What Can I Give My Aging Cat for Pain?

Aging cats can have a number of illnesses that cause pain, such as dental infections, trauma to the body, eye or ear infections, urinary infections, severe arthritis and cancer. Because of the way cats metabolize medications in their livers, cats cannot generally be given NSAIDS medications such as aspirin, Tylenol or ibuprofen. Many pain medications routinely given to dogs are not usually safe for cats.

  1. Safe Pain Medications

    • Since NSAIDs medications like aspirin, ibuprofen and Tylenol are unsafe to give to cats, it is challenging to find medications that are both safe and effective against pain. Meloxicam is one NSAID medication that has been used safely in cats, but it is only approved in the U.S. in injectable form. Tramadol, fentanyl, carprofen, prednisone and dexamethasone are used to block pain and reduce inflammation that causes pain and are safe enough to use for cats. Adequan is an injectible chondroitin sulfate compound that can be used safely in cats for arthritis pain.

    Massage

    • Veterinarians often recommend massage to relieve pain from arthritis and other conditions. Massage increases blood flow to the area, refreshes the immune system, and relaxes the animal so that it can better withstand pain. Your vet can refer you to specialists who are trained in pet massage.

    Acupuncture

    • Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese technique in which needles are inserted into carefully mapped points on the body to block neural pathways and reduce pain. Exactly how this works to relieve pain is not well known, but it is theorized that the technique release endorphins in the body, which are chemicals related to morphine. This technique has been used on humans for thousands of years, but it is only recently been accepted as a viable technique by veterinarians for their canine and feline patients for conditions like arthritis, epilepsy, hip dysplasia, granuloma and other ailments.

    Surgery

    • Sometimes the best way to handle a cat's pain is to remove the cause of the pain altogether. Surgery is often used to remove infected teeth and mouth tissue, amputate injured limbs, or relieve pain from growths and tumors. This often solves the problem permanently or at least buys more time for the animal.

    Keeping Your Aging Cat Comfortable

    • Because of the difficulties in finding medications that are safe for cats, veterinarians are more open to using alternate methods to relieve pain. Veterinary pharmaceutical research is always looking for new medications that can help relieve pain in ailing felines and for new ways to use older medications.