In-home cat rehabilitation combines exercise, massage, stretching, and strengthening techniques to help cats — especially seniors — maintain mobility, build muscle, and live more active, comfortable lives. Dr. Mesher holds a certification in animal rehabilitation, and can do these types of consultations at home where your cat is most relaxed.
Older animals can live more active and enjoyable lives with strong muscles, good balance, and an increased range of motion. Pets with sore joints or muscles or painful backs can be made more comfortable with some techniques a rehabilitation practitioner can perform (massage, joint compressions, stretching exercises).
We would love to meet your cat for a rehabilitation consultation. We can do it as part of a visit to address another issue (extra time fees may apply), or we can come specifically to do an evaluation and set up a treatment plan.
We can provide a complete exercise plan and guide you as your pet becomes more muscular and fit. Almost all pets (like everyone) could benefit from regular exercise – it is part of staying strong and healthy. We like to teach you exercises that are fun for your pet and allow you to participate actively in their healing and strengthening. Obviously, cats are not small dogs, and we often need to modify a plan that is appropriate for a dog to make it more appropriate for a cat. But cats can and do learn new tricks! Cats have an amazing capacity for healing and can recover beautifully from setbacks. Sometimes they just need a little help.
What Rehabilitation Includes
A rehabilitation consultation begins with a thorough evaluation of your cat’s mobility, muscle condition, range of motion, and pain level. Based on this assessment, we develop a personalized treatment plan that may include:
- A holistic approach to pain control — Often pain needs to be alleviated through a comprehensive medication plan before a cat will allow some of the physical interventions listed below. This may include Solensia injections, careful use of NSAIDS, Adequan injections, or the administration of opioid analgesics. Careful consideration of a cat’s other concurrent medical conditions is also needed. Everything is interrelated!
- Therapeutic exercises — Gentle, targeted movements designed to strengthen specific muscle groups, improve balance, and increase flexibility. We teach you how to do these at home between visits.
- Massage — Manual techniques to relieve muscle tension, improve circulation, and reduce pain.
- Passive range-of-motion exercises — Gentle joint flexion and extension to maintain or restore mobility in stiff joints.
- Joint compressions — Therapeutic pressure techniques that help stimulate joint health and proprioception (body awareness).
- Stretching — Careful stretching of tight muscles and tendons to improve comfort and range of motion.
- Home environment recommendations — Suggestions for heated beds, step stools, non-slip surfaces, food and water bowl changes and litter box modifications that support your cat’s mobility at home.
- Laser or acupuncture treatments may also come into play as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation program.
Who Benefits from Rehabilitation
- Senior cats with age-related muscle loss, stiffness, or arthritis — this is our most common rehabilitation patient
- Cats recovering from surgery (orthopedic procedures, amputations) — rehabilitation can speed recovery and improve outcomes
- Cats with neurologic conditions — intervertebral disk disease, vestibular disease, or nerve injuries
- Overweight cats — a structured exercise program as part of a weight management plan
- Any cat — regular exercise is part of staying strong and healthy at every age