I've been noticing lately that Gus' back feet seem to angle outward as he stands (together up by his hips, but at an outward angle further down the legs - think opposite of pigeon-toed). I've done some looking around on the internet and it looks like the stance of a cow-hocked animal, but from what I can tell, animals are born with that condition rather than acquiring it over time (Gus is seven.) Has anyone else run into this? I've had him since he was a kitten and would hope that I would have noticed this long ago if he's always had this, but I'm second-guessing myself...
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Feet of hind legs angling out when standing
- Thread starter kristin23
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Sorry, that is a new one to me. Does he get around OK? If you are concerned, this might be a good conversation to have with your vet - if there were any physical issues they could find them thru a hands on exam.
Your post intrigued me because I've never come across, or heard of this condition in cats. I did a quick Google search "cow hocked cat" without the quotation marks. Came across a LOT of information that may or may not be helpful. This link in particular was interesting because of the information found in it and the pictoral slides. http://catagility.com/documents/IntroductiontoCowHocksandStructure18March2010.pdf I sure hope you can figure this out. Please keep us updated if you can. Maybe someone on TCS has come across this before and can be more helpful.
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Thanks for your replies, Mike and MomOfMany. I did a lot of googling on this prior to posting, but most I found on the condition indicated it was something born with, rather than acquired. I didn't, however, see the page you linked to, Mike. Thanks. I'll wade through it soon.
And I'll definitely be mentioning this to the vet. I'm definitely the type to get all my "answers" online and avoid the vet (we're on a first name basis will all the desk workers and techs now) between his and his sister's various health issues. We've recently been the vet for a (benign!) growth on his gums, clogged anal glands (ask me how much fun he didn't have on that visit
), and some seasonal congestion.
As for his mobility, yes, he does get around okay, albeit looking a little stiff back there. He's the type of cat that, since he was a kitten, always makes a big vocal show of jumping off things (compare it to a human "OOF!"), so it's kind of hard to tell whether he's in pain jumping now, or just being his eccentric self.
In any case, a few months ago when I'd noticed his hind legs looking thinner in the hip area, I mentioned/showed it to the vet. He's a sturdy boy at 14lbs, but built very oddly. Some parts of his body are pretty rotund, while the others are actually a little thin - he's always been oddly proportioned. Unfortunately, he was too scared at the vet to move across the floor at anything other than a hunkered-down position, so she couldn't really see what I was talking about. I have nothing with which to take video of him at home, so I think when I tell her about it, she may have to make do with a drawing I'll bring. Yikes.
But, yes, definitely, if anyone has encountered this, please to let me know.
And I'll definitely be mentioning this to the vet. I'm definitely the type to get all my "answers" online and avoid the vet (we're on a first name basis will all the desk workers and techs now) between his and his sister's various health issues. We've recently been the vet for a (benign!) growth on his gums, clogged anal glands (ask me how much fun he didn't have on that visit
As for his mobility, yes, he does get around okay, albeit looking a little stiff back there. He's the type of cat that, since he was a kitten, always makes a big vocal show of jumping off things (compare it to a human "OOF!"), so it's kind of hard to tell whether he's in pain jumping now, or just being his eccentric self.
In any case, a few months ago when I'd noticed his hind legs looking thinner in the hip area, I mentioned/showed it to the vet. He's a sturdy boy at 14lbs, but built very oddly. Some parts of his body are pretty rotund, while the others are actually a little thin - he's always been oddly proportioned. Unfortunately, he was too scared at the vet to move across the floor at anything other than a hunkered-down position, so she couldn't really see what I was talking about. I have nothing with which to take video of him at home, so I think when I tell her about it, she may have to make do with a drawing I'll bring. Yikes.
But, yes, definitely, if anyone has encountered this, please to let me know.
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I've noticed that Tumbles' back end does that, too. He's kinda knock-kneed. I don't worry about it as it doesn't bother him and doesn't slow him down. I just figured that's the way he was.
