Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Do owner-reported cat mobility changes match pain and joint disease
By Maniaki, Evangelia et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2023·Bristol Veterinary School, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Do owner-reported changes in mobility reflect measures of activity, pain and degenerative joint disease in cats?
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 57 cats, some of which showed early signs of mobility issues reported by their owners. The cats with mobility problems had higher pain scores and showed more signs of joint issues during examinations compared to healthy cats. The researchers found that using owner feedback and physical exams could help identify these mobility problems early on. Recognizing these signs sooner could lead to treatments that help slow down joint disease and improve the cats' quality of life.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this blinded, nested case-control study was to compare cats with and without early owner-reported mobility changes using subjective and objective outcome measures (owner-completed questionnaires, orthopaedic examination). METHODS: A total of 57 cats with and without early owner-reported signs of impaired mobility were allocated to the case (n = 30) and control (n = 27) groups, respectively. Participating owners completed one inclusion and two pre-visit questionnaires (Feline Musculoskeletal Pain Index, VetMetrica). Cats were then visited in their own homes, where they underwent an orthopaedic examination, an assessment of their body condition score and temperament, and the placement of an accelerometer on their collar for 2 weeks. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between groups for age category, breed, sex, temperament and body condition score. Case cats scored significantly lower for the Feline Musculoskeletal Pain Index ( = 0.003) and the VetMetrica domain of Comfort ( = 0.002), but not Vitality ( = 0.009) or Emotional Wellbeing ( = 0.018). Total pain (<0.0001), crepitus ( = 0.002) and thickening ( = 0.003) scores were higher in case cats, as was the presence of bilateral disease ( = 0.005, odds ratio 14) and the number of bilaterally affected joints ( = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Both the Feline Musculoskeletal Pain Index and orthopaedic examination were able to differentiate cats with early owner-reported signs of impaired mobility from healthy cats. VetMetrica Comfort domain scores indicated a compromised quality of life for cats with early owner-reported signs of impaired mobility compared with healthy cats. Being able to recognise signs of mobility impairment earlier would allow interventions aimed at slowing disease progression, thereby improving feline health and welfare.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37382593/