Cat with leg issues? Maybe pinched nerve?

[Moonlight_wolf]

Hi, I just recently moved in with some people and one of the cats that was previously at the house has a weird thing that’s been going on with his leg.

He occasionally will kick/thump his leg like a rabbit and bite and lick it as if it is bothering him. He will also sometimes run around and bite and lick it as if it is bothering him. It’s not super frequent but it is consistently the same leg. We were thinking it could be a pinched nerve or something making his leg feel tingly and weird.

The leg thing has been going on for quite a while, at least a couple years.

The current owner of him is too poor to take him to the vet but we are working on changing his ownership so we can take him to the vet but in the mean time I wanted to see if any of you guys knew what could be going on with his leg.

 

[Mr. Meow]

Does the cat have fleas, dry skin, or patches of missing hair (which could be ringworm)?
Are you able to get some pictures of the leg he keeps biting at? With limited information and not being able to see the cat/leg, we're at a bit of a disadvantage.
I agree that transferring ownership and taking him to the vet is a good idea, especially if an owner is unable to afford the costs associated with owning a pet.

 

[di and bob]

Because it is consistently the same leg and over such a long time, there is a good chance it is nerve damage, possibly from a fall when he was a kitten that damaged his tail or back. The problem is it could be a lot of things, from muscle spasms to arthritis to birth defects and you won't know until he is seen by a vet and it is brought up. You might get some supplements that help with nerve health or arthritis symptoms and try that to see if it helps. It may be just a nervous habit too, you never know!

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

Thanks guys! Yeah there isn’t anything that looks wrong about the leg. There is no hair loss or any wounds or anything. Yeah we are hoping once the transfer of ownership happens then we can bring him to the vet and figure out what we can do to help him. It doesn’t seem like anything that’s detrimental for his well-being because he still runs and plays normally. Just occasionally it seems to bother him. But maybe I will look into some supplements that help with nerve pain or something just in the mean time.

Thanks!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

We had a dog when I was a child who got frostbite on his feet. He would act just like you describe this cat with one of his legs/foot. I have no idea if you live in cold country, but if you do, I guess it's possible that at one time he was outside too long and got frostbite . Or it could be something else entirely.