Photo of a woman (Cecilia Ley) sitting outdoors in the sun with a cat on her lap.
Photo: Lisa Chröisty, SLU

On the road to a better life for cats – where is today's osteoarthritis research heading?

News published:  12/12/2025

Over the years, cats have gone from “anonymous” barn animals to beloved family members. Today, they are our most common pets and—like humans—cats are living longer than ever. Knowledge about age-related diseases is therefore increasingly important, not only for a long life, but a good one.

Age in itself is not a disease, but osteoarthritis, which primarily affects older individuals, can cause significant suffering for many older animals and humans, Cecilia Ley begins.

The dead are teaching the living

With a background as a veterinarian and pathologist, focusing primarily on feline diseases, Cecilia Ley has spent many hours in the autopsy room over the years. By examining animals that have died from various diseases, new understanding and knowledge can be gained and benefit those who are still alive.

“The dead teach the living” is an old latin saying, and by performing autopsies on animals, we can gain greater knowledge about the origin and development of diseases. This may sound unpleasant, but it is important for understanding disease processes, says Cecilia Ley.

Knowledge about osteoarthritis, which affects cats and humans as well as horses, dogs, and other animals, has been aided by this type of work. 

Join us on our journey, and where the researchers hope we are heading  →

In brief: How joints and osteoarthritis work

The cat's body (just like the human body) has many joints that enable movement. A rigid skeleton is hard and immobile, but when two parts of the skeleton are joined by a joint, mobility is created. There are different types of joints. For example, elbow and knee joints are hinge joints that can be bent and stretched, while hip joints are ball-and-socket joints that can rotate in circular movements.

In osteoarthritis, mobility in the joints deteriorates because the tissues that make up the “flexible” part are damaged and/or broken down. Changes in the joint tissue mean that the joint cannot move as freely, but also that affected individuals may be forced to avoid movement due to pain.  

The Osteoarthritis journey: From start to a better cat life 

When we started this journey more than 10 years ago, our initial focus was on understanding how the tissue in a diseased joint differs from that in a healthy joint, specifically in cats. Where in the joint do we see changes, and what characterizes them? Is osteoarthritis in cats similar to that described in other animal species and in humans?

Therefore, the research began with examinations of sick, deceased animals that had been autopsied, with a particular focus on the joints that are often affected by osteoarthritis (e.g., knee, elbow, and hip joints). In addition, the cats were examined using computed tomography (an advanced form of X-ray), a method that was then chosen for the following work on osteoarthritis in living and otherwise healthy animals. 

Combining studies on live and autopsied cats provided a valuable opportunity to understand the different stages of the disease's development, says Cecilia Ley.
The second part of this research has focused on using the knowledge we gained from our previous work to look for connections between osteoarthritis, inflammation, and the composition of the cat's body (bones, fat, and other soft tissues) – what we call body composition.

Results presented further down.

Photo of an indoor cat meowing with its mouth open.
Same cat – multiple questions: During the second phase the researchers managed to combine two different research projects on osteoarthritis in cats, which meant that the cats participating in the research on body composition and osteoarthritis were also examined for movement patterns and signs of pain. Photo: Lisa Chröisty, SLU

This work has been both important and time-consuming, involving a large number of examinations. 

We need to be sure that we are studying enough joints and animals to be able to draw conclusions that are not based on chance, but reflect real correlations, says Cecilia Ley.

Cats at risk and the dream of targeted treatments

In humans, researchers have observed that there are different types of osteoarthritis, which can be linked to various underlying conditions, such as obesity:

So, naturally, we became curious to find out whether the same applies to cats, says Cecilia Ley.
Photo of a cat eating from a food bowl placed on a table, the subject is backlit.
Osteoarthritis can have many underlying causes, such as previous (joint) trauma or an incorrectly developed joint, but a cat's weight and body size may also be significant factors. Photo: Lisa Chröisty, SLU

By CT-scanning cats, the research team has not only been able to evaluate osteoarthritic changes in the cats' joints, but also calculate the cats' body composition, i.e. the composition of the cats' bodies (bone, fat, and other soft tissue).

The results show that there is a correlation between body fat and osteoarthritis in cats, but we also see that the size of the cat plays a role. Osteoarthritis was more prevalent in large cats with increased body fat than in smaller cats, says Cecilia Ley.

Important information: Since there are currently no drugs that cure osteoarthritis in cats, dogs, horses, or humans, treatment primarily involves symptom relief, such as alleviating pain and inflammation.

Since osteoarthritis is a complex condition, where several different factors can influence its development, it is important that we learn more about what these are, so that we can eventually avoid or slow down the progression of the disease, Cecilia Ley continues.

With this knowledge, it may be possible to not only apply the brakes, but the right brakes, for each individual cat. But that knowledge does not come by itself: for every bit of funding, every hour of work, and every effort made to learn more about feline osteoarthritis, the journey has gradually moved forward.

