Weak kitten - getting better or is it Myasthenia Gravis?

Hi everyone! I’ve been reading a lot on here trying to figure out what’s going on with my cat. I live in Sweden and I am Swedish, just so you know if my English is a bit “off” J I hope you can give me some advice on this tricky case.

My kitty, British Shorthair, is now six months old. We got him three months ago. Right from the beginning we thought he was a bit different, a little bit floppy but nothing that concerned us. He would jump up on chairs and the dinner table and up on our bed. Then the day before Christmas I felt something was wrong. He would eat less and sleep more and seemed weak. And no longer would or could he jump up on the chair or table, or the bed. He tried but he just couldn’t. The first vet said it seemed neurological, that he wasn’t in pain and seemed healthy otherwise, and sent me to a specialist in neurological problems.

When the neurologist saw him she mentioned Myasthenia Gravis. I was in chock, and scared. She ran a complete blood test and everything came back normal except for something with his muscle breakdown, so that seemed to point to a suspicion for Myasthenia Gravis as well.

She didn’t think it was too urgent to do anything considering he’s not in pain, he’s very social and just seems to be a happy camper despite the weak legs. We did book an appointment in the end of January to make a biopsy of a muscle and said that if he gets better to unbook it.

Well this weekend he’s been doing so much better. He’s stronger and eats much more and he plays a lot. He even ran through the apartment chasing a toy and he jumped pretty high from behind the sofa. He’s so curious and friendly and social and much more like his “old self”.

Does anyone have an experience that’s similar to ours? Is there any hope for a complete recovery for whatever happened to him? The vet didn’t rule out that he’d get better by himself, so I’m really hoping this is what we are seeing. She did run a test for toxoplasmosis because I thought the symptoms could point to that, but the vet did not think I looked like that at all. Just to rule it out. So – anyone, anything?

I'm sorry to hear about your kitten's problems. I don't know anything about Myasthenia Gravis but we experience a lot of "lameness" in kittens. I live in Germany and our organization calls it the "Humpelkrankheit". Kittens who seemed healthy one day suddenly go lame and refuse to eat and play. It affects kittens who haven't yet been vaccinated, kittens shortly after vaccination and kittens who are vaccinated. Unvaccinated kittens usually have a higher temperature but all are given antibiotics and recover within a few days. The vet says it's probably a form of cat flue which only affects young cats. We advise people to delay vaccination of kittens who have suffered this infection, However, the vet has the final word and at least in one case the kittens were vaccinated at three months without any ill effects.

If your kitty had no apparent raised temperature the vet may not have considered cat flue. Still, it looks as though things are improving and so, I wish you good luck and the kitten - gute Besserung!

Wow, I had no idea about this, thank you so much for telling me. My kitty didn't have ha fever and he was vaccinated three months ago. My friends kept saying "hope it's just a virus and it'l go away". I thought they were wrong and that this was the start of something more serious. Now I'm starting to hope they were right! 

Thanks again!

I do hope we`re right. I've only seen this in my foster kittens once - but it appears at least once a year among the kittens looked after by the organization I work for. But, it's always cleared up after antibiotics even in the more serious cases.

So, try not to worry. Enjoy your kitten!

If nobody's welcomed you to the site, allow me to do so. It's a great source of information and support. I fostered 26 cats and kittens last year and am always encountering new problems which I sometimes share on this site as well as consulting with the local vets and specialists.

All my good wishes for 2017

and for kitty

Thank you so much again Gilmargl. This has been such a stressful experience, not knowing what is wrong, and your comments sort of calmed me down and I feel much more hopeful now.  

First, I'd like to welcome you to TCS.  I think you will get a lot of support from some very knowledgeable members.  Regarding Myasthenis Gravis, it is a breakdown in communication between the nerves and muscles.  It is a chronic condition that is treatable but there is no cure.  Honestly, it does not appear that your kitten exhibits the kind of symptoms from this insidious disease.  I have no experience with it in cats but know several adults and one teenager with the illness.  It is very encouraging that he started to play and act like himself this weekend.  I hope he continues to thrive and entertain you with his kittens antics.  Do you have any pictures other than the one in your avatar?  We love pics!

Thank you Neely! Yey, just figured out how to post pictures 




http://www.thecatsite.com/g/a/315536/default/

Thanks for the adorable pics of Stickan.  He is absolutely precious!  I love the expression on his face, he looks so alert.

This morning Stickan JUMPED UP ON OUR BED! I almost cried that's how relieved I was. You know sometimes I worry I imagine stuff, like I want him to get better so badly I exaggerate his progress, but I think this was proof he actually seems to be getting over whatever was bothering him. 

Beautiful cat - lovely pictures. I know the problem trying to take photos of black cats for our web pages. I hope things continue to improve. The British Short Hair cats I've known have not been very good at jumping onto things, preferring to keep low down. In fact some of them were really lazy! I'd love to have one now, as I found them very easy going and my poor foster cat is in a very bad nervous state. I'm on the site looking for tips as keeping her in solitary confinement is probably not the ideal situation. Good luck!