my cat is walking funny...

Hi Jem,

Wow, kitty's potassium level is very low!!!!!!!!!!! It's no wonder kitty was (is) walking on her hocks.............potassium is related to muscle function and if very low potassium, the muscles are weak.

Did Vet not seem concerned about this? My old CRF kitty had an additional condition (rare, called hyperaldosteronism) that caused her to have chronically low potassium and high blood pressure .........and even then, the lowest was about 3.0 (she was on potassium supplementation). 2.8 is dangerously low. As potassium helps muscles function, the heart is a muscle and low potassium can obviously impact the heart, too.

Not only should Vet be wanting to investigate why potassium is soooo low, but starting kitty on immediate supplementation, wow.

BUN is elevated (on your list, it's referred to as UREA), that shows kidney function. I don't see the Creatinine level - was it done? It's possible that kitty has a high Creat level, therefore kidney issues.............and long term kidney issues can cause a real loss in potassium, too....because the kidneys have lost a lot of their ability to 'concentrate' the urine........they pee more and pee out more potassium.

Are you positive you typed the correct potassium level?

Low potassium is called "hypokalemia" and here are some articles for you to read on it:

http://www.bestfriendsvet.com/pdffil...emiaCatsWa.pdf

http://www.petplace.com/cats/hypokalemia/page1.aspx


Although the "normal range" for various lab tests can vary somewhat from lab to lab, they're generally consistent...............and the normal range for potassium in a cat is about 3.5 to 5.1........so you can see, 2.8 is horribly low.

When my old girl's potassium became low, due to the combination of her CRF and her Hyperaldosteronism, she'd have a lot of hindleg weakness, she'd walk on her hocks, she'd have trouble climbing into the litterbox, she'd have little energy, she'd get very constipated and she just didn't really want to be picked up (I'm sure all her muscles were sore!).

Is that ALL of the bloodwork your Vet had run? It's amazing a Creatinine level wasn't done.............that's a much more accurate indicator of kidney function than BUN (Urea)......I notice no liver enzymes were done, thyroid level not done.

Hi -- Yes, the potassium level is correct. I only listed the items that were either "hi" or "low." Her T4 levels were all okay. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I left my copy of the blood work results on my desk at work! I will be sure to call the vet's office on Friday (after the thanksgiving holiday) and press for answers about kidney function.

This is going to be a long process! Thanks again for your attention.

Can I start feeding her bananas in the meantime to get her potassium levels up?

I hope your cat feels better.
I see the bun is a little high.

Hi,

Some more stats for those who are asking:

Yes, a Creatinine level was recorded: 1.2 mb/dL
Her T4 is 2.9 ug/dL ("normal" range is 1.9-4.8, according to my sheet provided by the Vet)

Bela is kind-of on a hunger strike now. I did buy some commercially produced raw food that she won't touch, but my other cat loves it. Bela will eat "people" food. I've been mixing tuna with some of the dried cat food.

I have an appt. next week to have blood work done again. May try to move that appt. to later this week.

Thanks!

Cats have a "fight or flight" reaction while under severe stress (such as being at the vet) so the blood sugar reading may not be totally accurate. A better test for diabetes is to see if there is sugar spilling into the urine.

Also, steroids can cause diabetes, but normally, once the steroids are discontinued, the diabetes can resolve on it's own. However, if your cat was "limping" before the steroids, my guess is that the damage has already been done if diabetes is the diagnosis. The limping is caused by nerve damage from not receiving the proper amount of nutrients to the muscles and they (as well as the nerves) begin to atrophy. This is what makes the cat limp - they can also have sensations like burning, itching or no feeling in their paws whatsoever, depending on the amount of damage.

Ask the vet to check for sugar in the urine more so than glucose in the blood. It's a better test for cats.

Yes, thank you for that reminder about testing the urine again as well. Thanks to this forum, I insisted that the vet take a urine sample when the first round of blood work was done. Sugar was high when the urine was sampled, but she still had the 'roids in her system.

Were you able to talk to the Vet about kitty's *very* low potassium level? I don't mean to scare you but I really want to stress just how critically low it is. Please read my previous post about low potassium and links I posted on "hypokalemia." Frankly, I would be furious if any of my cat's had a K that low and the Vet didn't express concern for both the cause, and want to start on immediate supplementation. This is a very serious matter, and can certainly be contributing to kitty's lack of appetite. I've seen (and had) cats that were hospitalized with a potassium that was low but higher than that, seriously.

How is your kitty doing? Energy level? Hindleg weakness? Walking on hocks?

Food Lady, thanks for prodding me on the potassium. I have a call into my vet today (issue below), and I will ask about supplements. She will eat tuna, and I mixed in the dried food with that.

I am pretty sure Bela urinated in my boot yesterday -- the boots were by back door, near a litter box, and in an area where there have been other peeing incidences. I have been pretty meticulous about cleaning the litter boxes, except I left yesterday a.m. without cleaning. I haven't had to clean up cat urine in nearly a week, so I hope it was the dirty litter box.

Anyway, I will let you know what the vet says. I will press the issue of potassium supplements! THANKS!

Well I'm new to this site and I can't figure out how to post a thread. Cuz my cat has some problems that I need some answer 2 without taking him to the vet right away because I don't have time to go. Will you plz help me?

Also, I've been reading about your cat and mine has similar problems. We got him from the humane society. He wasn't sick until 2 days after we got him. He wouldn't eat or drink all he did was sleep. He soon came out of it and he seemed fine. Except that he wouldn't stop sneezing all the time. We recently noticed that he doesn't walk on his tiptoes either he walks like lets say u broke ur arm right below ur wrist and It permanently stuck that way. Its odd. Now the entire right side of his face is swollen up and his eyes have bloody discharge coming from them and he's sneezing blood. Please Help me!! He is about 8 months old. And he is gray and has golden eyes. Could this be his breed with their feet?! IDK!!

Could someone help me? My kitten fluffy has started walking funny tonight, I have had a look but couldn't see anything! She isn't crying in pain or anything? I'm taking her to the vets in the morning just wondering if there is anything I could do to help her in till then?

HELP

My cat is walking flat on his back legs. The vet did an X-ray and a urinalysis and didn't find anything. He is asthmatic and has been on a steroid shot for years. He has been on science diet W/d since this leg thing started. I am also giving him MSM. What is wrong with my cat??

Did the vet do a glucose level test? Is your cat drinking a lot of water - i.e. hugging the water bowl? Walking on their hocks can be a sign of diabetes.

Hopefully someone will come online who has more knowledge about this than I do. I am only familiar with it as a sign of diabetes. There could be a number of causes.

Edit: You may want to start a new thread. Sometimes, when someone new goes in on an old thread, it doesn't get read right away.

Thank you. I still can't figure out how to start a new post...I am new to this sort of thing

He does drink a lot of water and no the vet did not do a glucose test because the UA showed nothing

If your vet is open on Saturday, I would call and ask what specifically was tested in the urine. They may not have done a glucose test.

I would make an appointment asap.

Edit: near the top of the Health topic page on the left hand side, you should see a button entitled "Start New Thread"

Thanks cocheezie! I started a new thread and will call the vet

I have another appointment this week to do some blood work