19+ year-old cat limping and "bent" front paws

mcraig1021

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Hi, my 19-year-old cat, Fizz, for the past few days has been limping on his back legs. He's had arthritis flare-ups before and the vet prescribed a pain med that I give him in a little syringe that we put into his mouth. It seems to help. The problem is, he has CRF and he had been doing okay with potassium supplementation until recently. He has lost a LOT of weight. He's down to about six pounds now and seems to be all skin and bones. You can really feel his spine when you pet him. The thing is, he was eating and eating even as recently as Saturday. He did have some bouts of loose bowels and we quit giving him any human food treats, which seemed to help that. He had blood work about two months ago, and I've had him tested at least three times for hyperthyroidism because he exhibited symptoms of it (eating a lot, weight loss, and occasional yowling) and the tests were all negative for that.

His front paws seem to bend about 1/3 of the way up when he sits and he's not eating much. Although the pain med seems to be helping the limping, and he's got a little spunk back today, all he wants to do is lie down. He's not standing to eat, but rather sitting unsteadily. He looks miserable.

Fizz has been such a great cat. He was approximately 4 months old when we adopted him as a stray. I'm jut wondering if it's maybe time to think about having him put to sleep. It hurts me to see him so unhappy. I thought we could give the pain meds a few more days to see if he brightens up, but I hate seeing him suffer.
 

shellcat

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Could he have diabetes?  That would explain the weight loss and the neuropathy (which would lead to walking strangely).
 

ktlynn

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Hi,  welcome to TCS.   I'm very sorry Fizz is not feeling well.

You mentioned bloodwork and testing for hyperthyroidism.  Was the thyroid tested in the most recent bloodwork?

How long has Fizz had CRF?  Have you been doing subQ hydration (fluids under the skin) for him?  He might be dehydrated if you aren't .  You can check for dehydration by gently lifting up a little "tent" of skin near  his shoulder blades, along his back, and see if it goes back into place quickly or not.  If his skin stays in the form of the little peak you lifted and/or slowly goes back into place, Fizz is dehydrated and needs fluids.  Dehydration can make a cat feel terrible.   All of the symptoms you mention can be due to kidney disease, but it's possible it could be other conditions, as well.
 
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mcraig1021

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Fizz has been known to have CRF since about 18 months ago. The thyroid was tested in the most recent blood work because they wanted to rule it out for the weight loss. They also tested him for diabetes, but that was also negative. They said the indications for CRF were actually pretty good, except for the potassium, for which we've been giving him Tumil-K pills (he refused to take the gel - we got more of it on him than in him). When he went for the last checkup, he had regained half a pound and was looking good. This episode just seemed to creep up in the last few days.

We haven't been doing any subQ hydration. The vet didn't even mention it, as the last time he was there he wasn't dehydrated. It's been three days now and he's still only eaten a few nibbles of food. At least today, I saw him use his litter box to urinate. The pain meds are helping him feel a little better, and he's getting some sass back into himself, but he still won't eat and he's still walking funny. I even tried to spoon feed him and he just sniffed at it. If he doesn't improve by tomorrow to a point where he's eating, I'm going to call the vet and bring him in.

Thanks for your help KTLynn and shellcat :-).

Michelle
 

ktlynn

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I'm a little confused by what you said about the indications for CRF being "pretty good" except for the potassium level.  I take it to mean that the potassium level was clearly too low, but that the other values that would indicate CRF (BUN and Creatinine) were borderline or high normal.

The best time to start hydration is at the first sign of kidney disease.  You don't want to wait for the disease to progress before you start fluid therapy.   That was the single best piece of advice I got when my Mickey was diagnosed with CRF.  She wasn't dehydrated but was in the early stages of the disease.  Hydration is very beneficial for the kidneys, and it makes cats feel much better.    Mickey got fluids for 6 years and I have no doubt it extended her life.  We had our girl for 21 years.

Weight loss, skinniness and poor appetite are all symptoms of CRF.  The walking problems could be something call neuropathy which is possibly a symptom of diabetes or other conditions.  And 3 days of barely eating is debilitating for a cat who is down to only 6 lbs.    I would take Fizz back to the vet ASAP, get a thorough physical exam,  and since it's been 2 months, run more bloodwork making sure to get liver and kidney values, CBC and thyroid.  Though Fizz was doing well until recently, things can change quickly with CRF, especially at his age.

All good wishes to you and Fizz - hope he feels better soon!
 
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mcraig1021

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Well, Fizz is the miracle cat. He has almost fully recovered to his usual self. Stubborn old codger ;-). He's up and down the steps, his appetite has returned and he's talking up a storm, just like usual. What a rascal. I think he's the kitty with nine lives squared. He's walking fine and his front paws aren't bending like they were. This is about the fourth time this year that he's had a bad episode and turned around and been fine. As long as he stays okay again, I'm going to leave him alone, but if he has another episode any time soon, I'm taking him to the vet again. Still, I'm thrilled he seems to be feeling better.
 

ktlynn

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Wow!!!  This is great news!  A miraculous recovery for sure -  I hope Fizz stays feeling good for a long time to come! 
 

ilonag

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Oh wow - this case sounds similar to mine. Over the past 2 years my now 18 year old Cookie has been treated for a minor case of IBD with Prednisolone). She also has one Kidney not functioning up to par, but the other Kidney is or was working fine up until one month ago. She has been tested for EVERYTHING (thyroid, diabetes etc.) and her latest results came back normal. Then suddenly 2 weeks after the bloodwork and physical she developed a limp. My Vet started treating what she diagnosed as arthritis with Laser treatment. They seemed to help after the first 2 treatments but things went rapidly downhill from there. The limp turned into almost a total inability to walk straight. And just this past Saturday we came late after dropping our daughter back at college to discover that her pupils were fully dilated. We rushed her to a 24/7 emergency clinic, where as I suspected she was diagnosed with detached retinas and hypertension and was started on Norvasc. Then last night the new symptom developed where her front right paw bends at the 'wrist' and she can only stand on it with her paw facing inward. She's been peeing where she sits, stands or lays. We have an appointment this morning but I'm

afraid that it may be time. One disability is bad enough but being blind and not being able to walk well has decreased her quality of life tremendously. It's such a difficult time with both hubby and myself out of work. Not sure I'll be able to cope with the loss of my Cookie girl. Maybe, like you there will be some kind of miracle.
 
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