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  #91  
Old February 21st, 2009, 08:35 AM
jeetz jeetz is offline
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My 10 months Kitty.

I have read the complete post and am sorry for everyone who have seen their cat's go through this pain, caz I have a 10 months kitten 'KITTY' and she recently has had the same problem, therefore I can imagine how painful it is to see your cat in such a state. However few details here; my 10 months old kitty was perfectly fine till yesterday and all of sudden she started rolling on the floor and immediately I noticed something wrong with her back legs (hind legs) we were at shock first and thought that shes got a paralysis attack, but after reading this post I think I have found the cause; since my cat is not allowed to go out of the house I am assuming the cause could be an improper diet (me being careless and feeding her adult cat food since last month or so) hence rise in blood glucose, or may be some nerve damage thing. I am more then sure its not physical damage that she has suffered.

I have immediately changed her diet from Me-O (adult) cat food to Me-O (kitten) ocean fish flavoured food and few improvements are seen. I am intending to take her to the vet after few more days only if situation gets worse, but before that I am checking her diet and reading everything and anything on forums. Is it ok for me to feed her with calves liver? since it is high in B-12 vitamins?

Will update more soon.

Regards,

Last edited by jeetz; February 21st, 2009 at 08:54 AM.
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  #92  
Old March 22nd, 2009, 08:11 PM
jmob jmob is offline
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My kitty Sam of 14 yrs. just recently came down with hind leg weakness. Took him to the Vet. Did all the blood work - all was normal. We put him on Duralactin. Sam takes it well. It is an inflammatory medication -- he is still weak, but all else is normal. He eats, drinks and relieves himself. He is unable to jump up on anything high, but have built him all sorts of short steps which he is able to navigate. I have five other kitties. My concern that this maybe contagious (?). My next step with my Vet is accupuncture and look into the possibility if he may have some sort of worm. He is an indoor kitty. If anyone has any answers or have received new info, would you be so kind as to email me the info. Sam came down with this about a month ago or so.
Thanks, John.
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  #93  
Old March 22nd, 2009, 09:34 PM
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RUSTYcat RUSTYcat is offline
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John-
Where are you located? (and welcome to the forum!!!)
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  #94  
Old March 23rd, 2009, 12:59 PM
jeetz jeetz is offline
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Update....

After my previous post, I found that changing kitty's food from dry to wet (purina canned) food all the symptoms such as weak legs, rolling on the floor, staying away from us & etc etc had gone away and she looked back to normal. But once again now she has started doing the same, this is after I have switched back to the dry food (for kittens) I have not yet started feeding her adult food, shes 10 months. I have consulted a vet and he says this is normal and kittens tend to do this when they're the only one being around, she will be normal in at least 10 days, on hearing this from the vet I was kinda shocked. However I am not taking that for an ans and will be switching to purina food once again to see the results, if she feels normal again then I think I,ll take her to a different vet.

Regards,
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  #95  
Old March 27th, 2009, 03:52 PM
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Has anyone heard back from Breeee123 at all? I'm worried because she hasn't given an update on her cat and fear the worst.

The same thing just happened to my cat Dillon two days ago. She's 20 and has been so healthy so I can't imagine what has happened to cause this so suddenly! As a matter of fact I made a comment to my husband at how agile and "kitten like" she is for her age. We rushed her to the vet and her blood work showed nothing remarkable except her thyroid was on the high end of normal. The x-ray also seemed normal. Dillon isn't in any pain and although she's been sleeping a lot, she seems very comfortable. She's not eating as much cat food as I'd like but she's at least willing to eat tuna and chicken. The vet put her on cortisone thinking that she possibly has a spinal or back injury. I've tried putting her in the litter box but she hasn't gone. Dillon is my little soul mate and it kills me to see her like this. Obviously I don't have a good feeling about this. I spent most of the day with her in bed, petting her, rubbing her ears and kissing her. Poor baby.
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  #96  
Old April 6th, 2009, 01:33 PM
PeanutEmmaEli PeanutEmmaEli is offline
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Unhappy Update

I just found the link from when I posted on this forum back in December.

Unfortunately, Peanut did not get better in the long run.

Her first incident that happened in the beginning of December. After three and a half weeks of giving her medicine and keeping her under careful watch, she seemed to get better. Then the day after Christmas it happened again, this time to both of her back legs. One minute she was up on the desk eating her food, then used the litter box. I try to clean it right away, so I got out the scooper and vacumn. She made it out of the litter box but would not move away from it. I nudged her to move her along, but then noticed she was dragging both her back legs. Her tail would not move either.

