Cat Behavior Change Has Me Confused

[Mimi527]

My cat Faye Faye is about to be 2 years old in April and she’s always been a nice timid girl just not very cuddly. She has luxating patella and our vet didn’t think we needed to jump straight to surgery cuz we caught it when she was 4 months old and it wasn’t bad and have been treating her with physical therapy and lots of supplements and she does good and even plays with our newer kittens a decent amount. Lately she has become extremely cuddly, and vocal. She’ll follow me around demanding constant attention and she’s never done this before. I’m worried she’s either hurting and trying to tell me or some other thing caused her behavior to shift so suddenly. I love my baby and I love the attention, I just don’t want anything to be wrong. Should I wait a few days before I take her to the vet?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Could she be feeling better? Is she walking the same as she was before?
Is she eating, drinking and using the litterbox ok? If these things are normal, you can probably wait a bit

 

[rubysmama]

If only cats could talk, right?

Here's a TCS article titled 35 Signs That Your Cat May Be In Pain that might be helpful.

 

[Mimi527]

Hi!
Could she be feeling better? Is she walking the same as she was before?
Is she eating, drinking and using the litterbox ok? If these things are normal, you can probably wait a bit

Since we have four it can be extremely hard to tell but she’s definitely seeming much more affectionate. Which st first my thought was she’s feeling okay, but this is the weather that makes her hurt more so I was kinda torn. Maybe I’ll put her in her iso room (she loves it, away from the kittens and the biggest kitty. She doesn’t share food or anything and get lots of cuddles. That way I can see if all else is normal.

 

[Furballsmom]

That's a great idea, let us know how things go

 

[Mimi527]

That's a great idea, let us know how things go

So I did end up taking her to the vet about a week week after the behavior change because my vet had told me that typically the changes she showed weren’t negative; however about two weeks later I had noticed her going in her carrier, hiding more, nipping st me, and then all together not eating.

Based off the inflammation and symptoms they believed her Luxating Patella was no longer something we could manage with just supplements and hydrotherapy. We tried pain meds for a week and she shaped right up. The vet picked out a longterm medicine that I inject her with initially twice a week for a month then weekly fora month and then monthly.

She has improved a lot and honestly my husband and I are so happy, we’ve never seen her so playful and happy even as a kitten. Which makes me sad because she had been in more pain then we thought. At least all is well now.

 

[Furballsmom]

At least all is well now.

This is wonderful to hear!!

 

[Furballsmom]

She has improved a lot and honestly my husband and I are so happy, we’ve never seen her so playful and happy even as a kitten.

This is the important thing, and bless your heart for being so in tune with her. I think there's no real way to know for sure if she was hurting more in her previous years, or simply not able to get around as well, plus you had the information from your vet.

But here, you were so sharp-eyed and sensitive to what she was telling you in these past days, --I'm just incredibly glad your baby has you!!

 

[rubysmama]

I'm glad the vet was able to provide a treatment plan for her that has made a difference. Sending vibes for continued pain-free days for your dear Faye Faye.

 

[Animal Freak]

I don't want to be pessimistic and I don't mean to question your vet, but I must admit I'm a bit confused. My dog was diagnosed with luxating patella as well. She has it in both back knees, one worse than the other. Did your vet explain what the medication is doing to help your cat? I won't say I'm an expert on the matter, but I've done a fair amount of research into luxating patella and I'm not sure what medication can do for a shallow kneecap. Though if there is something that somehow helps, then that's great too and something for me to keep in mind for future reference. I just haven't heard of it.

And please be careful. If your cat is in frequent pain because of luxating patella, that would suggest it's at grade 3, if not grade 4. At that point, it can create more problems. I know I'm putting off surgery for my dog as much as possible, but it rarely bothers her. She's not in pain on a daily (or even monthly) basis. I hope to get it fixed before it gets to grade 3. This is an issue that usually gets worse with time though.

Even if I'm completely wrong, though, I'd love to hear about this medicine your vet has you doing since I'm sure I'll have to step up and do more for my dog eventually.