Young Cat Hip Problems

mayabear

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Maya just turned six a few months ago has a hip problem (on top of asthma :(). She's getting x-rays on Friday, but whatever it could be doesn't sound good. Seems like nothing hip related is an easy fix. I'm kicking myself because I noticed something wasn't right a year ago and during vet visits (she saw them enough!) I asked them to look at it and they said it was fine. I don't think they were really looking for something, and probably not the hips. Plus sedated it would probably be hard to get a real response when examining her. But I should have pushed harder to check it out more. She just gets so stressed at the vet and has to be sedated to do anything. And her other problems were top of the list.

She's not limping but once in a while I'd notice her back leg seemed a little weak when she jumped on things. But since she was jumping on things, tops of doors, even, and the vets didn't notice anything, and she gets so worked up at the vet, I guess I just kept an eye on it. I noticed that sometimes when she sat in loaf position she seemed to have one hip higher than the other, but it wasn't until just yesterday it was a lot more noticeable. I know, I know, cats hide pain very well...which is why I'm so worried and sad.

If it's something really serious (please, God, no 🙏) I'll never forgive myself because it could have been treated earlier if I just got it checked out sooner.

But I know worrying doesn't do me any good and I should just wait to see before getting all upset, but it doesn't seem like there's any hip issues that aren't serious. She's only 6...😭😿
 

FeebysOwner

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Some cats get arthritis sooner than others, Maya could be one of them. It could even be partially caused by some previous injury that no one even knew about or that didn't seem to be a big deal at the time. If it is arthritis, there are an abundance of options out there to help improve the affected joints and slow down deterioration. Glucosamine, chondroitin, green lipped mussels are all used by humans for arthritis and can be given to cats for the very same reason. A lot of cats are on these treatments and for the most part they help a lot.
So, wait and see what the x-rays show before getting too concerned.

Ask your vet about something you could give her to 'take the edge off' before heading to the vet since I am gathering that she isn't sedated until she gets there and doesn't enjoy the trip beforehand either! There are calming products on the market that can help, but not all of them work on all cats, so you would probably have to do some experimenting with different ones to know - and likely don't have the time to try before her x-ray appointment. One such product is called Bach Rescue Remedy, which are drops you can rub into a cat's ear to help calm them before a vet visit. You can do an internet search on cat calming products to see what you might be interested in trying in the future.

Don't fret too much before the x-rays, and please keep us posted!!
 
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mayabear

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Some cats get arthritis sooner than others, Maya could be one of them. It could even be partially caused by some previous injury that no one even knew about or that didn't seem to be a big deal at the time. If it is arthritis, there are an abundance of options out there to help improve the affected joints and slow down deterioration. Glucosamine, chondroitin, green lipped mussels are all used by humans for arthritis and can be given to cats for the very same reason. A lot of cats are on these treatments and for the most part they help a lot.
So, wait and see what the x-rays show before getting too concerned.

Ask your vet about something you could give her to 'take the edge off' before heading to the vet since I am gathering that she isn't sedated until she gets there and doesn't enjoy the trip beforehand either! There are calming products on the market that can help, but not all of them work on all cats, so you would probably have to do some experimenting with different ones to know - and likely don't have the time to try before her x-ray appointment. One such product is called Bach Rescue Remedy, which are drops you can rub into a cat's ear to help calm them before a vet visit. You can do an internet search on cat calming products to see what you might be interested in trying in the future.

Don't fret too much before the x-rays, and please keep us posted!!
Thank you :) She gets gabapentin before going to the vet. I've tried many types of calming products--feliway plugs in every room even though I don't think they do anything, Feliway calming spray, bach rescue remedy, Jackson Galaxy, some other kind of stress tincture I can't recall the name, different types of calming treats, listening to calming cat music before the trip, Xanax...but really the only thing that has been successful is Gabapentin. But, one capsule doesn't do anything. Today I gave her one at 2 am and one at 9 am for an 11:15 appointment. I meant to give her one earlier, not 2 am, but I fell asleep. It's probably a good thing though because they were barely able to get blood from her as it was. She's a blob at home but the adrenalin shoots through the roof and really the only thing that has worked is giving her 2 capsules at one time, but I've gotten mixed opinions from vets about whether or not that's safe given her small size.

Hopefully it's nothing serious. I have to stay off the internet because I read stories about cats having to have their leg amputated. Cannot deal with that for my baby!
 
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mayabear

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Turns out she has patella luxation. Apparently rare in cats, but that’s Maya...indoor only city cat gets heart worm, then has a condition rare in cats...puzzling everyone all around with inconsistent symptoms.

I am going to get a second opinion from a specialist and start Dasuquin in the meantime (per the vet). This vet could not explain why one side looked like it hurt more than the other so if anything, want to have that checked out again. ::sigh:: thank goodness for pet insurance.
 

FeebysOwner

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I am glad at least you found out what could be the problem - and happy to see you will be getting a second opinion too!

Here is a link to a host of previous threads from members whose cats have/had the same condition, just in case information in any of them might be helpful to you - and, it also lets you know you are not alone!! It is a wide range of posts, so please don't just focus on the less positive ones.

Search Results for Query: luxating patella
 
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