I called our regular vet, and the doctor could not speak to me yet. I called other vets to see if they knew what it could be after hearing of her previous incident. Then I called the vet's office where the neurologist was, and they gave me an appointment right away. They examined her, and it turned out it was a blot clot, or saddle thrombus. Peanut isn't a tolerable cat, she kept to herself and was friendly to our family members (my husband, myself, and our two dogs) - ONLY. No one else. She normally would growl and hiss if anyone tried to come near her. The vet said we could do a ton of tests, that would not promise anything. Then there would be her rehab - extracting her bladder (helping her go to the bathroom) and other things that Peanut would not tolerate. The vet said that it may not help her either. She told us that we would need to put her to sleep.

That was the hardest decision I have ever made. She wasn't an elderly cat, she was only 3 1/2!! How could something like that happen to such a young cat? It seemed like our only choice. After reading this forum months later, I wish we could have tried something with her diet, I don't know if it would have helped though.

Afterwards, I googled Saddle Thrombus in cats and it made me understand the situation better. I hope this never happens to your cats, it was horrible.
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  #97  
Old April 6th, 2009, 02:00 PM
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I am so sorry to hear about your cat.

My co-workers cat developed a blood clot in his back leg and was in horrible pain. There was nothing to be done but have her precious baby PTS, diet change would not have changed the outcome. I do believe this may be caused by a heart defect.
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  #98  
Old April 19th, 2009, 08:26 PM
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I'm so sorry about Peanut! It's never easy!!
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  #99  
Old August 31st, 2009, 03:48 PM
jeetz jeetz is offline
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Update.....

Kitty seems to be fine, hence I did not bother returning to this thread.(Very selfish ) Anyways the latest is that my cutie pie kitty is doing brilliantly well (TOUCHWOOD) & food change for me has worked. I tried giving her the dry food a month regular and then she would show symptom's as earlier so I quickly changed back to wet food and would find that she is eating like a crazy cat and then once again she'd be fine. Therefore now I make sure that she finishes at least 2 big can's of the wet food (Purina, Me-O or anyother brand) in at least a period of 30 days.

jeetz....
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  #100  
Old September 16th, 2009, 12:50 PM
lilycat lilycat is offline
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Unhappy Help, my cat has the same symptoms...

Hello to everyone,

My cat has 8 years, i have never had a problem with her until now, i just noticed for the past couple of days that she is very weak on her back legs, the other day i was carrying her and usually when i let her down she jumps on the floor with no problem, but this time she jumped and fell to the floor, and had trouble standing up... also i have noticed that when she walks she tumbles to a side like because of weakness, also she doesn't want to eat or drink, she has lost weight and she just doesn't have energy like in the past.

I always give her ham bcz she loves it! and she always ask for ham, and i found out she had something weird (before i noticed the weak back legs) when the other night i gave her ham and she only smelled it and didn't want it... and she always does! even if she just ate her normal dry food...

i haven't seen her eating the litter but she doesn't want to eat and she is very weak!.... also i stretched her skin and put pressure on her gums to test for dehydration and she seems to be fine..

i of course am taking her to the vet tomorrow (today is closed) but i just can't figure it out!
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  #101  
Old September 16th, 2009, 05:16 PM
jeetz jeetz is offline
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Originally Posted by lilycat View Post
Hello to everyone,

My cat has 8 years, i have never had a problem with her until now, i just noticed for the past couple of days that she is very weak on her back legs, the other day i was carrying her and usually when i let her down she jumps on the floor with no problem, but this time she jumped and fell to the floor, and had trouble standing up... also i have noticed that when she walks she tumbles to a side like because of weakness, also she doesn't want to eat or drink, she has lost weight and she just doesn't have energy like in the past.

I always give her ham bcz she loves it! and she always ask for ham, and i found out she had something weird (before i noticed the weak back legs) when the other night i gave her ham and she only smelled it and didn't want it... and she always does! even if she just ate her normal dry food...

i haven't seen her eating the litter but she doesn't want to eat and she is very weak!.... also i stretched her skin and put pressure on her gums to test for dehydration and she seems to be fine..

i of course am taking her to the vet tomorrow (today is closed) but i just can't figure it out!

This is so damn heartbreaking!!
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  #102  
Old December 29th, 2009, 09:41 PM
Mer Mer is offline
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Exclamation Kitty recovered, now the other kitty has symptoms

Hi all,
New to the forum but was seeking a solution for the exact same symptoms.
Took my baby girl kitty to the emergency (xrays, bloodwork, nothing found) then to a cat specialist (extra extra bloodwork, nothing found). Specialists suggested a neuromuscular specialist or accupuncture and prescribed light steroids. I switched food, held off on the steroids hoping she'd "snap out of it".
I switched to envelope soft food instead of canned. Stuck with chicken only.
And - in a week or two, she gradually started being her frisky, jumping self! This lead me to believe the problem was ingestion or exposure related. Though, I'm still uncertain.

