One leg is sticking out when cat sits

[lemcat]

Could this be sign of arthritis?
Should I go ahead and give Dasuquin to it?

I was thinking of going to the vet but the checkup would cost money and they might say give Dasuquin anyway which is what I'm thinking of doing.

 

[fionasmom]

We can't diagnose your cat; however, a leg sticking out could be from a lot of reasons and, to be honest, I have had arthritic pets whose legs did not stick out. This could be a lot of other issues and you probably need to see the vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. A whole lot more information could be helpful - not to mention a pic of his position. How old is your cat, does he go outside, are there other issues that might suggest arthritis - such as limping, having trouble jumping up to/down from places that he used to do with ease? How is he doing otherwise - as in eating/drinking/litterbox use/playing? Why do you suspect this might be arthritis?

 

[StanAndAlf]

Dasuquin won't help if the leg is dislocated. Or there if is a cyst under the skin pushing it out of position. A photo would be very helpful, a vet visit even more so.

the checkup would cost money

Yes. It would. But unfortunately for you, that is the agreement you knowingly entered into when you accepted this cat into your home. You have an obligation to treat it with respect, meet all its needs and when it is sick or injured, seek the required professional treatment. I don't mean to be blunt, but I work in the veterinary industry and I have seen far too many owners neglect their pets because they didn't want to pay for a consult because they thought they knew what the vet was going to say.

My own neighbour let their dog deteriorate from kidney disease because they believed the vet would tell them to PTS. When they finally took her in, the vet diagnosed the kidney disease but it was then too late to treat. If you seek help now, and it turns out to be nothin gof significance, then all the better. But if you wait, and the cat ends up needing its leg amputated because it's past the point of saving, that is going to cost a whole lot more and totally unfair on your pet.

 

[lemcat]

If it doesn't need an amputation how much would it cost to heal a dislocated leg?

 

[ContentEar96]

If it doesn't need an amputation how much would it cost to heal a dislocated leg?

Usually there is a base cost for a check up at the vet which you can call and ask for. After that they must ask your consent to do it if it costs money. They will tell you the options and the cost and you can even choose to do nothing if you want to do more research beforehand(unless it's emergent)

 

[lemcat]

Hi. A whole lot more information could be helpful - not to mention a pic of his position. How old is your cat, does he go outside, are there other issues that might suggest arthritis - such as limping, having trouble jumping up to/down from places that he used to do with ease? How is he doing otherwise - as in eating/drinking/litterbox use/playing? Why do you suspect this might be arthritis?

She's overweight at 16.5 pounds

 

[lemcat]

Dasuquin won't help if the leg is dislocated. Or there if is a cyst under the skin pushing it out of position. A photo would be very helpful, a vet visit even more so.


Yes. It would. But unfortunately for you, that is the agreement you knowingly entered into when you accepted this cat into your home. You have an obligation to treat it with respect, meet all its needs and when it is sick or injured, seek the required professional treatment. I don't mean to be blunt, but I work in the veterinary industry and I have seen far too many owners neglect their pets because they didn't want to pay for a consult because they thought they knew what the vet was going to say.

My own neighbour let their dog deteriorate from kidney disease because they believed the vet would tell them to PTS. When they finally took her in, the vet diagnosed the kidney disease but it was then too late to treat. If you seek help now, and it turns out to be nothin gof significance, then all the better. But if you wait, and the cat ends up needing its leg amputated because it's past the point of saving, that is going to cost a whole lot more and totally unfair on your pet.

We had her annual checkup a few days ago and if I mentioned it then would that then be just part of the checkup?
I just forgot about it and remembered only after the checkup that I should have mentioned it and have them check what's wrong with her leg.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If it doesn't need an amputation how much would it cost to heal a dislocated leg?
We had her annual checkup a few days ago and if I mentioned it then would that then be just part of the checkup?
I just forgot about it and remembered only after the checkup that I should have mentioned it and have them check what's wrong with her leg.

Unless she is demonstrating other mobility issues, which you haven't mentioned, I cannot imagine how this would be a dislocated leg. And, if the vet actually did a thorough physical exam, they would have likely noticed a dislocation when checking her over. But, had you mentioned it to the vet, it wouldn't have cost any more just for the vet to take a look. If they found something of concern, then it is possible that would have cost you more money - for example, an x-ray. You always have the right to decline any testing recommended by a vet, but for something like this, I wouldn't know why you would.

 

[Willowy]

Does she just sit funny, or do you see other signs of an issue, like limping? Does she ever sit normally?

 

[lemcat]

She just sits funny. I don't see any limping.
The first time I noticed her sitting like that was a few months ago, around the time when we switched for a couple months from Fresh Step (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZK3NN1M/?tag=thecatsite) to a pine litter, and I thought the change of litter made poop stick on her behind and I thought she was sitting funny to prevent her behind to make uncomfortable contact with either another part of her body or the floor.

Anyway on the last vet visit a few days ago, they shaved the behind area.

When I tried to do it myself before, sometimes I was successful and snipping away the main poo clumps but other times she would run away.​

It would be so much easier to clean its behind if the cat was willing to go into a small bath tub. I tried that once but it just tries to get out immediately.​

If I were to have got her used to being bathed from when it was a kitten, would it be ok with being bathed?​

We got her when she was a few months old.​

 

[FeebysOwner]

If I were to have got her used to being bathed from when it was a kitten, would it be ok with being bathed?We got her when she was a few months old.

That really varies by cat as to whether they ever get used to bathing. Probably the younger one would start the better the chance. But, really most cats do not need whole body baths - perhaps show cats, but most others not so much.

How about using some hypoallergenic unscented wipes to see if that helps any? You could start using them right after you have her free of any matting and see if that might either stop the matting or at least reduce it. You could also just place a towel down for her to lay on, and use a soft wet baby wash cloth, followed up by a dry one just to get her semi-dry. That would less traumatic than trying to place her - or, even just her behind - in a small tub/vat of water. It might also encourage to clean herself, just to lick off the extra moisture left on her behind.

Her being overweight might be one of the reasons she doesn't clean herself better, btw.

 

[StanAndAlf]

Now that more information has been given, no, it doesn't sound as though it is dislocated.

Just to clarify my previous post, I was not saying that she does have a dislocated leg, merely that it was a possibility and an example of something that would not fix itself with some arthritis medication.

Now that you have mentioned she is overweight, it may be possible that she sits funny because it is uncomfortable for her to sit normally with the extra weight. It will also be contributing to her arthritis. Have you talked to your vet about a weight loss plan?

 

[lemcat]

The Vet said if she gains extra weight she could recommend special food for diet.

But the vet also said that the cat didn't gain any more weight compared to her last checkup.

We've been feeding it just whenever the plate is empty.
These are the three food we give:
Blue Buffalo Wilderness: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003J1RRV2/?tag=thecatsite
Muse Canned Wet Food: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016Z4VUIA/?tag=thecatsite
Feline Dental Treats

There are some times when she asks for the Dental Treats. There would be some Buffalo food left in the place but she makes a sound for food, and on those occasions when I give the dental treats she eats them.