My cat has super high shoulder blades suddenly.

jylbert

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
3
Purraise
1
So my 2yo outdoor tom, Bubsies, showed up with really high shoulder blades about 2 weeks ago. He’s never had this before. It looks like his back is broken but he walks, acts completely fine! Shows no pain or lameness that I can tell and is still friendly (most of my friendlies get standoffish when injured or unwell).
Since cat shoulders are attached by muscle, is it possible he tore his muscles and they are balled up by the blades?

Here are some pics to hopefully help.

6BF538C7-3DEE-43EB-B020-75143A5BCA31.jpeg image.jpg 515C7975-2F1E-4183-AF47-15DAD8DAD1FD.jpeg BEF56976-60A2-45AB-A6D2-F310EE51960E.jpeg 28CAD3D4-75C1-4738-B6D9-399870DA9000.jpeg
 

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,582
Purraise
22,958
Location
Nebraska, USA
That does NOT look like shoulder blades to me, it looks like a huge abscess or a tumor. Please bring the poor thing in before it bursts, I know this will be hard, call your local humane society and see if they can loan you a live trap, or help you, or ask the vet. If it came on suddenly I would bet it is an abscess, but it looks like it is unable to burst, it HAS to be painful, cats are so good at hiding pain......please keep us informed.....
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

jylbert

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
3
Purraise
1
That does NOT look like shoulder blades to me, it looks like a huge abscess or a tumor. Please bring the poor thing in before it bursts, I know this will be hard, call your local humane society and see if they can loan you a live trap, or help you, or ask the vet. If it came on suddenly I would bet it is an abscess, but it looks like it is unable to burst, it HAS to be painful, cats are so good at hiding pain......please keep us informed.....
I have palpated and even did a needle aspersion because I thought it was an abscess but nothing came out. (We vaccinate our goats/cows with vet oversight so I keep medical supplies, penicillin, needles, etc onhand).
I can actually feel his shoulder blades at the hump area. He does not recoil when palpated just enjoys the pets.

Any other ideas?
 

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,582
Purraise
22,958
Location
Nebraska, USA
Boy, that is a tough one......SOMETHING happened, it must be an injury then. He most likely would need an xray. Could a vet be persuaded to come out and observe, palpate him? I would at least show those pictures to a vet and see if they have seen it before. Maybe someone on this site has seen it, I sure haven't!
 

fionasmom

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Jun 21, 2014
Messages
13,125
Purraise
17,358
Location
Los Angeles
I was going to go with abscess, especially after viewing one pic in particular, but now it does sound really confusing, especially since you are more set up than most people to deal with animal medical issues. But, yes, I think that a vet has to see this, one way or another. This is not ticking any boxes for me....if it were some massive orthopedic/neurological injury you should be seeing some reaction. My only other guess, (and I am punching way above my weight here because I am not even sure that this is possible), is that some injuries which might deaden a nerve might allow for him to allow seemingly painless touching which does not rule out an injury underlying the condition.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

jylbert

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
3
Purraise
1
Thank you both! I will see what the vet says!
 
Top