing an injection every 3 months and she really benefits from it, it's a godsend.
Another thumbs up for Solensia. It really makes a difference for our 17 year old cat with arthritis in all four legs.
Lol what you did with your tuxedo kittie's face, I laughed as I do the same as I am saying, 'Alien face!' SO cute!
Clawdia loves being mushed.
It's great to see you again! I'm planning on getting a cat soon. And yes, cats DO hide their illnesses. Thank you for this very useful information. It will help me later when I get my furry pet. I love Mr. Pirate! I'm so glad he is hanging in there! It's nice to see Clawdia say hi for a minute! Kudos to all cat squishers!
Solensia has really improved the quality of life for my senior kitty with kidney disease.
My girl is doing great on it too! She jumps and runs again like a kitten pn Solensia😊
@@FantaLain mine too.
That stuff is magical. Helped my old girl too and she is feeling awesome with that. Just doesn't like to visit the vet so often ;)
I lost an 18 year female in 2021 because of severe arthritis. She was in too much pain to move. Shortly after that Solensia became available and 2 of mine were diagnosed with osteoarthritis so we get 2 Solensia injections every month but you'd never know these cats have mobility problems. The injections are pricey but keeping these cats young as long as possible is worth it.
Obviously Mr. Pirate thinks you are just the cat's meow. Such a lovely soul with so much love to give. Good to see the two of you again.
I was just thinking about this channel and Mr. Pirate yesterday
A daily activity, naturally.
@ haha. Indeed. Great to see you two again!
Hello Dr Uri! It is wonderful to see you and the cats again!
I commented on your last video that my girl had started peeing out of the litter box. Well things got bad until it was much much better.
Because she was peeing outside the box and had started limping we took her to the vet. The vet have her medacam and a narcotic for bad days. Sadly she got extremely constipated, started a stool softener twice a day then three times a day when nothing happened after 3 days. She got really sick from the constipation stopped eating and drinking. We tried an appetite stimulant so she would eat but kept not moving anything. Finally she had a short seizure and the vet said it was enema time. She came through very well and the vet gave her a shot that would last a month but then developed an UTI. Recovery was so slow we made plans to put her down. About 5 days before the appointment she suddenly started eating more and moving.
We changed the appointment to another evaluating and the shot. The vet was also amazed at how well she had recovered, she had even started putting the weight she lost back on. She had a vet tech come give her solensia shot.
I was actually surprised you didn't mention solensia in this video. It has helped my girls' arthritis so much she is jumping into things again! No more limping or wobble this drug is like a cat fountain of youth!
I hope you have as much luck with Mister Pirate!
It sounds like your cat used up several of her nine lives, glad she’s feeling better.
@@Sashazur ya I think she has 2 or 3 left. Thank you
It's always hard to see your furchildren get older, slower and sore. Glad your helping educate on the topic so we can help them in their golden years. Also, I love you Mr Pirate!
Raised bowls, stairs to the sofa and bed, and monthly cartrophen shots have helped my kidney cat age gracefully in the last few years. A great topic for more awareness.
It's so nice that Mr. Pirate is still there. It's so obvious how much you two appreciate each other 🥰 My 15 and 16 yo cats still jump and do their thing but I definitely can see they're not as confident as they used to be when they wanna jump. It's like they're counting: "1...2...3...hmmm not sure, let's try again...1...2...3...go!" The 2 questions are very interesting and I'd never heard about the landing thing so I'm definitely gonna try to observe their landings. Thank you for that information and I'll wait for the next video!
Glad to see you back. I used to watch your videos with my elderly cat on my lap. She is gone but I still enjoy your videos. Very informative.
Welcome back, missed Mr. Pirate!
I adore how the Helpful Vancouver Vet treats the cats. The little kiss on Mister Pirate’s head was so cute, and Mister Pirate just being chill with everything is the best thing
Aww Mr. Pirate is handsome as always!
My 19-year-old Ruru has really improved on Solensia. He's back to jumping and taking walks! Elevated food/water bowls have helped, too.
My 17 year old cat has really bad hip arthritis and gets Solensia once a month for it. It's worked miracles and now she's very active and always in a good mood. A few small accomodations have also made a huge difference. All her sleeping spots are tucked behind plants on the floor or kept low, not higher than sofa height, so she doesn't need to jump much. Staying active by playing several times a day in small increments so she stays fit but not too overwhelmed. I also have heated floors which she really appreciates.
I second the use of Solensia for anyone who can afford it.
Solensia doesn't rebuild or repair joints and it doesn't reduce inflammation like a steroid.
