Luxating Patella/Trick Knee

It has been determined that our kitty has a luxating patella - her knee slips in and out. Some times it is worse than others, but she has at least 2 or 3 "blow outs" a day. We've had her on Medicam (anti-inflamatory/pain killer) for a few days and the degree of pain during her episodes seems to have subsided. But she cannot stay on Medicam for an extended period. We are taking a "wait and see" approach right now, because altho the vet says that it was something she was born with, we are pretty sure we can pin-point the inicident that may have made it worse in the last week. I am told this is very rare in cats and there is a surgery to correct.

I am wondering if there is anyone out there who has dealt with this either in their cat (or dog) and could give me some perspective. The vet has not given me a timeframe as to how long I should give it to see if it gets better on its own. She is not completely lame - yet - but it does not appear to be getting worse. She is getting a lot of rest and we are limiting her activity so that it can maybe heal on its own. Oh, and she is on a diet because she is overweight and that could be a contributing factor as well.

Thanks in advance for any input.

I've never seen it in a cat, but have seen several cases in dogs. In those cases, "wait and see" didn't work. Pain medication and steroids would keep them comfortable, but the problem itself never fully subsided. Eventually they all became almost completely lame on the effected limbs(s). Surgery was necessary to fix the problem. Sometimes even multiple surgeries.

However, it is a fairly complex surgery (and I would assume even more so in cats), so consider that before making your decision. If you do decide for the surgery, consider going to an orthopedic surgery. While your vet (or any general practitioner veterinarian for that matter) may be capable of doing the surgery, chances are they don't see very many cases a year, especially in felines. Not saying they aren't good surgeons, it's just if you only do one a year simply because there aren't that many cases, your work won't be as good as say somebody who does 5-10 a month.

Hopefully somebody else has more specific advice for you! But that's my two cents! Best of luck to you and your kitty and keep us posted!

Wow! There's not a lot of input or information out there on this subject, is there? The info I have gotten is pretty much all the same - eventual lameness without surgery. OMG! I just cannot put my cat through anymore surgeries. Without getting into too much detail, her medical history is a long saga. I guess the only thing I can do is get a couple more opinions from different vets and see how she progresses. I have heard that wounded tendons can eventually scar tissue over and heal themselves. But then I've also heard that once a knee cap starts slipping it will begin developing arthritis immediately. Has anyone out there whose had a dog with this condition had any success with salmon oils and glucosamine? Because that is another treatment that I've heard about.