Nutramax Laboratories Cosequin Joint Health Supplement for Cats - With Glucosamine and Chondroitin, 55 Capsules

I hope my (long) review helps those who are trying to help their cat with FIC issues. YMMV, but here are some things that helped us. All of them came from Amazon.Glucosamine is one of the things that seems to be helping our cat with his chronic irritable bladder (Feline Idiopathic Cystitis) issues. He's almost 8 and he had problems with improper urination for several months (peeing on hard surfaces in the house). He was clearly in pain and avoiding his litterbox except when pooing.His old vet said he has crystals, just give him special food for life. That food has a lot of corn and other ingredients he couldn't tolerate and it made him throw up. So, second opinion time. His new vet said nope, he does NOT have crystals, his labs are all clear and his bladder X-rays are clear, so it's probably FIC due to stress (our other cat has been quite ill, probably a source of stress). So, they gave him pain meds for a week which helped a bit, then gaba liquid instead of the pain meds. That also helped but was difficult to give via syringe. The vet then gave him gaba capsules (easier to split in half and sprinkle in food) for two weeks. At the same time, I started putting these Glucosamine capsules once daily in a liquid snack (the more water intake, the better).For the first time in about 4 months my cat seems normal again. He's been off gaba meds for 3 weeks now and has only been taking these Glucosamine capsules since then. So far, so good. I believe these helped, though breaking the pain cycle was very important too, as is increased hydration. I'll keep giving him these because he's doing well on them and a breeder told me they're also helpful for kitty arthritis, which my cat is at risk for.Some other things we've done: Hydration is crucial for cats, especially those with FIC. Our cat is one of those stubborn dry food eaters who hates wet food. I've been trying for years to find a wet food he'll eat. I've tried putting all sorts of sprinkles in his wet food to tempt him to eat it. The combo that worked for him is a bit of freeze dried chicken crumbled into Wellness Complete Health wet food - I can usually get 2-3 ounces of wet food in him a day by feeding him this. I also give him wet snacks like Hartz Stews or Squeeze-ups or a bit of Gerber Chicken or Turkey baby food to help further hydrate him and also hide his meds. Those are low-calorie snacks, mostly moisture.I also tried to get him to use a water fountain - he hated it, plus many are hard to clean. Instead, he likes his new extra-small low stainless steel Catit bowl (it sits in a plastic base of some sort) much better than the fountain or his old ceramic water bowl. He'll lay by the Catit bowl like he's laying by a pond, lol, and drink water more often than he used to.Also, we have several tall-sided litterboxes (number of cats + 1) that are filled with scent-free litter and are scooped daily. We also started using a sprinkle of Dr Elsey's Litter Attractant in them. The cats love that stuff and they often go use the litter boxes shortly after I sprinkle it in. It smells a bit like sweet earth to me.Still, I believe the turning point for our cat was the gaba + glucosamine. Four long months later and finally kitty feels good again. Now he's just on glucosamine and he trots off to his litterbox like it's no big thing instead of peeing around the house, thankfully.

These seem to be good quality. I take glucosamine for my own joints, so I make sure to have it for my 13 yr old cat, who still jumps up and down from the cat tree, bed, etc!

Our 20 year old cat gets this every other day. He does not notice it disguised in his wet food. It sprinklesout of capsule and seems to be no change in taste for him. He still runs and jumps around the house (not as much as he used to, he is 20 after all) and seems comfortable enough. Reasonable price to keep my sweet cat out of pain and moving.

These are a good supplement for cats with joint pain. I started giving this to my cat when it got old and was having trouble jumping up and down on stuff. I followed the instructions and within about a month my cat seemed to be in less pain. Before I started these he had stopped climbing completely and now he'll jump up and down on the couch and other short distances. He is still old and these do not make him act young again, but I am happy with what they have done for him. I just wish I knew about these when he was younger so I could have prevented some joint problems he is experiencing. I think these are best for preventing problems, but they have helped him get better instead of worse.I don't like the powder capsules. I wish there was some other way to give him the supplement besides mixing it with wet food. I never really fed him wet food, but I started giving him some for the supplement. Your cat won't mind the extra treat, but it is something else you have to buy and keep around. There are other ways you can mix it with dry food, but I did not find this too effective.Overall this is a good supplement and it's worth giving it too your cat if you think he is having some joint problems. It is also good for younger cats that don't have problems so they will not develop them in the future. It's just kind of a pain and takes more time than a usual feeding with dried food. This would not be a problem if you already like to use wet food.

Our cat was 14 and having trouble getting around, we started emptying one capsule in her wet food per day.Improvements were seen within 2 weeks and as treatments continued our cat was getting around as well as in previous years, was able to jump and climb again.The cat is 16 now and still getting around good and has maintained the ability to go where she pleases.Our cat responded well Cosequin so based on my experience I would recommend trying it.

My 19 year old cat takes this and it helps her. She seems more peppy (more energy) and jumps on and off the bed. Good stuff.

Great for my 15 year old cat. I take the medicine out of the capsule and mix it with her food. I’ve been giving her this for sometime now and she is moving so much better. Doesn’t seem to limp as much.

Bought these for my 17 year old cat. Really helped her get around and be comfortable.