Now...the boy kitty has slightly weakened back legs!

I will attend to the kitty litter - that one is news to me and worth a shot.

Also - I found I have poison house plants. Philodendron and Croton and Aloe Vera. All lovely but toxic - so I'll be passing those along to friends/family. (I grew up with outdoor farm cats so the whole indoor kitty care is an entirely new learning experience).

It is distressing. I'm open to learning as much as possible to get this resolved. I hate not being able to help or fix it. So please keep posting as you try and learn anything related!
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  #103  
Old December 30th, 2009, 04:12 PM
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quincymycat quincymycat is offline
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Hey there, Not sure if this helps you, but about a year ago, one of my kitties suddenly became weakened in the hind quarters and actually became parlaysed within about 3 days. I mean no ability to stand or sit on his own. My own vet who is very knowledgeable had no idea what the problem could be and sent him to be seen by a vet neuro. He was put through a full gamut of every test imaginable (most of which you already tried) and still the neuro had no idea what to diagnose him as having. He was put on a heavy dose of prednisone and was showing improvement very quickly - within about a week. He continued on the predisone for about 6 months, with weaning dosages and so far, after about an additional 6 months, thank goodness, has shown no relapse. I believe what they finally decided on was catch all "multiple neuropathy". Not very specific, but I guess when you have a bill as large as the specialist's was - including internal med, cardiology and neurology, they thought they should have some diagnosis.
I have to admit, I have no idea about the eating litter problem though. I have never heard of it before, but as a side note, just before this happened, I had changed to clumping kitty litter about 6 months prior.
I hope you come to some resolution. I know how hard this can be for you and your kitty. Good luck.
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  #104  
Old January 22nd, 2010, 08:52 PM
Dreamstalker Dreamstalker is offline
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Hi everyone!

Our almost 19-year-old cat McGriff started acting "wobbly" today (I didn't notice it early enough to call our vet, will do so tomorrow). Initially I didn't think much of it as that happens on occasion, but as I observed him today I noticed that this was different. At times he will drag his left rear leg; other times he can walk, but wobbles. Mostly lies down (which again, is normal for his age).

He seems okay otherwise; he's eating, drinking, using the litter box (we use Tidy Cat Small Spaces clumping litter). No paleness on the gums/lips that I can notice and he doesn't appear lethargic. The weakness seems to come and go; he's been jumping up to his window seat tonight, I have a small set of kitty stairs next to my bed and he seems fine using those. It seems worse if he tries to get up from a lying-down position on the couch or bed (soft surface) or if he's been lying down for a while.

He did fall off the bed yesterday morning (went to roll over, rolled off the edge, bed is about 2 feet off the floor and he was able to grab onto the blanket and kinda slid down; I didn't actually see it happen), and yesterday I did find a turd right outside the box (that also happens on occasion so I'm not sure what the significance would be). The sudden onset of the leg weakness is just odd; he was perfectly fine last night.

I did notice last night that he seemed to be "itching" his left hind hip; I didn't see anything on or under the fur and he hasn't done that since.

Here's his list of conditions (poor guy):
Diabetes, controlled with insulin
Kidney problems, controlled with Prescription Diet k/d wet and dry (we also give chicken baby food and cooked runny egg yolk sparingly as a special treat) and sub-Q fluids 2x/week
Hyperthyroidism, he gets methimazole for that.

Last edited by Dreamstalker; January 22nd, 2010 at 08:59 PM.
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  #105  
Old January 22nd, 2010, 09:09 PM
Dreamstalker Dreamstalker is offline
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Originally Posted by smithduke View Post
The same thing just happened to my cat Dillon two days ago. She's 20 and has been so healthy so I can't imagine what has happened to cause this so suddenly! Dillon is my little soul mate and it kills me to see her like this. Poor baby.
I know what that's like. We got McGriff when I was 10, so he's almost 20 now as well. Poor guy has been through so much; hit by a car, strokes (a stupid vet who put him on a human blood-thinner medicine), diabetes, kidney failure, etc.
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  #106  
Old January 26th, 2010, 05:53 PM
Dreamstalker Dreamstalker is offline
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Update on McGriff:

The vet saw him today; they're going to keep him overnight to run some tests and also get X-rays to check for fractures, blood clots (he had reduced circulation in both hind legs), or anything else abnormal; he was very dehydrated so he'll get fluids to correct that as well as a blood thinner to hopefully deal with clots that aren't too bad.

