Advice for my limping senior cat?

I have a 17 yo male DSH - orange and white tabby.  He is like my child....Anyway, his only real history is that he has recently begun kidney failure within the last 2 years.  Still doing okay, just much thinner and thirstier, but we deal with it.  I do let him in the back yard once in awhile because he doesn't leave. But 2 days ago another cat entered and there was a fight.  I broke it up and got him inside - but the next morning he was limping on one of his rear legs.  I do not see any puncture wounds or anything in his pads.  I'm wondering if he jumped up or off the fence to get away from the fight?   Day 2 seems worse.  He puts some weight on it to go walk to the litter box or to eat, but mostly laying around.  What can I do for him?  I plan to take him to the vet on Friday when I'm off work, if he's still limping.  Any other advice? anything for pain?

Thanks so much.  It's tough to see your roommate of almost 18 years in pain

Kelly

No, do not give him anything for pain as some things are toxic. You'll just unfortunately have to wait until Friday but can you keep him confined so he doesn't hurt himself and rests it a little?

Welcome to the forum, ksiino4199! That's quite the handle!

A few thoughts for you:

• As finnlacey suggested, it would be best to confine him to a small area of the house where he has limited access for jumping etc
• If his litterbox is high-sided, I'd either put some sort of step in front to make his entry/exit easier or use a temporary cardboard box with some sort of easy "door"
• I would not be allowing him outside between now and the Vet visit
• More re: allowing him outside. You might not be aware, but when our cats are feeling unwell, they automatically feel vulnerable. Many sick-feeling cats will seek out some safe place to hide from preditors - it's a natural "hard-wired" response. These hiding places are often so good, the cat appears to have gone missing and, unfortunately many people have lost their cats this way. I'm sure you wouldn't want such an outcome - it's generally best then, to only allow him outside under close supervision. I'm speaking generally now, not because of this injury issue.
• There is a very common pain medication being prescribed for cats these days which has had some severe negative outcomes. It's a non-steroidal antiinflammatory (NSAID) called "Metacam". The negative outcomes have been kidney damage/failure. It is not licensed for cats in the USA. I would hope that your Veterinarian would realize that this would be completely inappropriate for a cat with existing kidney insufficiency....if not, at least you're aware. There are other, safer choices...there's a very reputable website for cats with kidney disease which has this section on pain meds: http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments_antibiotics_painkillers.htm#painkillers
• You mentioned his weight loss. That same website's nutrition section has some excellent information about this - many cats with kidney disease just waste away without any intervention, but it is preventable. That section's right here http://www.felinecrf.org/nutritional_requirements.htm

Hope some of this may be helpful. Do keep us posted.

My 16 year old cat jumped down from the sink (where he drinks from) and must have hurt his back. He started limping right after it happened, the next day he layed around most of the day, but by evening he was dragging is back leg. Took him to the vet and the vet said he had to spinal sections that were too close together. They gave him 5 days of pain meds and by day 3 he was up and moving around.  I was shocked. The vet also said that within 30 days his spine should be back to normal (except that he does have some arthritis in his hips). 

Anyway, it might be the same thing...but even if it's not, it's probably best to head to the vet and get kitty comfortable again. Good luck!!

 

sashaface said:

...They gave him 5 days of pain meds...

Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum, sashaface!

Can I ask, exactly which pain med was he given?

It's not surprising that the Vet found signs of Arthritis....some research has shown that upwards of 90% of older cats suffer from it. Did the Vet suggest that he might have arthritic pain?

Cats hide pain exceptionally well. Do you know what to look for by way of symptoms?

Senior cats, like yours, are recommended to have two medical checkups a year - one, very thorough with blood and urine testing, the other, briefer. These checkups can catch problems early on - and potentially protect your pocketbook, too....besides keeping him happy and fit, of course.

GLUCOSAMINE should help his joints feel better.  It comes in many forms, a paste that is molasses flavered that some cats love and others hate.  It's fairly tasteless by itself so I crush my own tablets into a powder using a glass mortar & pestle and mix some in his food (about 1/10 of wht I take) -- It has helped me lots and it seems to be helping him as well.
 

If I were you, I wouldn't let them give Metacam for any kind of pain relief. There are a few other pain relief options that the vet can prescribe.