Limping cat

May 14, 2020 2:55 AM

Over the past few weeks, our cat has developed a limp, which went away after a vet visit but is now back. What's going on with her?

Oona, our 7-year-old tuxedo cat [tax], has been favoring her left hind leg for a while, frequently unable to put weight on it except on the stairs and short bursts of chasing after treats skitted across the floor. We took her to the vet, who examined her and X-rayed her but found nothing obvious — no breaks, no wounds. The vet diagnosed a probable soft-tissue injury and sent her home with two more doses of pain meds, which helped. I suppose my next step is to call the vet back to get some more medication, but I'd like to know what's actually wrong and if we should be doing something more for her.

posted by emelenjr to Pets & Animals (10 answers total)

We had a cat, Junior, who loved attention. He loved it so much he would fake a limp. We'd make a big fuss over him and baby him...the guy was in his twenties, he got whatever he wanted! My point is if you're showing great concern and affection, your cat might be playing you. ( It should be noted that we discovered the faking because he would forget which foot had the limp. It was a hoot watching him switch feet!)

The other possibility is that your kitty is healing, but not quite done yet. We've seen this happen a lot. They start to feel better and forget until they aggravate the injury. I think keeping an eye on her is good for now. If she starts refusing to use the foot at all, or has changes in eating or drinking, call your vet. Or just call now and explain what she's doing. Since they've already examined her they may be able to advise without another visit. Especially if you see a personality change, if she becomes withdrawn, defensive or lethargic, then a visit is in order asap.
posted by LaBellaStella at 3:47 AM on May 14, 2020 [7 favorites]

Ha, just looked at your cat's picture! We have her twin!
posted by LaBellaStella at 3:49 AM on May 14, 2020

Our lady cat developed a massive limp but no obvious injury and, after three fruitless visits to the emergency vet (because obviously this always happens over the weekend), her actual vet diagnosed her with a viral infection, probably a calicivirus. It took over four weeks for her to go back to normal.

Now, in our case there was shifting leg pain which devolved into swelling, so this is probably not what your cat has, but it's something to keep in mind if there is no obvious injury. If the cat is otherwise well it's definitely more probable that she's just not resting the leg enough for it to heal properly.
posted by lydhre at 5:23 AM on May 14, 2020

Triceratops gets weird horny growths on her toe pads that sometimes crack and bleed a little - when that happens, she limps. Check out her toes - there might be something subtle there?
posted by ChuraChura at 6:02 AM on May 14, 2020

My cat is old, and is not graceful, and in the last 3-4 years has injured herself twice in ways that have resulted in limps. She tore her acl (the vet could feel that it was torn) and she did something that no one knows what it is, but gave herself some kind of soft tissue injury.

In my experience there is not a lot to do other than manage pain. Maybe steroids if the vet thinks they will help, but as I was told, cats tend too "self rehab" these things on their own.
posted by Medieval Maven at 7:31 AM on May 14, 2020

Might be over obvious, but you checked her nails and foot pads? Our cat used to get in-grown nails quite often and would cause limps.
posted by RajahKing at 8:15 AM on May 14, 2020

I don’t want to scare you, but our ten-year old cat had a limp in her back leg that turned out to be caused by a malignant tumor near but not in her leg; our vet is a great diagnostician and found it pretty quickly. If it’s possible, I’d ask your vet to do some blood tests to make sure everything is ok with her system. Hoping for the best possible outcome for you and Oona.
posted by holborne at 9:06 AM on May 14, 2020

If you have a deep litter box, cats can sometimes pull a muscle in their hind legs while jumping out if the litter shifts underfoot while they're launching.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:29 AM on May 14, 2020

Response by poster: Thanks, all, for the suggestions. I took Oona back to the vet today for another look and some blood work. She's determined and has figured out how to move around on three legs, but she definitely seems to be in discomfort.
posted by emelenjr at 10:26 AM on May 15, 2020

Response by poster: Another update: The vet prescribed 3 doses of Onsior and a week's worth of Gabapentin, first at 100 mg 2x per day and now half a pill 2x per day. She was almost back to her old self for a few days after the last vet visit, able to walk normally, putting weight on both back legs. But now she's once again holding that back left leg up and limping everywhere.

We have a few more days of the Gabapentin to get through, but it's really tearing me up to see Oona unable to stand for too long before needing to sit, or for her to hide deep in a coat closet for most of the day. Fortunately, she keeps the same bedtime routine of hopping up on the bed with us and sleeping on top of my legs.
posted by emelenjr at 11:46 AM on May 20, 2020