DIY Network

Comfort for Older Pets From "Ask DIY" episode ADI-307

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Figure A Figure B Figure C

Q: My cat is getting older and seems to have arthritis. Is there anything I can do to help him?

A: (from Joel Tatum and Stephanie Zalinksi, Ask DIY Pet Experts) Absolutely. In fact, there are actually several easy things you can do to increase your pet's comfort level in general.

Materials:

Hot water bottle
Small litter box or plastic container
Cat litter

• To help your cat's flexibility and ease any joint pain he might have, you can give him a gentle massage that just takes a few minutes. Hold the cat on your lap and pet him until he's comfortable. Then, using two fingers, apply gentle pressure around the joints (figure A) and rub in a small circular pattern. Repeat on all joints -- front and back legs and along both sides of the neck.

• You may also want to place a hot water bottle (figure B) filled with warm water in your cat's bed every so often. This will further ease any joint pain and provide extra comfort.

• As cats get older, they sometimes have increased difficulty reaching the litter box consistently. To make things a little easier for your cat, try placing a second litter box in an area that's a fair distance away from the other. This can be an actual full-scale litter box or you can simply use a plain plastic container (figure C) lined with an inch or two of litter.

  This will provide a "backup" for your cat, saving him some long trips... and probably preventing a few accidents as well.

RESOURCES :
The Cat Encyclopedia
Model: 1552091538
Author: Esther J. J. Verhoef-Verhellen
Firefly Books March 3, 2001

How to Talk to Your Cat (Talk to Your Pets)
Model: 0060279680
Author: Jean-Craighead George
(March, 2000)

To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.

HarperCollins
New York, NY 10022
Phone: 212-207-7000
Fax: 212-207-7145