EDIT: We had to put him down yesterday He was in severe congestive heart failure; his lungs were building up fluid, heart was throwing clots and we could see he was struggling to breathe. We saw him in a private room and he was growling, hissing and trying to claw us which he never, ever did. Even the vet said a referral to the big hospital would only put him through more pain which we just could not do. There wasn't a single dry eye in the clinic.

Last edited by Dreamstalker; January 28th, 2010 at 09:42 AM.
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  #107  
Old February 11th, 2010, 04:56 AM
Kit Kat Kit Kat is offline
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Originally Posted by Remy21 View Post
Hi,

Have you figured out anything new since you posted? My cat is having the exact same problem. He is only 10 months old and he has been healthy until the last week. At first I thought he was just imbalanced because he seemed to be swaying when he walked, he tipped over if I pet him, he tried to jump up on the table, missed, and fell on his back, etc. I thought maybe it was an inner ear problem so I brought him to the vet as soon as I noticed the problem.

The doctors at the clinic were stumped as they could not figure out what was wrong with him. They tested his glucose levels and said he doesn't have diabetes which oftentimes causes a cat's hind legs to be weak. They took x-rays and there were no bony abnormalities. He also did not have a heart murmur, his lungs were fine, and she checked out his ears, nose, and mouth which all looked fine. She said the pieces weren't fitting together and they just didn't know what was wrong with him. She said the next step would be to do a blood workup.

Right when I got home from the vet I placed my cat in his litter box because he'd been gone for a few hours and I figured he'd need to use it. After I put him in the litter box he started eating the kitty litter! He was eating mouthfulls. I pulled him out of there and put him by his food dish and he just went right back to the cat box and started to eat the litter.

The next morning I found out online that clumping cat litter contains something called sodium bentonite, and when ingested it causes cats to be weak and lethargic. For sure I thought this must be what was wrong with him. Then I started to wonder if he's sick because he's eating his cat litter or he's eating his cat litter because he's sick.

I went to the store and got the Cat's Pride brand of litter which states on the container it contains no sodium bentonite and is able to be flushed down the toilet. I read somewhere online that since sodium bentonite clogs pipes, imagine what it does to your kitty's intestines.

As soon as I filled the litter box with the new litter, my cat proceeded to eat the litter again. Since it didn't contain the sodium bentonite I wasn't AS worried, but I decided to go back to the store and get the Feline Pine brand, which is supposed to be completely safe and 100% pine, so it's okay if they ingest it, and it's able to be flushed down the toilet, etc. I haven't put the new litter in the box yet but I plan on doing so tonight.

I've read online that cats might eat their litter because they are lacking something in their diet. One source I found said that cats might eat their cat litter if they are calcium deficient or if they are anemic. I haven't had the blood test done yet so I don't know if it's either of these things. Another thing I read is that being anemic is probably caused by an underlying issue. I'm really hoping there isn't a serious problem with my kitty. I've only had him 6 months and he and my dog are best friends. I would be devastated.

I wasn't able to call the vet today and tell them about him eating his litter because they are closed. I left a message for the vet to call me back so I will be able to talk to her tomorrow.

One more thing I want to add that sounds completely crazy is that when we moved into this house 6 months ago, for some reason there was a small cinder block sitting on the floor in between the washer and dryer and nobody picked it up. I'm not sure why we just left it there but my boyfriend noticed, I'm not sure how long ago it started, that our cat was licking the cinder block. I'm wondering if maybe he does have some sort of deficiency and his eating the litter and licking the cinder block were giving him something he needs. We just threw the block outside recently and soon after is when he got sick. I'm not sure if he just started eating the kitty litter right after we threw the block outside but I've never noticed him doing it in the past. I have no idea if that makes any sense but I don't want to completely throw out that detail in case there's something important about it. I haven't told the vet about this yet because I feel kind of stupid saying I let my cat lick this cinder block for who knows long and didn't bother to throw it out.

Briana, have you ever noticed your cat eating litter? Even though his legs seem weak does he still seem alert and like everything is functioning properly except his legs, or does he appear sick overall?

Sorry this was so long but I wanted to give you as much information as possible. Maybe we can help each other along and let each other know if we find anything else out. Is there anything else you can share about your cat that might be helpful? Any similarities to my story?

