Score Cat Arthritis Monthly: 5 Items, 0-3, Max 15

Feline arthritis is scored, not guessed. Five items, each rated 0 to 3, added into a total out of 15, filled in once a month on the same day. A rise of 2 points or more from the previous month is the line where most vets want a phone call; a rise of 5 points or any single item at 3 is the line where the cat gets seen within 7 days.

The 5 items, scored 0 to 3 each

Item 1 is jumping up: onto a chair, a windowsill, a counter. Item 2 is jumping down, which is the harder direction for a cat with sore elbows. Item 3 is stairs and any change of level, including a sofa to floor drop. Item 4 is grooming, specifically whether the lower back and the base of the tail still get cleaned. Item 5 is the litter box and resting position: does the cat stand to urinate, miss the box, or sleep in one spot for 20 hours. Each item gets 0, 1, 2 or 3, so the sheet tops out at 15.

Anchors, so two people score the same cat the same way

Item	0 points	1 point	2 points	3 points
Jump up	lands on 80 cm surface, no pause	pauses 2-5 seconds	only reaches 40 cm	will not jump at all
Jump down	2 clean landings out of 2	1 of 2 is clumsy	uses a chair as a step	slides down or cries
Stairs / levels	up and down in under 10 seconds	slower, 10-20 seconds	1 step at a time, 20-40 seconds	avoids stairs entirely
Grooming	coat clean to the tail base	1 small mat	3 or more mats, dandruff	greasy coat, overgrown claws
Litter box	squats, covers, exits normally	stands to urinate	misses box 1-2 times a week	urinates outside box daily

Score what you saw in the past 7 days, not what the cat managed on a good day 3 weeks ago. Watching 2 minutes of video at feeding time is more reliable than memory.

Why monthly, and why the same day

Arthritis in cats moves over months, not days, so daily scoring produces noise and weekly scoring produces fatigue. Once a month, on the same date, at the same time of day, gives 12 data points a year and makes a 2-point drift visible against a stable baseline. Score before breakfast, when the cat is stiffest, and score after 10 minutes of activity, and write both numbers down; the gap between them is often the first sign that matters. Keep the sheet on the fridge or in the phone notes, one row per month, 5 numbers plus the total.

Reading the total out of 15

A total of 0 to 2 with no item above 1 is a normal older cat; keep scoring and change nothing. A total of 3 to 6 usually means early disease and is the point where a 30-day trial of home changes is worth doing: a ramp at 30 degrees, a step at 20 to 25 cm, a litter box with an entry under 10 cm, food and water raised 5 to 10 cm, and 2 beds in warm spots at 22 to 24 C. A total of 7 to 11 means the cat has measurable limits and needs a vet visit within 30 days, plus a pain plan. A total of 12 to 15, or any single item at 3, means a visit within 7 days.

What a change in score means

A 1-point change is inside normal variation and needs no action beyond a note. A 2-point rise over 1 month, confirmed by a second sheet 7 days later, is worth a call. A 3-point rise over 2 months, or a new 3 on any single item, moves the cat from monitoring to assessment. Scores also fall: a 2-point drop after starting a prescribed pain plan is the evidence that the plan is working, and it should be recorded with the date it started, because the effect of most arthritis plans is judged at 4 to 6 weeks, not at 3 days.

Home changes that move the score

Ramps beat stairs for cats: a 30-degree ramp to the sofa is used far more often than 3 steps. Litter box entry should be under 10 cm, and the box should be 1.5 times the cat's body length, with 1 box per cat plus 1. Food and water at 5 to 10 cm above floor level reduce neck and elbow flexion. A heated bed at 22 to 24 C is used more than an unheated one. Non-slip runners on wood floors are cheap and change how far a cat will walk; most cats with a score of 5 or more stop crossing a slippery 3-metre hallway.

When to call the vet

Call within 7 days for a total of 12 or more, any single item scoring 3, a 3-point rise in 2 months, or a cat that has stopped using the litter box. Call the same day for sudden hind limb weakness or dragging, a leg that is cold below the knee, open-mouth breathing, or a cat that has not eaten for 24 hours. Sudden paralysis in a cat with heart disease is an emergency, not a flare of arthritis, and the window for treatment is measured in hours.

Raising or lowering the level of care

• Raise to same-day emergency: hind limb paralysis, cold limb, pain that blocks urination for 12 hours.
• Raise to a visit within 7 days: total 12 or more, a new 3 on any item, weight loss of 5 percent in 2 months.
• Hold: total 3 to 6, no item above 2, home changes in place, rescan in 4 weeks.
• Lower to a 3-month sheet: total 0 to 2 for 3 consecutive months and no change in body weight.

The first month, step by step

1. Score today and photograph the cat standing and walking for 10 seconds each.
2. Add 1 ramp, 1 low-entry box and 1 warm bed this week; note the date next to the score.
3. Weigh the cat monthly on the same scale; 0.3 kg on a 4.5 kg cat is a 6.7 percent change.
4. Rescore on the same date next month and keep both sheets.
5. Bring 3 months of sheets to the visit; a trend beats a single number.

Pain medication, including NSAIDs and gabapentin, is by veterinary prescription only, because cats clear these drugs slowly and the safe interval depends on kidney and liver values. A cat being worked up for arthritis often needs the urine and kidney checks described in the urine culture guide, and vaccine timing can share the same visit via the titer check. Household products that can poison a stiff cat unable to jump away are listed in the toxin lookup.

Frequently asked

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