Cats can’t speak and so can’t tell when they are in pain or suffering or tell what exactly happened and give their health history for that matter. If your cat started limping all of a sudden, then it would it should raise some alarm.
Limping is most probably caused by damaged muscles, joints, damaged skin or even nerves.
If your starts limping and there is no evidence of injury, then it would be prudent to monitor it for a day or two, and if it persists, then it would be to visit a veterinarian.
If there is serious injuries or trauma, then visit a veterinarian as soon as possible to prevent further rapid injuries.
We have discussed some of the major causes of why my cat may all of a sudden start limping.
These are some of the symptoms you should spot on your cat-
- Sudden loss in appetite.
- Limping and unusual behavior and soiling the house.
- Lack of sleep, we know that cats treasure their sleep.
- Some degree of lameness, fever, hard breathing and breathing changes.
- You may notice some swelling on the affected parts.
- If your cat is having trouble bearing weight.
- The sound it will produce such as yowling.
If the symptoms are significant, it is advisable that you visit a veterinarian as soon as possible.
But some limping is as a result of damage of soft tissue like a strained muscle which may heal in a day or two.
But if limping persists for more than two days, it is wise to get an X-ray and check the extent of the damaged tissue.
These are things you are advised to follow if you noticed this symptom:
- Minimize the cat’s normal activities such as jumping, running or playing around with people or other cats.
- Ensure your cat gets enough rest and is not being disturbed.
- You are also advised to be cautious since a cat in pain can harm you through scratching or biting.
Reasons for limping in cats
Arthritis
Arthritis is a disease which can cause lameness and other mobility issues in cats. Arthritis is not a broken bone or a wound; it is harder for cat owners to recognize the disease since it is not a visible disease.
Cats do feel the effect of arthritis when walking they feel pain when they try to perform this function.
Cats reduce the activities when they are affected by this disease.
Arthritis is a common loose hip and patellar luxation a dislocation of the knee cap for a cat surgery is required to manage the pain
If your cat is suffering from arthritis or the cat has reduced the activities, you need to visit a pet doctor the veterinarian to plan and develop the treatment plan of how to help the cat and how to reduce the pain and inflammation to the cat.
The cat should be fed with an appropriate diet which can help relieve chronic diseases.
The cat should be given supplemented foods with omega-3fatty acids which help the cat feel better and more comfortable.
Ingrown toenails
Ingrown nails are not visible, but they can cause the cat to limp.
For cats with long shaggy hair if they avoid scratching might be having arthritis caused by ingrown nails
The treatment is to take the cat to the veterinary to remove the ingrown nail and then the cat will be given antibiotics, and the wound will be cleaned and flushed
Neurological diseases and cancer
Neurological diseases are not common in cats but they can cause limping in a cat-like lumbosacral disease or degeneration can cause pain
Intervertebral disc is a disease which can occur to any part of a cat either the neck or tail of a cat and can cause similar disease of cat unable to move.
This requires a surgeon to treat this disease
Cancers such as tumor can cause the cat to be lame and unable to move
Outdoor Dangers
The cat can encounter the unexpected dangers when playing outdoors such it might get hurt or get pinned on the leg are cut on the legs when they walk on spikes or sharp edges.
Treatment is to take the cat to the vet so that the wounds to be cleaned and to be watched over until the wounds are healed.
No pet owner is happy when her cat is in pain, we all love it when our cats run, jump around and linger on to us so that we can pet them but if this is not so, we feel lonely.
That’s is why we recommend that you take optimum care of your cat and visit a veterinarian regularly for check-ups and vaccinations.
Remember, a happy cat a happy owner!
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