Cat suddenly has extreme weakness in hind end and can't walk

[smithduke]

Hi,

I just registered to this site and would love to hear from others who may have experience with what my cat is going through.

My cat, Dillon, is 20 years old but is in great shape! She jumps around like a little kitten and plays with string, a little mouse laser light, etc. Her weight is good (9 lbs) and her only medical issue is that her thyroid level is on the high end of normal. Last week I noticed that she was getting a little weak in her hind end but nothing major. Four days ago she was laying around a lot and sleeping. Within a day it eventually progressed to not wanting to eat so we thought she had a hair ball. Two days later Dillon had extreme weakness in her hind legs. I rushed her to the vet and they took x-rays and did blood work. Nothing remarkable appeared on the x-rays, except the vet said Dillon's lungs looked a bit "cloudy", which is not unusual for a cat of her age. Her blood work was normal. At that time she could still walk but only on her hocks. Dillon doesn't seem to have any pain and she has good circulation in her back paws because they are pink and warm. The vet kept her overnight, gave her a cortisone injection and was prescribed Dexamethasone 5mg. Now that she's home she's gotten progressively worse. She hasn't had a bowel movement but she is urinating. Eating is "iffy" and Dillon only wants tuna or chicken. We give the medication in cream cheese which gets the pill down.
Her right hind leg is weaker than her left and she can only prop herself up slightly for a few seconds. Basically she drags herself on her right hip. I've been putting her in bed with me at night, stroking her, kissing her and making sure to give her lots of love all day long. My husband will hold her all night while watching TV. I don't think Dillon is uncomfortable except for the fact that she's very confused as to why she can't walk. Our vet said to wait the weekend for the meds to really get into her system before making the decision we've been dreading. Dillon is my animal "soul mate" and I can't stand to see her like this and I don't have much hope. Still, I'm praying for a miracle that she's just injured herself and will come around. Thanks for any thoughts you might have.

[TeriM]

I don't have any advice but wanted to send some hugs your way. If your girl is happy and not in pain then I don't think you need to super rush this decision. Give the meds a few days to work and then figure out what to do.

[growler~GateKeeper]

I'm sorry that Dillon is having some troubles

Was a referral to a neurological specialist mentioned?
Did the vet check her blood pressure?
Did the vet mention starting treatment options for the HyperT?

[smithduke]

Hi. Dillon is even weaker but otherwise she's ok. The cortisone didn't have any effect but the vet has put her on thyroid meds to see if that will help. She hasn't pooped except for a teeny bit yesterday. I did notice she's not urinating as easily and when I pick her up she "dribbles" and doesn't really go a lot while in the litter box. Hopefully we'll see a change in her strength. On a lighter note, I showed my husband a website that has harnesses and carts for disabled pets. Later that night, I hear him in the basement talking to Dillon. I went down to see what was going on and I see my hubbie walking Dillon with a makeshift harness around her hind end....my BRA!!!! Thanks for all your hugs!!!

[chico2]

Awww,there you go,hubby loves Dillon
Was she on thyroid meds before?
As far as I know,the steroids take a while to show any improvement
the pee-dribbling got also mean UTI,or just the fact she does not feel much back there,don't take my word for it,I am just guessing
My old vet said my HyperT kitty(on meds)has arthritis in his hind-legs,but my new vet does not agree.
He went from 16lb's to 12lb's in a short time,hence the loss of muscle-mass.
I hope Dillon will improve,it is so very difficult and heartbreaking when they are sick

[smithduke]

Chico,

We're dwindling down the dosage of the steroids so I really don't think they have any effect. Dillon's rear paws are pink and warm so it doesn't seem as if it has anything to do with a clot. Since she can't lick herself I've started wiping her to stimulate a bowel movement. I also gave her some Petromalt to see if it may loosen things up a bit. Dillon hasn't been on thyroid meds in the past and her first dose was this morning. I don't know how long it will take for the medication to work but I don't want to put her to sleep if there's even the slightest possibility that she can be cured. Unfortunately we are going on vacation to the Virgin Islands this Saturday for nine days. If it hadn't been paid in full, I would have probably canceled. My vet did say they will board Dillon but I haven't gotten a cost on that yet. How long did it take your kitty to feel better on the meds?

[smithduke]

Dillon