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CAT INJURY
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CAT INJURY comes in many shapes, sizes, and forms. Traumatic injuries are often the most difficult cat problem to look at and deal with emotionally. Any part of a cat's body can sustain a traumatic injury in one way or another. The following questions deal with cat injury pertaining to their legs.
My 1 yr old female cat has been limping and favouring her hind end for the past 2 weeks. She sleeps all the time. When I pick her up and place her on the floor on her feet, she crouches down into a lying position and won't move. I can make her walk a short distance, then she lies down. I have to carry her to her food - she eats then "hobbles" or walks 'gingerly' to her litter box. Then she very carefully walks to her nearest coziest destination - sometimes onto a chair, or under a bed and curls up to go to sleep. When I have checked her legs and feet, back and belly, there are no lumps or masses and she appears not to flinch in pain. She just gives me those "god I am cute" eyes and purrs. I took her to the vet this past week and after a complete physical exam including blood tests, he found nothing wrong with her = good temp/ normal blood reading/ no lumps,etc. We figure she just jumped and landed wrong, or fell from her "perch" while sleeping??? and pulled something in her back or her legs. Do you have any suggestions on this?
I am hoping that given time (hopefully) not too long, she will be back to her normal self. Of course I did read one
of your answers where you mentioned steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. Do you think this would help? Would there be any other type of meds for her to assist?
QUESTION: My Cat Bilbo, shown in the above picture, recently lifts his right leg. Have checked the leg for swelling or thorns and cannot see nothing obvious that maybe causing him to do this. Any thoughts on why he is doing this??? Warren from UK This is the time it is frustrating to be a cat owner or a cat vet for that matter. If only our pets could talk to us! Wouldn't it be great if they could tell us where it hurts and tell us what they were doing when it began? Unfortunately, we have to work without that information. Fortunately, most of the time, with good detective work and appropriate exams and diagnostics tests, we find the problem and have a solution. In both of these cases, there's certainly more than one possible cause for the cat injury. Causes of lameness in cats can include: - Internal systemic disease such as diabetes, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, cancer, etc. - inherited or acquired orthopedic problems such as hip dysplasia, displacement of the knee caps, arthritis, bone fracture, cancer, etc. In most cases, if the lameness is mild and all else is well, you can afford to wait a couple of days to see if it is a mild cat injury that is improving. If, however, appetite or other normal body functions are affected, a vet visit right away would be in order. Carol's cat has been examined by the vet and also had blood tests, all of which is very appropriate. Results were normal. In this case, Carol can afford to wait a little longer to watch for improvement. However, I would suggest that she make sure testing included a blood glucose level because the way her kitty is moving around certainly can indicate diabetes. I would also make sure the knee caps were checked carefully for possible luxation. Many cats have knee caps that slip in and out of place. A cat injury may also involve a fracture or other trauma in the hip/pelvis region which also came to mind when Carol described her cat's way of walking. If improvement is not seen, X-rays would certainly be the next step.
Meanwhile, Carol asks about medication. In case of inflammation from a cat injury involving soft tissue, or swelling around even bony trauma, an anti-inflammatory could very possibly be helpful. Do not medicate your cat without talking to your veterinarian directly for dosage, etc. Prednisolone is commonly used in cats as a steroidal anti-inflammatory. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory can be very dangerous in cats. DO NOT give your cats Advil or Tylenol or anything like that. The ONLY non-steroidal anti-inflammatory that can be used in a cat is a VERY LOW DOSE of aspirin, but only with your own vet's knowledge and advice! Aspirin, also, can be DEADLY to cats if given too often in too large of a dose. Never give more often than every 3rd (THIRD) day and never give more than 80-85 milligrams (one baby aspirin) for the average size cat.
Ingrown nails can also cause lameness or discomfort in one paw. Always check your cat's nails carefully. Warren has examined his cat, but if this is not improving I would certainly suggest a visit to the vet. Again, there are too many possibilities for anyone to say what is bothering either of the two cats without seeing them and running tests. Good luck to both Carol and Warren. My readers and I always love finding out how things work out for you. Thank you also Warren for the very cute picture! Best, Dr. Neely
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