Thanks!
I know this might not be any help at all, and I know it's a while since you posted, and I've only just joined, but I had a very similar problem with one of my cats. When you said you'd found of cinder block this struck a cord with me. About 5 years ago my British Blue girl - Dimples started acting strangely she didn't eat her cat litter but kept licking the fireplace where I have a woodburning stove, and also she started to come out in terrible spots on her head and her coat and muscels seemed to be withering. Anyway she had every test imaginable and nothing came up even biopsy on the sores on her head was clear - the Vets didn't know what was causing it and prescribed steroids which didn't do a thing. Until one day I was in the bathroom, and I found her licking a lump of soap which was on the bath, I kept it because it was a pretty colour, and noticed that it was well and truly 'used' but not by me. I realised that Dimples had been eating it for some time. I removed it immediately and threw it out - it was Coal Tar soap (I now know very poisonous). Dimples made an almost lightening recovery, she stopped licking the fireplace and went on for another 5 years (died this Autumn). I'd recommend getting rid entirely of that cinder block, check there aren't any more or anything like it in the house. Don't think it's the cat litter think that's a symptom. It could be an allergy. Hope this helps a bit, sorry to hear your baby is in ill.

Last edited by Kit Kat; February 11th, 2010 at 05:03 AM.
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  #108  
Old February 11th, 2010, 05:06 AM
Kit Kat Kit Kat is offline
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[QUOTE=Kit Kat;883376]Hi, I'm new to this, but something similar happened to my cat.I know this might not be any help at all, and I know it's a while since you posted, and I've only just joined, but I had a very similar problem with one of my cats. When you said you'd found of cinder block this struck a cord with me. About 5 years ago my British Blue girl - Dimples started acting strangely she didn't eat her cat litter but kept licking the fireplace where I have a woodburning stove, and also she started to come out in terrible spots on her head and her coat and muscels seemed to be withering. Anyway she had every test imaginable and nothing came up even biopsy on the sores on her head was clear - the Vets didn't know what was causing it and prescribed steroids which didn't do a thing. Until one day I was in the bathroom, and I found her licking a lump of soap which was on the bath, I kept it because it was a pretty colour, and noticed that it was well and truly 'used' but not by me. I realised that Dimples had been eating it for some time. I removed it immediately and threw it out - it was Coal Tar soap (I now know very poisonous). Dimples made an almost lightening recovery, she stopped licking the fireplace and went on for another 5 years (died this Autumn). I'd recommend getting rid entirely of that cinder block, check there aren't any more or anything like it in the house. Don't think it's the cat litter think that's a symptom. It could be an allergy. Ask your Vet to check Hope this helps a bit, sorry to hear your baby is in ill:cloud9]
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  #109  
Old February 28th, 2010, 01:16 PM
Vinny&VitosMa Vinny&VitosMa is offline
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Help for Vinny

Hello Everyone, I've just read this entire blog and am thankful to read that some of your kitties have recovered after having hind leg weaknesses. I have two cats-Vinny & Veto. Vinny, a purebread blue pt siamese who is 4 and 1/2 years old is the smartest and most friendly and loving cat I have ever known. (Veto is a great cat too, but often skiddish and moody and as healthy as a tank.) Vinny has had different health problems since the first week in our home as a tiny kitten. Most notably at 1 years old (on his birthday) he was having difficulty breathing, wheezing alot and coughing. We took him to our regular vet who quickly referred us to Vet Specialists out-of-town since his lungs were filling w/fluid. We took him there. He was hospitalized that day and stayed there in their ICU for about a week. They honestly saved him..He was in one of those oxygen tents the newborns go into! They performed every test in the book and then treated him for broncho-pneumonia with complications from asthma. We had no idea he was asthmatic! He now has an albuterol inhaler (which he never needs anymore) but is also on a daily steroid-dexamethasone.

About a year ago, we noticed the his right hind knee would pop-out when walking/running..sometime he could get it back in himself and continue on his way..other times my husband would lay him down and stretch it out..This went on for weeks..then miraculously it quit happening. We thought perhaps a side affect from the daily steroid.

A week ago on Saturday, something worse happened for the first time. He was walking beside me and just fell-down..kinda like a face-plant. He got back up himself and started hobbling. (He was just at the vet on 1/22/10 for his rabies shot and check-up. He had also had had a couple days of diareah right before the appt that we thought maybe started from a change in his food flavor (lamb to chicken). My husband had to wash his backside 2x b/c it got on his legs. That completely went away and the Vet said he looked great.)

Now we've been watching him to see if the hip-hind leg thing gets better like before with the knee. Over the past 7 days, I have been watching him. There are days where it seems like he is fine. He still jumps on the bed, couch, sink, etc. He goes all around the house and is eating/drinking fine. But then there are days when it seems like it is getting worse like today. It doesn't seem like it is the knees either but rather both hindlegs, like the hips maybe. He hasn't fallen down again that I've observed but they definitely go-out..sometimes he just stops and starts again and he hobbles..like an old man. He is still super happy, jumping on things, eating/drinking, purring but seems more tired. I also think his gums are less pink.

