Stronger for Longer: Maintaining Muscle & Mobility in the Aging Cat

Ashlie Saffire, DVM, DABVP (Feline)

ArticleJuly 20266 min readSponsored

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When an older cat stops jumping onto the couch or seems slower to rise after a nap, many owners tend to dismiss it as “just getting old.” However, aging is not a diagnosis; it is a risk factor. One of the most underrecognized risks facing senior feline patients is progressive muscle loss. A decline in skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function can arise from aging itself, underlying disease, or both and carries real consequences for longevity and quality of life.

Treating Senior Cats Differently

Per the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines, cats are considered senior at ≥10 years of age.¹ Senior cats warrant annual wellness evaluations (every 6 months is strongly recommended) with comprehensive diagnostics. Blood pressure monitoring deserves particular attention; the most common risk factors for hypertension in cats are age and chronic kidney disease, which frequently converge in senior patients, making routine monitoring essential.²

A thorough senior examination, however, requires more than diagnostics. It requires physical and nonphysical observation.

Diagnosing Musculoskeletal Pain

The Physical Examination

Pain assessment should come first in every senior physical examination. Gentle handling is imperative, and the veterinary team should try to anticipate the need for analgesia before beginning the examination, and special care should be taken around the elbows because they are commonly affected in senior cats. Diagnosis of musculoskeletal pain relies on 3 complementary pillars: history, palpation, and imaging.

The Nonphysical Examination

During an examination, the veterinarian should take time to watch the patient move. The patient should be allowed to walk freely while their gait is observed, and they should be encouraged to jump or step down from the table. Hesitation, a shortened stride, or reluctance to jump can reveal more than a static physical examination can.

Home videos are also valuable; they can surface abnormal movement patterns a single clinic visit can miss. This matters because mobility decline in cats is frequently bilateral, meaning affected cats may not limp. Cats are adept at concealing discomfort, so caregivers are often unaware their cat is in pain.^3,4

The veterinary team should ask targeted history questions at every senior visit:

Mobility around the home: Do they still navigate stairs? Use the cat tree?
Activity level: Are they still engaging with favorite toys?
Sleep patterns: Any night waking? Increased daytime sleeping?
Social behavior: Changes in vocalization or interactions with people or other pets?

Scoring What You See: Body & Muscle Condition Score

Two tools should be applied at every examination: BCS and MCS.

The WSAVA BCS scale runs from 1 to 9, with 5 representing ideal. A BCS of 6/9 is associated with the longest survival times in middle-aged cats, whereas a BCS below 5/9 has been associated with reduced survival rates and a BCS of 7 to 8/9 carries high risk for chronic morbidities.⁵

MCS grades muscle loss from normal to mild, moderate, or severe through palpation of the spine, scapulae, skull, and wings of the ilia.⁶ Critically, a cat can carry a normal or even elevated BCS while experiencing significant muscle loss because body fat masks sarcopenia on visual inspection. Always palpate, always score, and always investigate downward trends.

Understanding Muscle Loss: Sarcopenia, Cachexia, & Frailty

There are 3 overlapping syndromes that could be impacting feline muscle loss:

Sarcopenia: Age-related muscle loss not associated with disease, leading to declining strength, reduced physical function, shortened lifespans, and poorer outcomes in both humans and companion animals^2,6,7
Cachexia: Muscle wasting in the presence of underlying illness, driven by hyporexia, inadequate nutrition, and a negative protein-energy balance^2,6,7
Frailty: A syndrome of diminishing functional “reserve,” reduced resilience to stressors, and increased susceptibility to health problems^2,6,7

Addressing Sarcopenia: Nutritional & Supplemental Strategies

Nutrition in the aging cat is highly individual. Protein requirements increase with age.^1,8 Healthy senior cats should receive 1.5 to 2× their adult protein needs, restricted only when medical necessity demands it.

Marine-sourced omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) offer strong synovial anti-inflammatory effects. Beyond joint health, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid have also been shown to promote muscle protein synthesis and attenuate age-related muscle protein breakdown, a benefit relevant to sarcopenia management.^2,9,10

A compelling area of research involves ursolic acid, a naturally occurring plant-based compound found in sage, rosemary, lavender, and many other herbs and berries. Published studies document its ability to promote skeletal muscle mass and strength at the mRNA level, supporting mobility and muscle function.¹¹

URSOLYX® Soft Chews for Cats: A First-of-Its-Kind Option

URSOLYX® Soft Chews for Cats from Virbac is a first-of-its-kind feline supplement formulated with ursolic acid, bringing targeted muscle support directly into clinical practice.

A 2025 feline safety study evaluated oral ursolic acid at both 1 and 5× the recommended dose over 28 days. Hematologic, serum chemistry, and urinalysis parameters were largely unaffected; no treatment-related adverse effects were observed, and body weight remained stable, confirming it is well tolerated in healthy cats.¹²

In a real-world field study, 71 cats owned by veterinary health care professionals nationwide received 1 soft chew daily over 60 days.

82% of cats showed improvement by week 8, with improvement noted as soon as week 2.
81% of owners reported improved quality of life and improved interaction with human family members.
76% of cats showed improved ability to rise from a resting position by day 60, a meaningful marker of mobility in aging cats.¹²

Proactive Care Is the Standard of Care

Sarcopenia in aging cats is not inevitable. By consistently applying BCS and MCS scoring, observing senior patients in motion, asking better history questions, and incorporating evidence-based nutritional strategies early, veterinary professionals can meaningfully improve both the quality and duration of life for feline patients.

Care should be tailored to both the cat and the caregiver. Senior cats should be treated differently, and veterinary teams should act early and give these patients’ muscles the same attention the rest of their health demands.