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Welcome to our regular “Ask the cat Doc With Dr. Lynn Bahr” segment! once a month, Dr. Bahr answers as many of your questions as she can, and you can leave new questions for her in a comment.

Dr. Bahr is a 1991 graduate of the university of Georgia’s college of Veterinary medicine and founder of Dezi & Roo, a company that designs, manufactures, and sells solution-based products that enhance the lives of cats and their owners. She volunteers at numerous animal-related charities and causes and serves on the fear free Advisory Board, the Parliamentarian of the society of Veterinary medical Ethics, the cat committee of the Pet professional Guild, and the alley cat Allies’ Feline forward task Force.

Dr. Bahr is co-author of the upcoming book Indoor Cat: how to Enrich Their Lives and expand Their World, due out in April of 2022 and available for pre-order now.

For more information about Dezi & Roo and their unique and innovative cat toys, please visit Dezi and Roo on Etsy.

Do you have a question for Dr. Bahr? Leave it in a comment and she’ll answer it in next month’s column.

Please note that Dr. Bahr will take a three-month break from our column, so this will be your last chance to post your questions until January! Dr. Bahr will answer questions left on this post in October.

Pain management for arthritic cat

Dr. Bahr,

I really appreciate the time and proficiency you give us kitty parents in answering our questions and concerns!

My Maggie is a 12-year-old long hair cat with arthritis. I’ve been giving her worksSOwell 1-TetraDecanol complex (which I saw recommended on this site) and that seems to have been helping, but of course her arthritis is getting worse. I took her to her vet a couple days ago, and the vet gave me Onsior for the pain. It worked but I believe it’s just supposed to be given just for a short period of time, and it’s pricey anyway. Do you know of anything else I can give her or do for her to help ease her pain?

She also had a mammary tumor removed a few weeks ago. The vet said she didn’t take it all out, and now it’s getting larger again. I really, really hate to put Maggie through that surgery again, especially at her age. but I guess that’s a decision that only I can make. In the meantime, if I can do something to ease her arthritis pain, that would be a definite bonus.

Thank you so much, Doctor! – – Alice Kemp

Hi Alice,

Maggie is lucky to have a guardian, like you, who is aware of her arthritic condition and I am happy to hear that you are looking for ways to help alleviate her pain.

There is no one “magic bullet” for pain control and it typically takes a multi-modal approach to keeping arthritic pain managed. If Maggie is carrying extra weight, then a carefully controlled weight loss program will help her immensely and should be the first place to start. In addition to the Onsior and supplement you are giving her, it might be helpful to investigate cold laser treatments and/or acupuncture, CBC, and the Assisi loop for additional relief.

Take an assessment of your home environment to see if there are ways in which you can help her navigate her surroundings easier. This would include adding ramps to the bed, couch, and favorite sleeping places to eliminate the need for her to jump up or down from these places. low sided litter boxes help too. since warmth is often helpful with alleviating arthritic pain, you may also consider placing pet warming blankets out for her to lay on.

I hope you find some of these suggestions helpful.  let me know which ones work for Maggie.

Black spot above nose

Hi Dr. Bahr,
My male ginger is 5 yrs old. He got a black flat spot right above his nose a few weeks ago. it looked like an ink smudge spot. then it got darker and then disappeared completely. The black spot came back again like a week later, then disappeared again, very strange. could it be the salmon food he’s eating? Idk, it seemed like that’s when it appears. very strange. thank you. – Terri

Hi Terri,

Thank you so much for taking time to write in about your kitty’s nose. Unfortunately, you did not provide enough information for me to really give you any good advice. but the fact that it goes away on its own is a good sign and I would not be too concerned about it unless it continues to recur. If it does show back up again, take pictures, keep a good log as to when it appeared and disappeared, and get your boy checked out by a veterinarian.

It is strange indeed and if you find out what is going on, please let me know.

Sudden trouble breathing

Hi Dr. Bahr,

I have a question.

This year our cat ‘Dee’ passed away. it all happened rather quickly, with her suddenly having trouble breathing (the dyspnea type), but no other symptoms (such as congestion). The emergency pet hospital vets found out that her problems were being caused by air getting next to her lungs. (Aftnullnull