My husband isn't going to be game for another $5K worth of testing/treatment hence our not taking him to the vet yet (plus he has had the knee thing before that totally went away and is otherwise acting normal.) I'm going to just take him anyway tomorrow, but wanted to get feedback from you all that have gone down this path. PLEASE.
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  #110  
Old July 31st, 2010, 02:38 PM
LibbyCat LibbyCat is offline
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Cat falling over, weak hind legs

My mom's cat Libby is a Russian Blue. She is about 6 years old. She probably is a bit mixed, since her grey hair is very long and her eyes are yellow. Anyway she is a sweet cat, barely makes a peep, and has always had robust health.

A couple months ago, she started to fall over and couldn't jump up onto the bed or couch. I googled her symptoms and found this thread. Frankly, reading other cat owner's plights with similar cat symptoms, was a very scary read.

We took her to the vet here in Pembroke Pines, FL and he quickly found a tenderspot on her spine. He took a couple of xrays and found some inflammation between two of her vertebrae. I don't remember which two, but it was where the nerves divert to the hind legs. He didn't know the cause or extent of damage to the disc, but suggested an injection of a strong anti-inflammatory into the disc. He advised that to go any further would require MRI's and that nobody spends less than $5k for that process.

He gave her the injection and it took about a day for it to take effect. Happy to report that she regained her full abilities and the problem was resolved.
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Old August 8th, 2010, 10:21 AM
ske ske is offline
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Mine Too :(

I'm shocked by how many others have experienced this! It's comforting and heartbreaking at the same time.

I have a 12.5-year-old female ragdoll who has always been prone to bothersome health issues- food allergies, horrible teeth (despite several dental procedures under anesthesia), digestive issues, etc. These have been more or less manageable, until now. Last weekend, she tried to jump onto the windowsill, missed it with her rear legs, and fell. I did a double-take, but dismissed it since she's been a bit accident-prone for as long as I've had her. I did watch her more closely, though, and suspected she was maybe feeling a little stiff, but didn't get concerned until Thursday evening, when I noticed that she would take a few labored steps and then stumble or sit. She was walking on her hocks.

I took her to the vet Friday morning (actually cried in the waiting room, expecting the worst) and he did a full physical exam, urine test and bloodwork. All of this checked out normal (no diabetes), and he diagnosed her with neuropathy. He prescribed prednisolone 5mg and she has now had 5 doses over 2 days, with no visible results. His plan is to try the prednisolone for 10 days before moving on to other testing. I am, however, a very anxious pet parent, and am already beginning to feel nervous about not seeing any results so far.

Does anyone have an idea how long steroids should take to produce a result? Thanks so much for reading - I'm a wreck!
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  #112  
Old November 4th, 2010, 08:34 PM
AmberH AmberH is offline
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Is it possible they are slowly being poisoned???

Hi everyone!!!!

I'm new to the board, found it several weeks ago, bc our own cat started having symptoms of her back legs giving out. (Lassie, 1 yr old.....our kids named her bc her coloring is like the famous dog's!)

I researched the internet, and from the information I gained from this forum, and many prayers to the Lord, it appears that our kitty is completely better!! It has been several weeks now (over a month) since she has exhibited those symptoms, so I wanted to write back and share with you the good news, and hopefully help anyone else out there!! Here are the details:

Out of the blue, she started having her hind legs give out....this was hard to determine at first because she must've been so scared that she was kind of tumbling and backing into corners, and meowing....we could not figure out what was going on!! It would last just a few seconds and then she was fine. A few hours later, the same thing would happen again. She seemed just fine in between those episodes. Well, a few days went by and it seemed to be getting worse.....episodes happening closer together, however, she seemed more used to it at this point, so she wasn't as terrified, being more calm about it and we could then see what the problem was.....her back legs seeming to just fail on her. I had already talked to the vet, and they had no idea what it could be, and said they could only do a blood panel. Well, as I researched the internet and found this forum, I found that many others had gone before me....same symptoms....had the blood panel done.....and it revealed nothing either. From what I read, all the vets were completely mystified, even after doing test after test. So.....the thought of bringing her in and spending all that money only to be told that they didn't know, I have to admit didn't seem very helpful. One week later after the first symptom, she finally had a day where it suddenly began happening constantly, and lasting a long time, she was almost dragging her poor little legs behind her, and looking up at me sadly.

