is a low dose of aspirin safe for a cat?

Aspirin should only be used on cats that are healthy. It is used mainly for injuries and should only be done if you are able to monitor them.

Also if they have any liver or kidney issues Aspirin can cause organ failure. Being an old rescued cat it is highly likely he'll have at least one if not both of these problems.

Cats can only have 50mg once a week. Any more than this can kill them. So it is going to be pointless anyway for arthritis.

The best thing to do is talk to your vet. Here we have pentosan and cartrophen, which are 4-6 weekly injections for arthritis. They work wonders on my old cat. And I've seen it work well on dogs and horses as well.

The other thing you can try is glucosamine. Get the powder and just add a pinch to his dinner each night or as recommended on the pack if you can get a cat specific one.

Neither of these will be an instant fix but you should start to see improvement in about 4 weeks.

A good animal omega oil mix, will also help him a lot both with coat and skin and joints and muscles.

My old animals also love brewers yeast. You can pretty much get this from anywhere that sells animal herbs. I just sprinkle it on their food about twice a week, or I put a couple of tablespoons on a saucer and let them help themselves. It is high in vit b's and a lot of other things that help digestion, appetite and blood building.

No it will not make your cat bloat and explode, I have heard that so often. That is normal bakers yeast that does that.

So aspirin is a definite no for Arthritis. Ibuprofen and paracetamol will both kill cats in very small quantities. So best to have a vet check him out and discuss age friendly treatments.

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What sort of research do you people all do. Do you know the diff between heresy and science???

EXTRA::: Try the glucosamine and Omega oils in it's feed, and the brewers yeast. It will make some difference..

My father has a similar situation with a cat, after several months it has become more trusting. He has a big cardboard box outside in a quiet protected area, laying on its side with a blanket over it and some fake sheepskin in it that the cat loves to be in. It's quiet, warm, and safe. She gets in there with just her nose sticking out.

He introduced it to her by putting the feed dish just outside the opening and letting her investigate it on her own. It only took her a week to decide it was a good place to be.

Your mums "adopted" cat will also probably improve as he builds a little more muscle now that he is being fed and can spare some food for building some muscle.

No you cannot give a cat aspirin. Cats do not metabolize aspirin the way humans or dogs do, and it takes about three days for just one tiny dose to clear out of their systems. It is very easy to kill your cat by giving it aspirin. Yes, it would hurt immensely if you put a baby aspirin in his food--a better idea is to call a vet and ask what would be ok to give for pain. I have had pretty good luck in the past calling a vet's office (even though my pets were not patients) and getting answers that way. After hours you can look in your phone book for the number of an animal emergency clinic and ask the person who answers. Don't give a cat any meds ever without checking with a vet first.

If you want to give him a better quality of life, bring him to a vet so they can prescribe a medication that is safe for the cat to take. Human medications are never ok to give pets unless you are given a dose by a vet, but I can guarantee that no vet will tell you to give your cat baby aspirin. Cats are much different than dogs in their ability to tolerate different chemicals. Always, always, ALWAYS check with a vet before giving your cat any medication not marketed for cats.

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RE:

is a low dose of aspirin safe for a cat?

my kind-hearted mom recently "adopted" an old, decrepit semi-feral cat that came into her yard. he looked like he was on death's doorstep, but after a few weeks of daily food he has improved immensely in energy, resumed grooming himself (he looked like he had dreadlocks) and generally...

Of course not. You never give human meds to a pet without vet approval, for a lot of reasons.

You're right that your mom was kind to take him in, but she really should get him vet checked. It's not expensive just to be checked, and she can make it clear she doesn't have money for a lot of testing, etc. But at least he'd be able to confirm that the kitty does have arthritis and then give ideas on what would help. Since he was a stray, maybe your mom could call local rescue groups to see if they recommend someone who's inexpensive and works with strays.

It wouldn't hurt him but it may very well KILL him..NEVER EVER give human medicine to any animal. It reacts differently then it does in humans.

If you take the cat to the vet they will prescribe something for the arthritis (although in my aunts case they gave metacam which you never want to use either)...The cat should have at least 1 good checkup anyway..so make that vet appt and the vet will tell you what the right thing to do is!

In general, don't use any human medication on a cat without clearing it with a vet.

They make arthritis supplements for cats, such as cosequin:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display...

I've gotten this for my senior cat in the past.

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1/4 of a baby aspirin once every 72 hours is okay. Less if your cat weighs less than "average" (under 11 lbs or so). Other human pain relievers (specifically NSAIDs like ibuprofen) are absolutely toxic.

Cats livers take an extremely long time to break down aspirin, so if you were to give it a dose every day, the cat would likely be dead after the 3rd day.

Please see the vet though. They can offer safer alternatives to aspirin.

Yes, in small amounts, and only every 3 days. If he is old, you should have him on a glucosamine supplement to help with arthritis. A vet can get him some, and check is blood out to make sure he is healthy enough to take aspirin. He would get an accurate weight and the DR can give you the dosage