by Tonya
(Little Rock, AR USA)
I have a question to post in regards to my 15 year old male neutered domestic shorthair cat, Larry. Approximately two months ago, my cat started behaving differently….still very sweet and purring but his tail dropped and has never lifted again at the same time he began to limp on his right back foot.
He always twitched his tail when I was near his food bowl….he is quite a squeaker too. Anyway, we took him straight to the vet, described the behavior and the vet gave him a shot saying oh, his tail has been injured….well, he is an inside cat and I can’t recall any instance that his tail would have been injured.
Still hoping that he would get better eventually. We’ve stopped his jumping (as best we could), and after several weeks, we returned to the vet (with the same complaint) and the vet did a blood workup only to find out he has a fatty liver….yes, he is a large cat and has been on Hills W/D prescription diet for the last four years without much success.
My vet likes to refer me to another vet ($$$) that will charge a referral fee around $80 just to see the pet and then proceeds to run a battery of tests (CT Scans; Ultra-sound; MRI, etc) that cost a small fortune only to tell us what the original vet has already told us…..i.e., he has a fatty liver and he is old.
My question is what would cause my cat to suddenly start limping and why won’t any of the vets listen to me and look at his spine,? It appears that he has lost all feeling in the back right foot and his muscles are beginning to atrophy. I am at a loss here. Has anyone experienced similar health issues in their cat?
Tonya
Hi Tonya.. I hope some of the regular visitors can help. In the meantime I’ll do some research…Here goes. Being an indoor cat perhaps the only way Larry could have caused damage to his spine if his tail was trapped in a door as he darted through it. Apparently this is fairly common. You would know about this though or anyone living with you would be able to help if it happened when they closed the door. It is possible he could have fallen after climbing and damaged his spine. But you know Larry’s habits so can discard these things if they sound unlikely.
On the basis that Larry’s tail was not trapped in a door or that he suffered an accident causing injury, and on the basis that you know best (and I believe you do) in that he has a spinal cord problem, I will list the possibilities as set out in the Cat Owner’s Home Veterinarian Handbook. This is a very good book.
Rarely spinal arthritis can cause weakness in the limbs (and it causes pain). It is seen in older cats. It is called spondylitis.
I do not think it is a spinal cord infection.
Tumors of the spinal cord are not uncommon. Pressure from the growth damages the nerves leading to weakness and paralysis. An X-ray (myelogram) will assist in diagnosis as will MRI and CT scans. Treatment is chemotherapy.
An incorrectly placed injection can cause temporary nerve paralysis.
Protruding discs are common in older cats but rarely cause paralysis and weakness. Ruptured discs are “primarily seen in cats over 15 years of age.”
Arterial thromboembolism can cause limb weakness or paralysis.
His age may give us a clue. In other words if he has not injured himself the cause may be age related. This puts us in the bracket of disc damage and perhaps a tumor.
I will put the question out to 600 Facebook followers and cat lovers and see what they say. But these conditions are not that common I think so we may not get a good response.
Good Luck to you and Larry.
Michael
I forgot to add; When my cats are looking punkish, I “snap” their neck to look for dehydration. Pull the loose skin up about and inch and let go. If it goes down immediately, it is a good sign. If it is slow to return to normal, not so good. He most likely has some dehydration. Two things you can do; get him to a vet and have the vet run a few tests and administer some subcutaneous fluids into him. Or, you can add Pedialyte to his water and see how he does.
The other thing I also do is, give my cats a B-12 shot. Most people don’t have access to injectable B-12. In this case, I crush a B-12 tablet and dissolve it with warm water. Try to syringe it down his throat. Use a syringe after the needle has been removed. B-12 promotes appetite and energy.
Also watch for changes in fur. When fur starts to lose it’s shine, normal texture (smoothness), generally a sign something isn’t right within their system.
Mar: Sadly, like humans, our babies get old and infirmity sets in. I think it is often harder for us to accept our cat’s health is failing than humans.
Some of the symptoms sound like he either is suffering from arthritis or has some degenerative nerve issues. You might try palpating the area around the hip joints, lower legs and just above the tail along the spine to see if he reacts to pain. VERY GENTLY try to extend his hind legs. Cats have a remarkable ability to not show pain, so you have to be very observant of any reactions. If he shows ANY discomfort, stop immediately. Most likely if he responds to the stress, he has some old age issues setting in.
The behavior issue may be a response to pain. As Michael suggested, possibly kidney issues. You really need to have a vet look at him to rule out any kidney problems. Cats can go down in a VERY short time from kidney disease.
I am NOT a vet, nor am I dispensing medical advice. I am suggesting things I have learned to do and have done on my own cats. I did however, study 2 yrs at a vet med school when I was working on my Masters in Psychology. Basically the CNS in cats compared to humans. And brain size/intelligence compared to humans. Trust me, if cats had a brain the size of humans….we’d be in soooooo much trouble. 🙂
Good luck with your baby Mar. I will say a prayer for him and you.
Thanks Izzy for your input.
My cat is having the same problem. He is a rescue cat which I adopted when he was approximately 1 1/2-2 years of age. I figure he is about 14-15 years old. He has been an indoor cat since I adopted him. Two months ago he had a cleaning & then a week later his distemper shots. He had been throwing up some so the My Vet told me to get him started on lysine chewable a because he has the feline virus.
About a month ago his behavior started to change. Now I see he is not picking his tail up anymore. It just sort of hangs downward. He is a very kind obedient cat & used to be a good jumper and would like to look outside the window. We would run around almost every evening before bed. Know his desire to look outside has decreased, he no longer plays but maybe for 1 minute & our before bed running is no longer. His hind legs seem limp & thinner around the tail where it meets the back spine. I’ve been crying in & off for about a week. I really don’t want to lose my boy. He’s been a wonderful family member, friend & companion for me. He was always quite a talker & greeting me when I her home. He doesn’t talk so much & rarely meets me at the food when I get home.
All the stuff I’ve read so far makes sense. This has been helpful. I am so very sad & disheartened.
Any input is welcome.
Thank you from me Mare & HArley my boy.
Hi Mare, I am sorry to hear your story. I know how you feel. We get very connected to our cats after a long time together and it is painful to see them ill. To me (as a layperson) Harley symptoms maybe age related as he is elderly. He may have some underlying health issues such as poor kidney function combined with viral infection. Some cats react badly to the distemper vaccine but these symptoms appear to be too late to be linked to the vaccination about 7 weeks ago. There are many reasons for vomiting (see page).
The virus may make him feel lethargic etc.. It seems he is ill and old together causing these symptoms. I can’t shed more light on this. I sense it is a combination event and complex therefore. My best to you both.