We were praying and asking the Lord for wisdom!!!!! (and of course healing!)
What others here on the forum had written got me thinking.....there were several things people mentioned that seemed to be in common.....one had mentioned a cat licking a cinder block, another cat licking a brick by the fireplace.....another person had changed the diet of her cat and given vitamins, and had witnessed her cat totally recover.
I started thinking about what had changed that week in our home when she began having the symptoms.....why was it out of the blue? Well, that very week, I had 1) put out my fall decorations 2) used a different kitty litter that a friend had passed on to me (one of the members mentioned her cat kept eating it)
and 3) my husband had brought home a new candle and set it out

Well, I threw out the kitty litter right away and would you also believe, my kids out of the blue came in the room and told me, "Mom, Lassie is licking on a candle!" Yes!! It was that same candle....it was in a little pot, a citronella candle. Of course I got rid of that right away, and I also changed her diet completely to canned food that day (NOTE: diet is SOOOO important for a cat!!! Our last cat was completely healed of all his diabetes symptoms by putting him on a canned food diet and taking him off the dry food....not saying that will work for everyone, just that it regulated our cat!!!!) Well, I had gotten a little lazy with our new cat, and gave her dry food occasionally, but I stopped that too.

After that day, for several days I did not see any symptoms....I was so relieved! Then one day she seemed to have a small episode. I then got rid of the fall arrangement sitting on our sofa table, bc I had seen her chewing on that, but hadn't really thought that was it. After that day, over a month ago, I have seen NO MORE EPISODES!!! THANK YOU LORD!!!!!!

I would also like to add that my husband was reading an old magazine last week (National Geographic, October 2007 issue) and he quoted to me from an article that caught his attention.......it was talking about how certain foods are poisonous to pets, and caution should be taken to make sure they don't ever ingest them....well, we've probably all been made aware of many of them.......however, regarding Macademia Nuts, it said, "Experts have yet to determine why just a few of these nuts can produce tremors, even temporary paralysis, in a dog's hind legs" WOW!!!! That sounded similar to what was happening in our cat!!!!! And the cats on this forum I've been reading about!!!! Could they possibly be slowly being poisoned by something we just don't know about?

So, whether it was the prayer, or one of those items I threw out, or all of the above, our dear kitty is all better, and happily back to her playful self!!! We are SO grateful!!!!

So, if your kitty is having the same symptoms, yes, take him to the vet, and also take some time to really think about what you have done differently since he started having problems, and/ or whether you need to change his diet too! (and pray!! )

I hope this helps some of your kitties out there!!!!
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  #113  
Old November 4th, 2010, 09:06 PM
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pbpatti pbpatti is offline
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Thank you

What a great thing you have done here, thank you for taking the time to write about your experiences with your cat regarding lameness in hind legs. I do not have kitties but you have maybe helped dozens of kitty owners that come across the forum and thread. Thank you AmberH... patti
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  #114  
Old November 6th, 2010, 09:18 PM
dicos dicos is offline
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weak hind legs

Hi, my 5yo boy Dicos has come down with weak back legs. Its been like this for 2-3 days now and it just seemed to come out of nowhere. He cant jump at all, walks slow with his hips and tail down. He cries in frustration. If you put too much pressure on his back legs he'll cry too.

Ive read all the posts and Im going to try giving him more wet food (he eats dry) and get him some liver Also gonna change out to a new litter brand. I bought a cheap variety this month b/c funds are low.

He has always had a bad habit of licking the shower curtain but never had this problem before. One of the cats, either him or his sister, had bad diarrhea a week or two ago but it cleared up and we never found out who had it. Anyway, just wanted to thank yall for all the good advice and Ill let you know how he does. Praying he is ok, he is such a good boy.
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  #115  
Old November 6th, 2010, 09:37 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Please take you cat to a vet. It could be as serious as an injury or a blood clot.
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  #116  
Old March 26th, 2011, 08:04 PM
vl356 vl356 is offline
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My 9 yr old female cat had walked wobblely and could not able to jump. I took her to the vet, the vet injected her medication, I am not satisfied because I think the med for pain is too strong. So, I use Glucosamine HCL complex (a supplement) for her, she walks well now. She walks and runs but still not jump. I found glucosamine is helpful to joint, and it is a supplement which you can get from your vet or pet store.
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  #117  
Old April 15th, 2011, 09:17 PM
vl356 vl356 is offline
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Cat jumps

