Poor Middle-Sized Cat had an emergency vet appointment yesterday after having spent most of the day throwing up … on various floors, various mats, our bedding … By three o’clock hubby was wondering if the end was nigh, so we got him a vet appointment. If you know cats you’ll no doubt guess that by 5:30 when we saw the vet he was quite perky and made us feel a bit silly for panicking.
Temperature: normal, colour (how they tell under the fur I’m not sure): normal, growling at vet: normal, showing interest in the bit of food she waved at him: normal. She actually said he was in excellent condition for his age, which was good to hear. The only problem … he’s got bad arthritis in one knee!
Poor lad, I do sympathise with that. I presume his is osteoarthritis, but dashed unpleasant nonetheless.
The vet has recommended cod liver oil, of all things! I thought that was on old wives tale, that it actually helped. People still talk about it ‘oiling the joints’ which is obviously nonsense, but presumably it does actually do some good. Anybody know how? I’ll be trying to track some down for him today, and hopefully he’ll actually like the taste! (If not there’s no chance of getting it down him!)
And while I’m talking cats, for anyone who remembers my old posts about Tiny Cat 2, you’ll be glad to know she’s settling down well, although ‘run away’ is still her favourite phrase. She does grudgingly accept cuddles most days now and is even sometimes happy to curl up on my lap (or sometimes hubby’s) for a good fuss and purr!
Pollyanna Penguin's RA Blog 
Aw, poor M-S Cat! Having arthritis must surely cramp a cat’s style (just as it does ours). I’m glad the vomiting was just a wee tum-bug and hope it stays that way.
If it turns out he doesn’t have a fancy for cod liver oil, you might try giving it to him by syringe. Sure, the first couple of attempts will likely have both you and the cat covered with the stuff, but after a while he’ll get used to it. Another option is smearing a dollop of the stuff on his lower front leg and paw — he’ll lick it off rather than enduring gooey fur.
I come by this um, wisdom, honestly, as I just finished helping my mom with her new, adopted cat; the cat wouldn’t eat, which can be very bad for cats very quickly. We syringed diluted baby food into her and also smeared it on her legs … she was not pleased with us, but she dutifully licked herself clean. The good news is she finally started eating on her own and now seems pretty well adjusted to her new home and her new human servant, who is happily seeing to her every eed. ;o)
Hurrah for your mum’s cat graciously agreeing to employ her new servant! M-S cat is also on the mend, and reasonably chipper at the moment, but I haven’t got him the cod liver oil yet … so we shall see. He’s an old and wily cat who has ways around most things, even syringes, but the idea of putting it on his leg and paw is absolutely brilliant. Hopefully he’ll just think it’s another delicacy like his heart pills, which he thinks are absolutely yummy!
If MSC is who I think he is, then his half-brother (ELSC) has more than a touch of arthritis. As well as medication for that, ELSC is on green muscle extract – a dietary supplement that he has been conned into thinking is a cat treat. No idea whether it does anything extra on top of the medication, but it might be worth asking your vet and/or local pet store about.
Yes, he is who you think he is! Poor puss-cats!