Instead, it's a pain killer that acts by interfering with the chemistry that causes pain to be communicated from the arthritic spots.
It's administered as a once monthly shot and it can take up to 3-months before it takes noticeable effect, but given that there really isn't any thing else that acts as a pain killer for arthritis that's available.
However, the cost is per shot is about $100.
My 18 year old cat has arthritis in her back, both hips, and both knees, and while I can tell she's still is some pain, she's now able to jump on to a chair (rather I like it or not).
A form of the drug is also available for dogs, but has a different name.
I'm so glad Mr Pirate is still well! It can be hard to tell, when uploads are so infrequent. Our oldest is having age related arthritis, and is getting Solensia for about half a year now. It helps him with mobility a lot!
I just. I love the clip at the end of the video. It's a very relaxing image that also drives home a sense of the quality of life we want for our pets. Great choice.
Really appreciated video on how to give a cat a back massage to relax the cat. My youngster can’t be bothered. But my ole overweight loves it !
Oh Mr. Pirate! Love to see you both! I have an older man cat named Wilson who has arthritis in his spine and he really loses his ability to jump up and he doesn’t hold his tail up all the way anymore…I started getting him Solensia injections and he really perks up for about 3 and a half weeks…he starts showing pain again before he gets another injection. I hope you discuss Solensia in your next video because it seems too good to be true. I worry it’s causing some harm in the long run because he’s been losing weight and his kidney function has been deteriorating. He’s been put on a renal diet and I am torn between trying to extend his life as long as possible or make sure what life he does has is comfortable. My biggest fear is a choice I make is responsible for harm coming to him
Solensia is interesting. I had a cat live up to almost 19 on it. It's really a tradeoff, at a certain age the comorbidities add up and the best you can do is push away one death for another to get the longest life at the highest quality possible. You should talk to your vet about this but losing weight isn't uncommon to see in a cat with degrading kidney function. In my case it was a sign of Lymphoma, by the time the pap smear found it she was already too risky to treat at her low weight.
I wouldn't worry too much about the injections - the monthly visits aren't ideal but in my opinion the ideal way to balance it is not only the quantity of life, but the quality. I've probably put over a grand in injections between my deceased kitty and my other one that is turning 14. The worst part about the injection seems to be the day of, likely due to some kind of immune reaction. Over time the drug's effectiveness wears off quicker (around 3 weeks compared to 4). I'm not sure if that's due to the immune system picking it off quicker or just the amount of NGF in the cat.
All in all I thought (and still think) it is worth it. As with anything though there's always a risk and you need to weigh the reward.
So very happy to see you again
So glad you're back! Please do a video on cat food allergy. I think my cat has developed an allergy to chicken but I'm not 100% sure yet.
Hello, lovely to see you again. Did I miss something about Sir Lancelot? (LaNCeee)I remember watching a video of you saying how to raise your voice at the end when calling cats. 🐈⬛ 😊
Yes, I announced on my Patreon that Lancelot passed away last month at a ripe old age of 19-20. We miss him dearly.
@@HelpfulVancouverVetaw I’m very sorry to hear that, he was a darling boy. You must miss him dearly, but what a fantastic life he lead with you. I’ll never forget him 🤍🙏🏻
@HelpfulVancouverVet; I am really sorry to read that. Your cats are all so genuinely beloved, so I'm sure that was hard. Many sympathies, & sending you a big squish! 🫂
How lovely to see you again and discussing a subject that is so important to the well-being of our kitties as they age.
It's so nice to see you, Mr Pirate and Clawdia again. Stay happy and healthy!!!😊
My 12 year old cat was diagnosed with severe arthritis. We never knew he was in pain, he just slowed down considerably and we assumed it was just old age. He is currently on Solensia and he got a new lease on life: he runs everywhere, jumps up and down furniture again and plays with the other cats once more. He is on borrowed time, it won't ladt for ever but we are gratefull for the extra time with him.
Yay I’ve missed your videos so much ❤
ditto
Same
Welcome back Dr. And kitties 😊
So glad there are people like you making helpful videos. Glad to see you back!
So happy to see you and Mr. Pirate! This video is very helpful. We appreciate that we can watch out for any health issues of our two boys, Bob and Frank to make sure they stay happy and healthy!
OMG Mr Pirate, it's so good to see you again! 😍 My 12yo male was diagnosed with arthritis in his right knee 6 months ago. He's taking daily Omegas and they helped A LOT! He's like a kitten again, you were so right! Also he used to have dandruff and that is gone as well, side effect from the omegas. Win-win!
