Kitty chiropractors?

zombie

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Hi all!

I'm not quite done searching yet, but I need to hit the door in a few minutes and thought I'd go ahead and post this... I hope no one minds!

My grandmother has a seven year old cat who appears, from what I can tell, to have a sore back. "Babydoll"
is very defensive about her back, down to hissing and attempting to bite. I noticed today that after I touched her back, she flattened her ears and twitched the skin just in front of and over her hips for several moments after I'd walked away.

She was previously loved by a young woman with Down's Syndrome, and came into my grandmother's home when the young woman's mother passed away and she moved into an assisted living facility. I'm wondering if maybe "B", her previous owner, may have accidentally injured her by handling her in an awkward way (Grandma has a photo of the B in the bathtub (in a bathing suit) with the cat in her arms in an entirely uncomfortable looking position
but what a lovely, tolerant kitty!).

You all know how animals are... they just know. Babydoll knew B's heart, and in the five years they were together never bit, scratched, or otherwise grumped at B.
All the more reason, IMO, to make sure she's not in pain.

I plan to start with a vet visit, obviously, and hopefully my lovely small animal gal will be able to help. But how common are chiropractors who can work successfully with cats? And how much should I expect to pay for an initial evaluation and adjustment if necessary? I'll be picking up this kitty's tab, so it may have to be done in bits and pieces, but I definitely want to have her looked at.

Thanks!
 

miss mew

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First I'd like to say hi! Welcome to our site!


I'm not sure about kitty chiropractors, but I think the vet visit is a wise idea.

I know some cats are just sensitive when it comes to certain parts of their bodies, fingers crossed that's all this is. Given her age, perhaps arthritis is setting in?.

Keep us posted on how she is doing
 

naps with cats

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I'm guessing there are some cat chiropractors; but I KNOW there are cat and animal accupuncturists that, according to a couple of friends of mine who use the only certified one we have here near where I live, that she does miracles.

As a human, I've had accupuncture (when I herniated my disc years ago), and could talk forever of the miraculous outcome. (I couldn't sit or stand, but only stay in a bending position. After first time, I could sit up and get up on my own. Still hurt, but could do it where I couldn't before. Future treatments got me well enough. (That pain still comes and goes, but it always goes).

First thing is x-rays and whatever other tests needed to find out what's going on with your cat. Neither may be appropriate. If both are, I'm guessing accupuncture would be the safer, more gentle approach.

I hope the baby is okay and looking forward to hearing what was chosen to be done!

Warmly,

Julie O'
 

ldg

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I don't know if you live in an area where you can find a vet (Dr. of Veterinary Medicine, DVM) trained in alternative practices, but there ARE kitty chiropractors, accupuncturists, herbalists - that are first and foremost trained vets.


You can search to see if there are any in your area. Look for DVMs, and then the additional certifications are listed under each vet when you search at The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
http://www.ahvma.org
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by LDG

I don't know if you live in an area where you can find a vet (Dr. of Veterinary Medicine, DVM) trained in alternative practices, but there ARE kitty chiropractors, accupuncturists, herbalists - that are first and foremost trained vets.


You can search to see if there are any in your area. Look for DVMs, and then the additional certifications are listed under each vet when you search at The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
http://www.ahvma.org
site good place to start but many do not $$$ for the site to carry name.. so word of mouth is what I use

I have had chiropractor s work on my kitties in the past .. one is a vet and one is my chiropractor who has a animal certification
 

feralvr

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Definitely try accupressure!! I have found an excellent accupressure therapist for my aging dog and she has done some work on two of my cats in the past with excellent results. Also, acupuncture and massage therapy will be of benefit for you cat as well.
for Babydoll
 

the_food_lady

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I have one cat, Fuzzy....she's at least 15 or 16 yrs old. Has ALWAYS been sensitive to having her lower back area petted such that if you do it for more than 1.2 seconds she'll actually nip at you. It's always been this way. She was a stray when I found her years ago. She's never been great at jumping up on things (couch, bed, etc). My leather couch is evidence of that for she doesn't jump up onto it, generally...instead, she'll dig her claws into the bottom of the "arm" and seem to pull her way up with her claws. When I first noticed this years ago, it was after I first found her and she'd recently been vaccinated (haven't done vaccinations now for years, she's indoors)...I had the Vet then check her out and he could find nothing amiss. Whenever I have visitors or my niece/nephew (little), I always have to remind them not to pet her lower back.

My old angel kitty Tigger once had acupuncture by my Vet at the time. He was into all kinds of new therapies and had just become certified in animal acupuncture. He told me that she had pain in her lower back and did once acupuncture treatment on her. She despised having the needles in her and it was almost impossible to keep her still. I'd never found her to have any issues with her back, she was very nimble and active right up into her early to mid teens.

I did rescue an old siamese girl several years ago, thought to be VERY OLD (but nobody could say for certain how old). She had arthritis. I found a Vet who specialized in acupressure and she would do this and massage on her and she (kitty) would be in heaven while it was being done....to the point where she would actually fall asleep during the treatment! (a session lasted about 20-30 minutes). She really seemed to enjoy it a lot. Unfortunately with all of her other health issues and treatments and meds and vet visits, I couldn't afford more than a few sessions of this but she did seem to love it.
 

stephanietx

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One of the best adjustments I've ever had was from a gal who was an animal chiropractor! She did horses, dogs, cats, and who knows what else!
 
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zombie

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Hi all!

Sorry to have dropped off the face of the planet for a while- nothing has changed so far, but I wanted to be sure I came back by and thanked everyone for taking the time to post their thoughts and advice. So thank you!


Yes, strange_wings, Babydoll is unfortunately declawed. I know that's where a lot of her motivation to bite comes from and suspect that some of her grouchy ways come from having been (for lack of a better term) flung around a bit over the years- I can't fault her for being a little defensive, especially given how kind she was to B.
But she crosses the line into viciousness when you touch her lower back, which is why I'm out to make sure that she really IS just a crab and not a crab in pain.

I'm going to be bringing Babydoll to my vet as soon as I can swing it (you all know how it is- I have multiple animals of my own and have to be creative when it comes to financing others) and will let you all know what comes of it if you'd like.
I'll have to get some photos of Babydoll with my grandmother as well as a few of my personal kitty klepto, Chai. Babydoll is a medium-haired calico and Chai is a long-haired lynx point.
 

strange_wings

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I'm sorry to read that Babydoll is declawed. I suspected as much from your descriptions. Most declawed cats I've met (that are a little older) have arthritis from the posture and gait changes the declaw forces.

It won't get better, though you can try supplements and kitty massage. Massage encourages blood flow into muscles and to the joints and that helps with arthritis. Try to keep her active with exercises that won't stress her joints too much. No big jumps, but encourage her to climb (steps) a little and chase things.

I actually suggest against anything forceful (chiropractor) since you don't know how strong her joints and bones are.
 
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