Limping, lethargic, hissing 10 year old cat

Hello, I have lurked this forum for a long time, but this is my first time posting because I'm shy. But this is about my cat, not me, so I decided to sign up and give it a shot, so this is my first post. I just wish it was under better circumstances!

My oldest cat currently, Autumn, is a ten year old spayed female. She is also overweight. She has a history of true urinary tract infections (her vet says her external anatomy and weight are factors). She also has a limp that comes and goes that was diagnosed as a minor ligament tear that does not require surgery earlier this year via thorough examination. The limp had looked very serious and scared me but the diagnosis was a relief. I am embarrassed to say that when her problems started this week, I was not paying enough attention. We also have a new kitten that she is not exactly happy about, and that may also be causing her stress, but here are her physical symptoms:
At first it started with me noticing she was not grooming her bottom properly. She, well, flat out smelled like pee on her bottom, and would leave the smell on things she sat on. She would also express her anal glands at times. I got worried because this is something she does when she has a UTI, but she was not having any other symptoms (when she has a UTI she usually paces back and forth trying to pee on the floor with no output). She has been trying to clean her backside a lot. My vet had previously told me to wipe her bottom, so I was doing that (not very fun). She also needs her regular sanitary shave redone. I usually keep up with it but I have had a stressful past three months because I just moved. The move did not seem to stress Autumn out, but cats hide things.
Yesterday she started hiding. This worried me too. Since then I have been keeping an eye on her. Today, her injured leg is in full force. She is walking, but mostly plops down after a little while. I was petting her earlier and she hissed and swatted at me, which is very abnormal behavior. She NEVER hisses and is usually a very docile, sweet cat. She is hissing or otherwise vocal when I pet either of her sides and the base of her tail. She is, besides that, acting normal, except that her tail is swishing a lot which she does when she's in a mood.
I have emailed the vet and will call first thing in the morning as soon as they open. The only problem is that it's Friday night, they have shortened hours on Saturday, are closed on Sunday, and 24 hour emergency vets are just way too expensive in my area.
So until I can get her to a vet, which I am doing ASAP, my questions are:
Is this likely to be related to her previous issues (maybe she has both the limp and UTI  or other urinary issue going on at once)?

Could her anal glands be impacted and causing this kind of pain in combination with her previously diagnosed leg injury?
Could her reaction to being pet on her sides a be result of radiating pain from her pulled leg?
I know that "smelling bad" (I can never find a specification of what the smell is exactly) and pain on both sides can be symptoms of kidney problems. Should I worry, and how do I prepare myself for that possible diagnosis? I only know how to deal with human kidney disease (I am a caretaker to my father with renal failure)

Could the smell just be because she's overweight and overdue on her sanitary shave?
Due to her age, is arthritis likely?

I am sorry to ask so many questions. I am just extremely worried about her, and would like to know the possibilities before I go to the vet (hopefully tomorrow). I am monitoring her and have removed her from any stressors I can. She has not hid since I moved her. She is walking a bit, but I am picking her up to put her on things instead of letting her jump so she does not further aggravate her leg that way. She is eating and drinking.

Sorry no one has responded to you yet.  There is really  no way we can determine, or even TRY to determine what is causing these new turn of events. 

It's possible her anal glands are impacted, hard to say. 

The "smell" coming from her backside shouldn't have anything to do with kidney disease.  THAT smell would come from her mouth.  This I know because I've had 3 kidney cats.  So it could either be her anal glands or the fact that she needs to be cleaned up and get her sanitary-shave.

Yes, considering her age and the fact that she's overweight, I'd say it's extremely probably that she has arthritis. 

Hoping that she feels better soon.  Have you tried to get her to loose some weight?  It would help her all the way around. 

Actually, my first kitty with kd smelled like pee before diagnosed. I just thought she wasn't able to groom as well given her age. Once kidney functions stop working, toxins are emitted via the skin, hence the smell of 'pee'. If kitty smells more like a skunk, that is anal glands. Mom's kitty had this issue and the vet would express them. If your kitty scoots their butt on the floor, it's usually because they itch. Large bowel movements will express the anal sack naturally.

Any behavioral change in a cat is likely due to pain. A vet visit is very important. They will take Xrays if they think there is a problem with a joint and if kitty has an injury, they will treat it. Good luck!!

I was able to get an appointment for tomorrow morning, which was as soon as I could do so, as I called yesterday first thing and they squeezed me in for tomorrow. She and all the other vets I could find had shortened hours on Saturday and were closed on Sunday, and I have had nothing but bad experiences with our local emergency vet. I will explain to my vet my exact concerns, so she is getting into a vet ASAP, which is good. She is acting much better today, I hadn't seen her tail "featherdance" in about a week until today, but I know cats hide things, even if they weren't before.

I had read things about both smell coming from the cat's mouth and the cat's urogenital area due to kidney problems, and it's something I've been worrying about because of her frequent UTIs. The odor is a combination of urine and that skunky anal gland smell. Best case scenario, vet will rule out kidney disease. She did last time (around March), and a sanitary shave took care of it. I'm unsure how long it typically takes for kidney disease to develop, but I know cats have tiny kidneys that aren't the most efficient. My family did had a cat that had breed-related acute kidney failure, but I was only 15 at the time and he went south fast and was at the vet most of the time before he unfortunately passed away, so the only symptom I personally saw in him was lethargy.