Haven't watched this channel in a while - nice to see Mr. Pirate still being around. I think he's roughly as old as my granny cat who turned 18 this year and has been going strong, except for a urinary tract infection this year.
Mr. Pirate looks so old. But still lovely and adorable.
Good to see you back Dr. When my Maine Coon got to 14 years old I noticed he was slowing down and careful about getting up and down. I purchased a supplemental product called Cosiquin. It helped him with the up and down part pretty well. Hope you have a great holiday season.💙🐾🐾
Howdy Doc Uri. Met you years ago when I was volunteering at the cat shelter. Wanted to let you know our great success story. My good friend passed in '17. He was a longtime volunteer at the shelter and left them a significant donation and me, his cats. I lost one about a year and half ago to a brave battle of 5yrs of CKD 6mos of SQ every 8hrs. The last one, his beautiful Bombay was diagnosed with CKD (and IBD) 1.5 years ago and on SQ 3x day since, B to control anemia. SDMA crept up to 29 as of July but recent SDMA down to 17, creatinine 185 bun 20, urine not concentrated otherwise good. She's doing great, all things considered and for the most part happy, playful, loving girl. Interesting note, she's being overseen by one of your protegees. Hydration is KEY. Hello to Mr. Pirate
Aww, Dr. Uri, I've missed you! But seriously, those Mr. Pirate ear licks are just adorable, he adores you!❤ Thank you for bringing out this vlog because I have two 14 year old senior kitties and my Angie is having difficulty jumping on her usual perch so I got her stairs and she's now back on her perch. I'm afraid my vet will recommend a monthly injection 😢. I'm researching but I trust you #1. So happy to see my Pirate looking so sharp and Clawdia is a cutie pie, totally precious.👏👏👏❤️😻
Our kitty had terrible arthritis is her foreleg, so bad it had to be amputated when she was only 9. She responded really well, very good on the remaining 3 legs, eventually it caught up to her and she was no longer able to squat in the litter box. Poor poor kitty. She had 4 good years though.
I'm so sorry. 😔
Thank you so much for making those videos. They have played a crucial part in my life, helping me become a better pet owner for my cat
I’m glad to see you back! And Mr. Pirate too, glad he’s still with you. Looking forward to the video on managing arthritis. I’ve already talked to my vet, I’m keeping my eye on symptoms and we’re ready to act when needed, but I’d love to see what actions you’d recommend. Thanks!
I love Dr. Uri's voice! I've learnt so much from this channel, coz I can't stop listening to his voice! 😁 Thanks for everything, Dr. Uri! 🙏
If I wasn't already a fan, I'd become a fan because you introduced Mr. Pirate as your best friend
Thank you for this content, I will watch to see if she sticks her landings and confirm my suspicion that she's not jumping up on the counters as much (which I don't mind at all. This is their house, they just let me pay the mortgage for them).
so happy to see Mr. Pirate & Clawdia! watching this as I nervously wait for my cats dental cleaning to finish in Tsawwassen. glad I watched your video on that a couple years ago, thank you
Happy to see you back - and Pirate! My sweet female, Phoenix, age 15, has SUPER severe arthritis. She did struggle with obesity from ages 6-10, so that didn't help. It affects all her joints. She does the crisscross front leg walk way more dramatically than Pirate. ;-) She is on 50 Gabapentin 1 time a day, CBD, tiny bit of Meloxicam (we keep an eye on her kidney values, which remain good despite severe but controlled hyperthyroidism), and love. I know upping her Gabapentin to 2 times a day may help but the cost of the tiny=tabs is a lot so we reduced to 1 and are tying that for a bit. We have step stools everywhere for her so she can get on and off her favorite couches and chair. One other thing to mention is that with arthritis, they have a hard time grooming places - especially their nether-regions. So she needs some help occasionally and also gets mats. One good thing we noticed with the Meloxicam is that she can now lay in a lounge out position and all four feet relax to the floor. For years we just thought it was a "her thing" that two were always sticking up in the air. Oops! We saw good success with just one dose (18 months ago) of the once a month injection, but due to a year of multiple spine surgeries for me, it is too hard to take her in 1x/month. Plus, it is newer in the USA and not sure I trust it as much as I need to. Thoughts on it??
My 18+ year old boy was diagnosed with arthritis in his hips a couple years ago, and it's hard to watch him suffer. I look forward to your video on any care tips!
When I first witnessed Mr Pirate I didn’t even have a cat. She is now 5 years old.
I used to think this little man was the most adorable cat in the world. Right now I’m obviously biased, but I’d say he’s still tied at first place 😊.
So happy you're back. Your channel is very valuable to me. Thank you!
