Cat Limping - What to do?

[Baz84]

Heya,

So I have a dilemma.

Cat: Maine Coon. 1.5 years old.

Over the past few days, when I tried to comb my cat – whenever I opened his legs, he would scream and get violent – I thought it might be PTSD from the past where he got diarrhea and I was cutting the “poop” out and then washed him (this happened a while back). Today I noticed he was limping on his right leg.

So… I know Maine Coons are susceptible to hip hyperplasia… but I think he’s too young for that and it’s too sudden. My other suspicions are either 1- Rough play with my other cat – maybe got bit and has cellulitis/swelling (can’t tell – cat furry and he’ll yank me if I tried to investigate – will try again tonight). Or 2- He likes to jump – so maybe fell and bruised his hip.

I called the Vet and they told me, they can’t tell (obviously) until I bring him in. If they do an xray – it’ll instantly cost AT LEAST $350 for a basic xray (without sedation fees) + vet exam cost. Now I don’t want to be an irresponsible or awful owner… BUT OMG my out of pocket cost for my mammogram was cheaper than that!! To top it off that grain-free wet food they eat almost costs more that my own food.

So I’m in a pickle. I just don’t know what to do. Get a heated bed and monitor him for a few days? Give him pain medication? Take him instantly to the vet and then figure out how to pay for it? Any warning signs to watch out for? Advice? He moves - but not a lot. I don't think I've seen him run yet - anyway to tell if he broke vs bruised his legs/hip?

Thanks!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi since it's been several days plus he is now limping which means it's getting worse, my suggestion is to get him to a vet.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Sadly for your finances, I agree with Furballsmom . It does seem to be getting worse, not better. And I've seen dysplasias show up in young animals before, especially very active ones. IF this is what it is, sooner seen is best.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

If it is congenital hip dysplasia, it's likely the first signs would be in the first year or two of the animal's age -- it would show up as he experiences his growth spurts. I am not familiar with hip dysplasia per se, but I am with congenital luxating patellas, which my cat had. She began to show signs of this at age 10-14 months. One day she seemed fine; the next, all heck broke loose with one of her knees; the second knee began having issues about a year later. So, I do not think your Maine Coon is "too young" to show symptoms of something congenital. He could also have some sort of injury (not congenital). Either way, I'd recommend a vet visit and x-rays, esp. if he hasn't improved after 2-4 days of limping.

 

[LTS3]

Don't give your cat any pain medicine unless the vet specifically prescribes it. OTC pain medicines for people (Tylenol, etc) are toxic to cats. There are no OTC pet pain medicines.

If the leg was broken, the cat wouldn't be able to put any weight on it. A cat with a soft tissue injury would still be able to walk with some limping.

I would schedule an appointment since the earliest appointment likely won't be in a few weeks or so (vets are booked solid these days). If the leg issue improves before the appointment, you can decide whether to cancel the appointment or bring the cat in anyways to be checked out.

One of my cats did something with her back leg awhile ago and limped around for a couple of weeks. The vet was made aware and since there isn't anything one can do for soft tissue injuries, all I could do was monitor the limping. My cat couldn't jump so I made "stairs" with sturdy boxes so she could get on the bed. The leg healed on it's own and my cat is back to normal.

 

[Baz84]

So my original vet has no appointments for the next 1.5 weeks. I'm taking him to another vet that has an appointment tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

My cat continues to limp - but he still JUMPS!!! That's a good sign I think. I'm trying to stop him from doing that - very hard. I'm supplied him with a heating pad when he sleeps... but my other cat is a super jealous cat and continues to tease my Maine Coon when I give it extra attention. Anyway we'll find out tomorrow

 

[Furballsmom]

I copied this from a site article, just in case there's anything that might be of use, along with the embedded article that's linked through the "enough resources: hyperlink;

...What you can do is make sure you offer enough resources for them to share. They should not have to compete over space, food or water. Make sure there are enough litterboxes (one for each cat and then another one for good measure). Provide enough food dishes (one per cat) and let them decide who uses which dish. Invest in more space by creating cat-friendly vertical space in your home. In short, minimize potential friction and let the cats work out their differences.

There's this article too;
How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats) – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Mamanyt1953]

What did the vet say?