Hello all,
 Being a cat lover I lurk here occasionally and have posted a few of times in the
past few years. I'm by no means a regular and really only lurk occasionally.
 There's a question that has come to mind recently about my current master
manipulator. Here's more than a little background.

 I'm currently staying with family (parents)and "we" have Fuzzball. The Fuz is a
female black longhair domestic who was injured at a very young age,approx 6 months.
She had to have her left rear leg amputated. She adapted very quickly and, except for
a "hopping" gait, is just like any other cat. She's quite small for her ~8-9 years, I
suspect the traumatic injury stunted her growth somehow. You would think of her as a
~1 year old cat.
 She lets everybody in the house know when she needs her left side "serviced"
(scratching and brushing) and we keep the matted hair trimmed on that side. She's
actually quite spoiled, she's the only cat I've ever seen that actually "loves" to
have her belly scratched. In addition to being an active tree climber,bug catcher and
mouser, outside she is a typical cat defending "her" territory. I've seen her take on
strays in matches that I didn't dare try to separate! She is like a weedeater. The
stays, even males, dash away and the Fuz is uninjured! Inside she plays "the poor
little injured kitty" that needs her left side scratched, for hours to make up lost
time it seems.
  Fuzzy is current on all of her shots and vet care. The one thing I worry about is
arthritis in her remaining rear leg (hip or related joints). This is a recent thought
due to my own advancing age along with hers. I have it in my right hip. The Fuz
doesn't have a choice.
 Do cats get arthritis? If so, how can I tell? Fuzzys single rear leg is doing double
duty, should I be worried about the onset of arthritis at ~10 years? I've had many
feline friends over the years but arthritis is something I've never eperienced or
heard of in a cat.

 Thanks, Tom