Wow, thank you!
I've been observing my cat since I watched this video. No signs of arthritis so far; not bad for an old boy of nearly 17 years. In fact, I put an old dining chair into the kitchen a couple of months ago and he loves it, jumping up on the seat for attention whenever he can.
Petunia has always been a bush dweller. She has always stayed on the floor and never shown any interest in getting up anywhere. I gave her her own cat tower and she never used it.
My kitty has been getting arthritis shots for a few months now and he walks up the stairs so much better now ❤
Nice! Diagnosing this condition makes such a big, positive difference in these cats' lives!
One of my Maine Coons has severe OA in her hips and shoulders, diagnosed at age 6. She will be 9 years old in January. We've worked hard to get her pain under control. She gets gabapentin twice daily, Onsior once daily, joint supplement Trixsyn twice daily, Adequan shot every 10 days, and Solensia shot at vet once monthly. The Adequan shot really helped and then when Solensia became available, that was the game changer for her comfort. We also tried the Alissi Loop right after diagnosis, but that made no appreciable difference. We use the "K&H Pet Products Lectro-Soft Outdoor Heated Dog and Cat Bed, Electric Thermostatically Controlled Orthopedic Pet Pad" which our vet recommended. We have one for each cat and they love them.
Oh wow, I'm glad to hear you are taking such good care of your cat friend! The video on how to manage cat arthritis will be published in a few weeks, but it sounds like you don't need it :-)
We've had good results with Solensia too!
@@haleypratt7934 With Solensia you should monitor the kidney, it can harm them.
@@markusfritze That is not entirely correct, according to the documentation of the medication. What is written there, is that it should not be used when the cat has stage 3 or 4 kidney failure.
So happy to see you're back! Hope you've been doing well. Thank you for the video
Hi Dr. Uri! Welcome back.
I adore your manner, all your patients are so lucky.
I missed you and Mr. Pirate. I lost my best friend but seeing you with yours makes me so happy. I have 3 elderly cats. Thank you for helping me look for arthritis in them. I have osteoarthritis in my shoulder and it's not super pleasant; I don't want that for my babies.
I am really happy for this video! Mr. Pirate is such a sweet lad lovely to see him too
My cat is 21 years old and struggles with arthritis. But as you say, she hides most of the symptoms as she still jumps up and down the bed. We give her a high proteín diet that has made a big difference in her general condition. She looks younger and feels better too. Thank you for your video.
When our old Mogwai got to about 15, we noticed he was hesitant to jump down from things and took more time to wind up to jumping up, so we got him foam stairs to get on and off the bed and used floor cushions to help him get on and off our relatively low couch. Also got raised bowls and water fountain so he didn’t have to bend down to eat and drink. When he was about 18 we tried supplements for joints. I think epitalis helped him somewhat. There were no injections available then. I’m going to try it again when our 10 and 11 year old cats show signs of slowing down, before we try injections. We adopted both when already old, our 11 year old boy has only been with us 18 months and our 10 year old girl has not been with us a year yet and is only just getting used to being picked up, being brushed etc so getting to the vet for injections or dental is still a big deal. She gets quite stressed. As she’s just learning to trust us, I’m hoping we can get to a point where we can offer some comfort, other than just using familiar items and Feliway. Our boy is quite adept at avoiding blood draws for tests so not sure how well they’d manage to get a needle into him if it has to go near the affected joints.
It's great to see you. Mr Pirate is nothing but a bundle of love 🤗♥️
I've missed Mr Pirate, Clawdia and of course - The Doc.
Great video.
Thank you, and I missed my regular commenters too!
So happy to see you guys!!!
Mr pirate is the cutest old man
Mr. Pirate! Glad to see you're both well. :)
Arthritis has been on my mind for my cat. He is 9 1/2. He is missing a back leg and I am suspecting the other back leg may have some arthritis. He is having problems jumping up on things. I have made ramps and and steps for him. I have wondered how arthritis is diagnosed for cats. I appreciate your video very much. He will be seeing our vet, soon.
It is really good to see Mr. Pirate! I am sorry he has to deal with arthritis.
What an unfortunate coincidence, one of my kitties got diagnosed with osteoarthritis last month.
My cat has started limping lately, he however still have his adventurous spirit of jumping where he wants, and I can move around his limbs without him expression discomfort. I adjusted his favorite spots so he does not have to land as high and still monitor him but I cannot help but worry that he's in pain. Thank you very much for making this!
You should definitely get him checked out. Arthritis isn't the only cause of lameness out there, so any time a cat or dog shows discomfort walking (limping, lameness, decrease in activity) it is worth investigating.
