Is my senior cat's difficulty jumping onto furniture normal?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry that Majo is having these issues. Studies have shown that 95% of cats over the age of 8 have some form of arthritis, and often it is undiagnosed because cats hide their illnesses well. This could be the cause of Majo's inability to jump up. Other causes could be related to being overweight, neurological problems that can include both structural issues in her back, or metabolic conditions such as diabetes. Weakness from other medical conditions can also cause this type of behaviour. What I recommend is a visit to the vet to make sure there is no medical cause that needs to be addressed, and to assess her body condition to see if weight loss is needed. Otherwise, ramps are a great idea to help our furry friends get up on the bed. If arthritis is the issue, you can talk with your vet about different types of food and supplements that will help support joints. Best of luck with Majo!

At his age, he likely has some arthritis. I suggest you get him started on a joint supplement. https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=120626 Give it a good 4-6 weeks to see if it helps him. If not, then please post again and we'll see if we can give you some more suggestions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am very suspicious of arthritis is Sassy based on what you describe. Arthritis is not unexpected - but also not "normal". I do recommend treatment to give her the best quality life she can have. See your vet to help rule out something more nefarious (because cancer and other things also can cause problems in older cats). Then have a discussion about safe medications and supplements for cats. Some of my favorites are adequan, duralactin, and gabapentin. Best of luck to you and Sassy!

it sounds like your kitty may be in pain. This could be from an injury, or arthritis. I suggest you take Felix to your veterinarian for an exam and possibly x-rays. If he has arthritis pain, your vet will likely prescribe meloxicam for him, which is an NASAID which reduces inflammation and pain.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would recommend taking Charlie to the vet. He is getting older, but isn't very old when some cats live into their 20s. There are some diseases that can cause weakness or loss of muscle, or her may have some arthritis making jumping difficult. The vet may recommend bloodwork to assess his overall health, possibly x-rays and may be able to prescribe medication to help Charlie get back to normal activity. DO NOT give any human or over the counter medications to cats, as many can cause a fatal toxicity. I hope Charlie is back to normal soon.

Whenever there is a behavior change in a cat, we suspect an underlying disease condition or painful area (arthritis for example). With him hunching down I would suspect a possible arthritis and recommend getting him examined by your vet to determine if x-rays are indicated here. You can also try over the counter joint supplements such as Cosequin, to see if his condition improves. Best of luck with Socks!

He may be in pain from arthritis and therefore prefers not to move much. Old cats sleep a lot as well. You may want to take him to a feline veterinarian and ask about arthritis in cats, and have him checked for it. A feline vet will be more likely to prescribe a particular NSAID (off-label) for your cat if there is pain than a "regular" vet.