If your cat hates the vet i would recommend just phoning to get advice.
Otherwise just watch out for abnormal behaviour - you know your cat best so you will be the person to best know what is abnormal for him. Excessive purring can be a sign of pain as well as pleasure so if he’s rumbling away constantly then it might be best to get him checked out.
Did the vet tell you to give him the pills every day? If so then please don’t stop them without further advice. Starting and stopping if he is supposed to be on a continual continual course of treatment can mean there are gaps in pain relief. And remember that when you DO stop them there will still be enough in his system for the effects to continue for quite some time - so don’t be surprised or worried if he is still sleepy.
Go and give your vet a call - it’s the best thing you can do for the little guy.
Cats are very stoic, they have to be in a lot of pain before they let it show. It’s a holdover instinct from being wild, pain is a sign of weakness and the weak are victims.
Watch for changes in behavior - not going to a place that he likes to go but has to jump to, talking or growling when you pick him up, etc.
The standard pain measure for humans is to ask them to rate the pain on a scale from one to ten. There is a similar one for cats in which you hold a rod with ten dangling pieces of yarn in front of the cat.
I’ve found that one of the best indicators for whether a pet is in pain is how well they’re eating. Does your cat still come running at the sound of the can opener or the crinkle of the cat food bag? Is he still eating heartily? If you tempt him with a treat will he move from his comfortable position? How long does it take him to rise up from a lying-down position?
That was good advice, zelie zelerton. I’ve called my vet.
Sadly, I got the assistent who went and asked the vet. She’s very young [probably in diapers, still] and I don’t think I’m very wiser now.
Basically she told me what *you * said, about the continual course of treatment. - One pill every three days. An extra one in between if I think it’s needed.
Oh, He doesn’t purr excessively. Only when belly-rubbed.
mr bus guy, That’s exactly it. He doesn’t climb his favorite tree anymore. But he doesn’t make a sound when I pick him up. Yes, I think cats are very stoic.
Hehehehe, Shagnasty and zelie. That’s a cute way to measure pain. I’ll ask my doc to dangle ten pieces of yarn in front of *my * face, next time I see him.
Lissa, Good ones.
I think one of the reasons my cat has arthritis is because he’s too fat.
He loves to eat. [and is on a diet]
Yes, he still eats with a gusto and - sort of - jumps of his chair when I’m in the neighborhood of the cabinet that holds the treats.
Longer than usual, I’d say.
It depends why he wants to move, I guess.
Seeing a bird within catching distance, or a treat, makes him still very lively, but when moving ‘just because’, he’s very slow.
Thank you all very much.
I learned more here, than from my vet.
I wish my cat could - if not talk - at least type his feelings.
That’s a cute way to measure pain. I’ll ask my doc to dangle ten pieces of yarn in front of *my * face, next time I see him.