I have been trying to get her to lose some weight, and she did lose about two pounds earlier this year, but summer typically makes her less active, it's so I think she gained it back. She is indoor-only and I keep the AC on, but she still had a lazy summer. It typically doesn't completely cool off here until October. I absolutely need to do better at controlling her food intake, I have stopped free-feeding but I think I'm going to have to feed her in a different room away from the other cats. She lost those two pounds after I completely switched her to grain-free food alone, I stopped free-feeding her after that weight loss. I've been feeding her less than the recommended amount on the packaging to maintain weight but I will also ask the vet tomorrow morning how much I should be feeding her. 

Thank you both for your advice!

Don't know how quickly kidney disease can come on, but if in March everything was good, I would think that's a very good sign.  Most people don't find out their cats have kidney problems until their kidneys are only functioning at less then 25%, or so I'm told.  That's when people start noticing their cats are drinking more than usual, and starting to look really thin

As to losing weight, It's probably best to stop free feeding EVERYONE in the household, or keep them separated.  Going grain free is a nice start.  High protein, low carb is what you're looking for, kind of like the Atkins diet for people, so think Catkins .  I found that even using the prescription weight loss food didn't help with my little pudge.  I converted all mine over to an all wet diet and that's the only thing that worked for us.  He felt more satisfied with that diet, and slowly lost 4 pounds .  Also, whenever I give him treats (still), also grain free, I toss them down the hall or across the room so he has to run for them.  Not only does he enjoy the "game", he gets his exercise.  He's a great little outfielder.  Sometimes he jumps way up to catch them mid-air.  So cute.  OH...Also, what they say on the packaging of food is almost always too much, both on dry food and canned food . 

Keep us posted on what the VET says  If she has arthritis, depending on how bad it is, there are some over the counter things that you can use, like Cosequin or Dasequin, or some people give Krill Oil, or then you get into prescription pain meds. 

Poor Autumn had a few things going on at once that she had been hiding. The good news is, none of it is kidney disease.

She has a UTI and she had re-aggravated her original ligament injury at the same time. She does also have mild arthritis, and the vet gave me some cosequin free of charge (my vet is pretty great). She had her sanitary shave redone, was given a pain injection, and a weeks worth of clavamox for the infection. While I was there I also picked up some more flea preventatives as I used the last of it on the new arrival. I'm going to begin switching her to a wet food only diet because Dr. says her weight is definitely a factor in her recurring UTIs. My vet always does UTI diagnosis with urine collected right from the bladder, no exceptions, so I'm pretty confident that she isn't just throwing antibiotics at FLUTD.

But yeah, it's no wonder she was so cranky, I'd be in a bad mood too if I had both a leg injury and a UTI at the same time!

I'm sure you're relieved it's not kidney disease, and glad it's only mild arthritis.  Hopefully the clavamox will take care of the UTI.

As far as converting her to an all wet diet to help her lose weight, maybe these articles will help out: 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transit...-to-a-new-type-of-food-canned-raw-or-homemade

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-compare-cat-foods-calculate-carbs-dry-matter-basis   (because, remember, you want LOW CARB foods)

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/what-makes-the-best-canned-cat-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-much-food-should-i-feed-my-cat

And remember, the amount of calories in canned cat food can vary vastly, so it's important to know that.  For example, a 3 oz can of Fussie Cat, which is high protein, fairly low carb, only has about 45 calories, yet the same size can of Nutro Natural Choice, also high protein,, low carb, has around 95 calories.  To a cat who may only need maybe 160 calories per day, this makes a huge difference.  Not saying your girl only needs that many calories, but it's possible.  Did your Vet give you any indication of how many calories to feed her (and of course that will change as her weight changes)

mrsgreenjeens said:

 
I'm sure you're relieved it's not kidney disease, and glad it's only mild arthritis.  Hopefully the clavamox will take care of the UTI.

As far as converting her to an all wet diet to help her lose weight, maybe these articles will help out: 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transit...-to-a-new-type-of-food-canned-raw-or-homemade

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-compare-cat-foods-calculate-carbs-dry-matter-basis   (because, remember, you want LOW CARB foods)

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/what-makes-the-best-canned-cat-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-much-food-should-i-feed-my-cat

And remember, the amount of calories in canned cat food can vary vastly, so it's important to know that.  For example, a 3 oz can of Fussie Cat, which is high protein, fairly low carb, only has about 45 calories, yet the same size can of Nutro Natural Choice, also high protein,, low carb, has around 95 calories.  To a cat who may only need maybe 160 calories per day, this makes a huge difference.  Not saying your girl only needs that many calories, but it's possible.  Did your Vet give you any indication of how many calories to feed her (and of course that will change as her weight changes)

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Thank you so much for the links! The vet said that around 220 calories is a good idea to start with, as she's a little over 14lbs, and to try not to feed less than that because of the risk of fatty liver. She said that because she's fairly sedentary, 35-40 cal/lb is the goal, to help me calculate it myself as she loses weight. She was down to 12lbs before the summer so I need to get back on track. She likes to play fetch, so I've been doing that whenever I can with her.

I feed the kitten Nutro, I close her into my room to feed her that until she's done because kitten food makes adult cats gain weight. She's the only one who likes fish anyway, so luckily the other cats aren't really interested because I buy her the salmon flavor I'll definitely be looking at the calories on canned foods now! I'm looking at the Fussie Cat on Amazon right now, with Prime it's only about $1/can.

If she likes fish, Weruva is extremely high protein and low carb.  For a 3 oz can the Mack and Jack has 50 calories and only contains .02% carbs (that's fabulous!)  Will she eat anything other than Pate?  Weruva and Fussie Cat are both "flakes" mainly.