Shelter Cat With Limp

TardisDance

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I have been looking to adopt another cat for a while. At the county shelter, there is an ad for a 1 year old, male tuxedo that is described as friendly, loves to purr, play, and best of all gets along with other cats. However, over the weekend, the ad was pulled so I figured he was adopted. Now the ad is back and it’s been updated and it says that he has a slight limp in his right leg and goes on to say that he has a knee cap that is a little loose. They said to he will likely have a limp and arthritis in his leg as he gets older. The shelter says needs to be kept slim, look into joint medication and seek regular vet care. He’s 12 lbs. now.

Is this a cat that I should steer clear of? I haven’t called or anything yet, but I’m thinking about it. A video on their social media page was posted of him playing fetch and I don’t see any obvious limp.
 

abyeb

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From the description of a “loose knee cap”, I think what they might be describing is a luxating patella. This article has some helpful information: Luxating Patella

What the article says is that cats with a luxating patella are affected to different degrees: from limping from time to time, to a severe degree for which surgery is recommended. Even more mild cases can have surgery performed, but, from what I gather from the article, it is not strictly necessary. I think, and I’m not an expert here, purely from your description, that this is not a severe degree because if he’s playing fetch, it’s probably more of an intermittent thing. And I can’t be certain that what he has is a luxating patella, but based on your description, I think that could be a possibility. For me, personally, I wouldn’t have a problem adopting him. If you’re unsure, I would recommend talking with and asking any questions you may have- to vet who diagnosed him.
 
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TardisDance

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I’m concerned over the stairs in my house. We have a 2 story house with a 2nd floor kitchen - it’s certainly not fair to a cat with a limp and could aggravate it over time. We used to feed Sango (our only cat currently) on the 1st floor but it attracted ants so we strictly feed her in the kitchen.

Still thinking about it. He’s a tuxedo, my weakness.
 

Antonio65

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It's so responsible of you to think of what it is fair to him. Keep in mind that because of this condition, many many people would steer clear of him, and he could spend most of his life at the shelter.
If you have a weakness for tuxedos, and you have seen him and you like him already, and you think you can give him a good life and all the necessary future cares for his possible issue, then I'd go and take him home.
 

kittenpetals

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My girl has a luxating patella in both of her legs, it's worse in her left leg (either a grade 3 or 4) and will need surgery eventually. I didn't know when I adopted her, if I had known it wouldn't have stopped me. She'll go through times where she's severely limping and in an obvious amount of pain, then two weeks later she'll go back to her normal. When it's not flaring up you wouldn't even know she has a luxating patella unless you looked really closely, you would notice some stiffness after resting. She also stretches her leg often to try and pop the patella back into place.

Vets will normally prescribe anti inflammatories for flares, and may recommend surgery depending on the grade and how much it's affecting them. Glucosamine is also a good supplement to help the joints. Something to watch out for though is luxating patella's can lead to a cruciate ligament rupture over time. I'm always really cautious to make sure she doesn't jump from high places or do anything to aggravate her knees.

If you've still got your heart set on him, I wouldn't let this be a reason to steer clear of him. But do keep in mind that he'll definitely need extra care and it helps to have some savings put aside for unexpected vet visits or if he needs surgery in the future. Some can live with a luxating patella all their life though with not many issues! :)
 
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TardisDance

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kittenpetals kittenpetals thanks for your insight. His ad was pulled again this morning so either he was adopted or something else was found. I'm too much on the fence to even ask the shelter.
 
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