So, where are we heading now?

On track, but where are we heading?

It has taken many years to get to where research on feline osteoarthritis is today, and collaborations with other researchers are very important. And the journey is not over yet, if Cecilia can decide:

It is not always easy to motivate research funders to invest in cat research when there are so many other important issues, such as how to secure food production or prevent outbreaks of acute infectious diseases, says Cecilia Ley.

Yet she is ready to continue working on behalf of all the cats, people, and other animals who suffer from the physical and painful disability that osteoarthritis causes for many. That is why the track is being built with the goal of:

  • Investigate changes at the molecular level: To gain a deeper understanding of what happens and drives the disease processes in joint tissue. Next in line for investigation is the joint capsule, the tissue that holds the joint together.
  • Find even more causes of osteoarthritis in cats: Although it may sound far-fetched, there are indicators of a link between chronic kidney disease and osteoarthritis, for example. Links between osteoarthritis and other conditions that affect cats may be important to investigate further, both for the sake of the cat, but also to make comparisons with osteoarthritis in humans, for example.

Exploring lessons between animal species would be a dream for the future:

Here at SLU, for example, we have a leading research group in osteoarthritis research in horses. In many ways, horses and cats are very different, but their bodies also handle similar stresses when, for example, jumping from a high height (cats) and over various terrain and obstacles (horses). It would be exciting to explore collaboration and knowledge exchange, says Cecilia Ley.

Most research is funded by large research councils and foundations, where researchers can apply for grants (money/funding) and the projects deemed most important are selected. 

Would you, as a private individual, also like to influence which research projects are carried out? If so, you can donate funds via the “Sällskapsdjurens forskningsfond”. The fund gives private individuals, companies, and associations the opportunity to contribute to research into diseases that affect dogs and cats. Are you interested in having the money go to a specific project? Please write a note about this in the transfer/Swish message.

It is also possible to bequeath gifts to cat research. If you would like to know more about how this works or have any questions or concerns, please contact asa.formo@slu.se. 

Take home for cat owners

Practical tips for cat owners from veterinarian and researcher Cecilia Ley:

  • Keep an eye out for symptoms that are not necessarily lameness: A cat with osteoarthritis is more likely to show symptoms through a gradual change in behavior, which can be misinterpreted as the cat “getting old.”
  • Understand the complexity of the disease: Osteoarthritis can develop for many different reasons (e.g., as a result of previous trauma to the joint, wear and tear over time, or due to abnormal joint development) and often develops gradually.
  • Daily exercise: Just as overloading the joints can be harmful,  an overly inactive lifestyle can also cause health problems for cats. Joints need exercise and weight-bearing activity to stay healthy, so it is  important for owners of indoor cats to understand the value of some daily exercise for their cats’ joints.

Photo of a woman (Cecilia Ley) sitting outdoors in the sun with a cat on her lap.
“What keeps me going is how important it is that we keep expanding our knowledge, both now and for future generations, to protect animal health so that all living creatures can be as healthy as possible,” says researcher Cecilia Ley. Photo: Lisa Chröisty, SLU

About Cecilia Ley's osteoarthritis research on cats:

  • Has been ongoing since 2013, in several sub-projects.
  • Funding includes Agria and SKK Research Fund, Maj Johnson's Fund, and the “Sällskapsdjurens forskningsfond” at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
  • Focuses on understanding disease mechanisms in osteoarthritis.
  • Cecilia Ley is a veterinary pathologist, researcher, associate professor, and lecturer in veterinary pathology (the study of diseases in domestic animals) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). She collaborates in her research with other researchers:
    • Charles Ley, veterinary radiologist, associate professor, and and researcher in veterinary diagnostic imaging at SLU.
    • Åsa Ohlsson, researcher in molecular genetics at SLU
    • Anna Bergh, professor of animal nursing with a focus on veterinary rehabilitation at SLU
    • Sara Stadig, specialist in canine and feline diseases and former doctoral student at SLU, now working at Falköping Small Animal Clinic
    • Emma Strage, associate professor and researcher in veterinary clinical pathology with a focus on diagnostic methods, at SLU
    • Pernilla Hägg, veterinarian and assistant professor of pathology at SLU 

What we know today about osteoarthritis in cats:  

    • Many cats are affected, but in most cases no underlying cause can be found.
    • Osteoarthritis can easily be overlooked, partly because cats are masters at hiding pain, and partly because the symptoms can be difficult to interpret.
    • Common symptoms in cats include behavioral changes and withdrawal. In severe cases of osteoarthritis, cats may become more reluctant to move and may also begin to limp.
    • The disease develops over time and is often diagnosed at a late stage.
    • Some joints are more affected than others. For example, we have seen that hip and elbow joints are often affected, but osteoarthritis is also common in other joints such as knee joints and  joints in the back.
    • It is most often detected in older individuals, when the condition is more severe.
Would you like to read more about Cecilia and her research? Click here

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