Is It Just Old Age? Recognizing Arthritis in Dogs and Cats

“She’s just getting older.”

“He doesn’t jump up there anymore.”

“She sleeps more than she used to.”

“He’s slowing down on our walks.”

These changes are easy to dismiss as a normal part of aging—but sometimes, “slowing down” is actually a sign of pain.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common, chronic, and painful condition in both dogs and cats. And while arthritis becomes more common as pets age, it isn't exclusively a senior-pet problem. Joint disease can begin much earlier in life, particularly in pets with orthopedic conditions, previous injuries, or abnormal joint development.

The good news? We have more options than ever to recognize and manage arthritis pain. The first step is knowing what to look for.

Arthritis Doesn't Always Look Like Limping

When most people picture an arthritic pet, they imagine an older dog limping around the house.

Sometimes it really is that obvious. Often, it isn't.

Osteoarthritis develops gradually, and pets naturally adjust the way they move and behave to accommodate discomfort. When those changes happen slowly over months or years, they can be surprisingly difficult to notice.

Dogs with arthritis may:

• Be slow or stiff when getting up after resting

• Hesitate before using stairs

• Have difficulty getting into the car or onto furniture

• Lag behind or tire sooner on walks

• Become reluctant to run, play, or chase toys

• Limp or shift their weight away from a painful leg

• Have difficulty getting comfortable

• Seem less enthusiastic about activities they once enjoyed

• Become irritable when certain areas of the body are touched

And sometimes the only thing an owner notices is that their dog seems to be “getting old.”

Cats Can Be Even More Subtle

Cats are masters at changing their behavior to accommodate discomfort.

An arthritic cat may never visibly limp. Instead, she simply stops doing things that hurt.

You might notice that your cat:

• Doesn't jump as high as she used to

• Hesitates before jumping up or down

• Uses several smaller jumps instead of one big leap

• Has difficulty climbing or descending stairs

• Plays or runs less often

• Sleeps in different or easier-to-reach locations

• Has trouble stepping into a high-sided litter box

• Grooms less, especially over the back or hindquarters

• Becomes less tolerant of handling

• Spends more time resting or hiding

These changes can be gradual enough that they're mistaken for personality changes or normal aging.

But age itself isn't painful. Arthritis is.

How Do We Diagnose Arthritis?

This is where your veterinarian becomes an especially important part of the picture.

You see your pet every day, which means you can identify changes that may never appear during a veterinary visit. Your veterinarian brings another piece of the puzzle: the ability to evaluate gait, posture, muscle mass, joint movement, areas of pain, and other possible causes of changes in mobility.

Diagnosing arthritis often involves a combination of your observations at home and a thorough physical and orthopedic examination. In some cases, we may recommend X-rays or other diagnostic testing.

Interestingly, what we see on an X-ray doesn't always perfectly match how much pain an animal experiences. That's one reason your observations at home are so valuable.

Videos can be incredibly helpful. If your pet moves differently at home than during a veterinary visit, try recording them walking, running, climbing stairs, getting up after a nap, or jumping onto furniture. Those everyday activities can give us valuable information.

Your Veterinarian Can Help Build an Individualized Treatment Plan

There isn't one universal arthritis treatment that's right for every dog or cat.

Effective arthritis management is often multimodal, meaning we approach pain and mobility from several directions rather than relying on a single treatment.

Depending on your pet, your veterinarian may discuss options including pain medications, injectable therapies, weight management, nutritional strategies, appropriate exercise, rehabilitation, environmental modifications, acupuncture, chiropractic care, or other therapies.

Why does veterinary guidance matter?

Because we aren't simply treating an X-ray—we're treating your individual pet.

Age, weight, activity level, other medical conditions, medications, kidney and liver health, the joints involved, and the severity of pain can all influence which options are appropriate. Your veterinarian can help determine which treatments are safe, monitor your pet's response, and adjust the plan as their needs change.

Arthritis is a chronic condition, so management isn't a one-and-done event. The best plan today may need to evolve six months or several years from now.

Small Changes at Home Can Make a Big Difference

Your veterinarian can also help you identify simple ways to make everyday life easier.

That might mean adding rugs or traction to slippery floors, providing ramps or steps to favorite furniture, using an orthopedic bed, changing the height of food and water bowls, or switching to a litter box with a lower entrance.

Exercise matters, too. An arthritic pet usually doesn't benefit from becoming a couch potato. Appropriate, controlled activity can help maintain muscle strength, mobility, and a healthy body weight. The key is finding the right type and amount of exercise for that individual pet.

Not Sure Whether Your Pet Is Showing Signs?

Because arthritis can be so subtle, structured questionnaires can help you look at your pet's everyday behavior a little differently.

For cats:Take the Cat Osteoarthritis Quiz

For dogs:Take the Dog Osteoarthritis Quiz

These screening tools can help identify behaviors that may be associated with osteoarthritis pain. They aren't a substitute for a veterinary examination, but the results can be a great starting point for a conversation with your veterinarian.

Don't Assume They're “Just Getting Old”

One of the hardest things about chronic pain is how gradually it can become a pet's new normal.

When we successfully manage that pain, owners will sometimes tell us, “I didn't realize how much they had slowed down until I saw them feeling good again.”

Your veterinarian can help determine whether the changes you're seeing are related to osteoarthritis or another medical problem, develop an individualized management plan, and monitor that plan over time.

Our pets can't tell us that their knees ache when they stand up or that jumping onto the couch hurts more than it used to.

They show us through changes in what they do.

Learning to recognize those changes—and talking to your veterinarian when you see them—can help keep your pet comfortable, mobile, active, and enjoying the things they love for as long as possible.