Using a new checklist to spot osteoarthritis in cats

Abstract

Objectives The goal of the present study was to screen two cat populations for osteoarthritis. There are an estimated 60 million cats in the USA, with a growing body of evidence identifying a high percentage of them as suffering from osteoarthritis (OA); however, many are undiagnosed. New tools, such as the Feline Osteoarthritis Checklist, are available for use in practice to help screen cats for OA. Methods Working with the same general small animal practice, one population of cats was retrospectively screened for OA using historical methods, including physical examination and owner engagement. These results were then numerically evaluated to a similar prospective population using the Feline OA Checklist as a screening tool. Five general practice veterinary clinics with feline patients participated in both parts of this study, providing a total of 502 cat medical records for the retrospective phase of this study and 437 completed screening forms in the prospective phase of this study. Results Of the cats in the retrospective phase of the study, 1% had orthopedic-related issues when methods of identification such as oral history and physical examination were used. When the Feline OA Checklist was used as a screening tool in a prospective population, 39% of cats were identified as demonstrating at least one behavior consistent with OA. Conclusions and relevance Pain recognition is the first step of pain management, and the use of the Feline OA Checklist can help improve feline health and welfare by easily and readily identifying these patients. Utilizing tools such as the Feline OA Checklist to screen all cats in practice offers veterinary practitioners an efficient way to identify the impact of feline OA and begin alleviating pain-related suffering.