My cat jumps onto Sofa today. My practice works, better than the vet. I did not check her blood and do X-rays as vet said. Since the vet prescribed the pain killer to her, which has potential bad side effect, I think that is not right. I know if joint hurts, it takes a hundred days to heal. My cat did not jump since Feb. 1, 2011. Today, she jumps again!
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  #118  
Old April 20th, 2011, 05:45 PM
catlover661 catlover661 is offline
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could possibly be cerebellar Hypoplasia, (weak back legs/wobbly)

http://hubpages.com/hub/Cerebellar-Hypoplasia basically weak motor skills, these cats are disabled in effect, and though can live long lives, do have to be "sympathetically managed with affection and understanding" because they will wobble and fall, do watch the video, it could also mean your kitten/cat wouldnt have to necessarily be put to sleep.
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  #119  
Old August 5th, 2011, 06:22 PM
Kittin la Gorda Kittin la Gorda is offline
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A CAT's WELL BEING

Hi all,

I found this post on Tuesday (today's Friday) when looking online for anything I could find to understand why my beautiful Kittin (8 year old female Chartreux, rescued 7 years ago) suddenly had weak back legs and problems walking normally and jumping.
Suffice to say the info I read here was brilliant especially those comments about and with links to issues pertaining to DIET.
Not withstanding, I took Kittin to the vet today given that, whilst her mobility improved significantly over the past few days, she had not poo'd for all these days and I was worried that she had constipation (caused by early diabetes perhaps?), or a bladder problem (but she was pee'ing ok), or a kidney problem, or worse (FIP, CKD...etc).
Vet did 2 xrays of the spinal column after feeling around to determine that whilst Kittin was evidently in pain it wasn't from kidney or spleen issues but back, maybe muscular (strain, bruised - she's very active despite being 6 kilos 13 pounds and so a little tubby).
Xrays revealed absolutely and perfectly normal spine with maybe just slight early stages of arthrosis in V2 & V3 evidenced by the tell-tale small growths from the edges of the vertebrae which is the body's way of attempting to protect itself and bind the vert's together.
Anyway, what it turned out to be (we hope) is inflammation and perhaps injury, remediable with pain and swelling meds (Artrin and Arnica) which are a trial to administer orally but...I will persist !
Constipation will hopefully pass too - at least she did **** once today (pardon my french) after coming home.
Fingers crossed that is all it is.
Having said that, I did read a LOT about diet thanks to the many many GOOD links from this forum.
I will summarize here what I read (it came from - http://www.catinfo.org) for those of you unlucky enough after me to have to try and take this all in as I did.

What causes sudden health changes and problems (often fatal) in cats?

* if we feed our cats dry food (ANY) we are doing them serious harm despite all the marketing hype, convenience, cheaper cost and typical vet's lack of good advice to cat owners regarding food and diet (not to say the marketing of the dry cat food manufacturers who fill it with wheat not meat to make $$$).
* Cats are carnivores and meant to eat meat (fur and feathers are best - so rabbit and poultry - rather than red 4 legged animal meat or fish (fish not even - see ª below)
* cats are not meant to eat grain-based dry food which lacks moisture vital for avoiding dehydration that causes kidney problems & renal problems - and bladder problems especially in male cats ; and which lacks animal protein (plant protein is often what's used and this is not the same nor what a cat needs); and dry food is loaded with carbohydrates (which cats don't need in the quantities that are in dry food (40-50% of calories come from carbs in dry food when what they really need is that level of calorie intake from protein, but sadly however as low as 5-10% of the calories come from protein in dry food - when their diet requires the other way around); and the worst is that dry food lacks moisture (water) which cats need lots of, that they do get from wet canned food (typically with 75-80% water content) but don't get from dry food (which typically has about 10% water content), and they still do not even get enough if they drink from a bowl/tap/pond etc aside; and so with all the above when combined - a diet of dry food (high carbs, low water content, low protein) - often if not most times results in diabetes (or worse) in cats....something controllable and reversible with a 100% non-dry food diet if caught early on or before signs appear !!!

It's all here...
http://www.catinfo.org AND
ª http://catnutrition.wordpress.com/20...ding-for-cats/

I hope as a summary this is "educational"...sure is something I never knew and no-one ever told me but wish they had !

Good luck fellow cat lovers !
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  #120  
Old November 4th, 2011, 06:29 PM
Cat Woman 77 Cat Woman 77 is offline
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One of my cats had a problem with her legs, she could not stand up. This happened approximately one week after her vaccination. For 10 days she was so sick that I was afraid we would lose her. I had to leave the country during that period and my mother was doing everything to help her, including calling a naturopathic doctor. The doc prescribed my cat a cleansing/detoxification drops. It helped. I will never again vaccinate my pets for anything other than rabies - and only ONCE.

Now, my other cat has a problem with his hind legs. He was given Revolution. I wonder if it had anything to do with his condition.
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