Glad to see you again! Greetings from Brazil.
Aw hello to all of you!
Our older boy was at his checkup and our vet noticed he had a little clicking in his back legs. She recommended giving him some supplements to help & making sure he's a healthy weight. He is still jumping around and playing with his brother, but we're keeping a good eye on him. Thanks for your suggestions!
Also love our Petlibro feeders :D we don't have the super fancy one but it works great!
Thanks for another informative video! My two cats of 12 and 10 years still jump and climb trees, so I guess they don't suffer from this yet. They tell me to say hello to Mr. Pirate and Ms. Clawdia from them!
Love you, Mr Pirate
Thank you kindly for the tips, Doctor Uri! Been a cat dad of a lovely void for two years now and any knowledge of making her life the best, I'll take
My lovely 21 yo kitty definitely has OA, non-responsive to the NGF monoclonal antibody. Looking forward to your management video! Thank you.
Happy Holidays Dr. Uri
🎄🍁❄👍
Happy holidays!
I'm so happy to see you and Mr. Pirate! I love Pet Libro products, so it's great that they are sponsoring your very helpful videos!🥰
My cat was unwell and stopped eating and as she's eighteen, I honestly thought this was it for her. Yesterday she would have been euthanized. But I didn't give up on her, I brought some food and her favourite treat, Laughing Cow cheese the lactose free kind. She ate a few pieces of that and the day before THAT was going to happen, she perked right back up and was her old self again, thank God! and I did!
So good to see Mr. pirate. He looks remarkably well. A lucky kitty indeed, his dad is a kitty doc. Thanks for the informative video. Hoping our kitty will live long enough to be susceptible to arthritis. I’ll know what to look for.
Thank you (and Mister Pirate) for explaining this hard-to-spot condition. Our cat Tarvek has been withdrawn lately, and i am learning better cat-care from your wise and experienced observations.
How old is Pirate now? 22? 23? He still loves your shoulders!
Yeah, Nisse, my 14-year old (15 in January), has atrhritis in his back, a way down. And he takes Solensia once per week, and when I asked him why doesn't want to go to the vet he said "How would you like to go to someone who pokes you, sticks you with needles, and calls you fat?" And that is a good point.
We may be able to offset this negative impression by teaching his hooman how to give cats a back massage, which should improve his comfort and mobility.
How to give a cat a back massage: th-cam.com/video/blU3oUVsaBI/w-d-xo.html
thank you so much for your videos! as my cats are getting older, i know I'll be able to give them better care ❤
Thank you for your video. You always help me learn more about my cat, who is now a senior cat. Again, thank you.
Perfect subject. Waiting patiently with how to help my 18 year old get down the stairs again.
Let’s pretend your cats miss you! Haha. 😂 So glad you’re back! ❤
Yay you guys are back !
Tricky one, my cat isn't a jumper from the start... And she always hates when her paws are touched.
looking forward to the video on managing arthritis! my vet said my cat has some in her back paws but that it wasnt bad enough to do any medicine so i've been trying to find other ways to make her more comfortable
Happy to see you back ❤ 🐾 from Sudbury Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 ❤
Love your videos!!!
I'm so glad you're hear
Your channel is so valuable to me! Thank you Dr Uri!
Looking forward to your managing video. My senior boy is on Solensia and Gabapentin, but sometimes I question if his pain is being adequately managed, or if it might be time to say goodbye. I hate the idea of him being in pain all the time. He still reminds me when it's food time though, and will climb the little cat stairs I have by the bed. I worry every time he goes down them of course, because his control is touch and go depending on the day.
MrPirate seems to love and thank you with licks to talk about that.❤
Good to see you back.
BTW my new elder cat here is Scottishfold and polydactyl, his cartillage is so soft I'm afraid for his cuticles as even cutting his claws the sides don't necessarilly shed. I try to treat is as arthritis.
I built a little ramp for my old boy, he uses it to climb up onto the sofa. He can jum but its obviously easier and more comfortable to avoid jumping, especially during flare ups.
Really looking forward to your advice on treating arthritis. I knew Dexter has arthritis, but didn't know it is in his elbows. He gets monthly Solensia, and I try to give him gabapentin for pain, but that's a battle!
Our Petunia has arthritis. I have it as well so at least I have a clue on days it will be worse for her.
Perfect timing....I was just wondering if one of my cats might have arthritis...
Thank you for this video. It was very helpful.
1st and ready and waiting
Great 👍
@@HelpfulVancouverVet my furbaby said you better not be making fun of her old bones! 😂