Why I stopped giving my cat Solensia arthritis injections

A cautionary “tail” for pet owners, and tips on what to do before your pet starts a new medication

Nikki Hess
11 min readApr 29, 2024
Manny Halloween Cat after returning home from his annual exam at the vet. Photo credit: Nikki Hess

Our story begins in October, which is usually my favorite month, full of spooky fun. But this time, to heck with Halloween — the scariest thing was, I had no idea how close I’d come to losing my soulmate kitty Manny.

Earlier in 2023, I’d noticed that Manny had started to get a little cracky and creaky. I’d hear the cracks and pops when he’d get up and walk around after a long snooze. I wondered if he had arthritis, which wouldn’t be uncommon for a 12-year-old cat, and made a note to talk to our vet about it at Manny’s next annual appointment.

In August at Manny’s annual vet visit, as always, I asked for the works. Blood work, fecal test, urinalysis, physical exam. I always request those tests yearly to keep an eye on Manny’s health. And I mentioned Manny’s creaks and cracks to our veterinarian.

She examined Manny, much to Manny’s chagrin, and over the sounds of him howling at top volume, as he always does during vet visits, she explained that he did have a little arthritis in his back legs.

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Nikki Hess

Writer, content creator, & the human behind Manny Halloween Cat. Founder of Cat Lady Academy. Energy-sensitive neurodivergent introvert. www.nikkihess.com