12 year old cat dragging back legs

About an hour ago my cat meowed loudly and started dragging his back right leg. A few minutes later he started dragging both back legs. Any clue what this might be? I plan on taking him to the vet later/in the morning but I would like some idea ahead of time of this is the end or if he could be helped.

Sounds like he may have thrown a clot--a "saddle thrombosis".  This is very serious.  Get him to an emergency Vet ASAP.  It is very painful for the cat.  Sometimes they can be saved if acted upon quickly; other times not.  Time is of the essence here.

It also could be a stroke.  Cats can have strokes and completely recover given time.  I had a 14 year old cat that had two strokes and with time, regained full mobility. 

Consult a Vet ASAP.

sarahlove said:

About an hour ago my cat meowed loudly and started dragging his back right leg. A few minutes later he started dragging both back legs. Any clue what this might be? I plan on taking him to the vet later/in the morning but I would like some idea ahead of time of this is the end or if he could be helped.

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i'm so sorry your boy has had these symptoms. 

you're doing the best thing by seeing your vet about this! while only a vet will be able to properly diagnose what has happened, one possibility might be a stroke or series of strokes. no matter what your boy's symptoms are related to, what medical issue, the sooner he's seen by your vet the sooner the care/treatment(s) can be started.

i understand wanting to get an idea about what you and your boy might be facing. i would suggest preparing by writing down any questions you may have for your vet ahead of time, because (in my experience) it's easy to forget them during these unexpected and urgent type vet appointments.

we're here for you, to help in any way we're able to and for support. please let us know how your boy continues to be doing.

@sarahlove   how is your boy doing today?

Any updates?

He had regained use of one back leg by the time we got to the emergency vet that night. The next day he was able to walk short distances and is now back to his normal self.
We aren't sure what happened or why but am so thankful he's back to his happy self.

That is an excellent update, crossed paws & purrs for continued good health.

That's great to hear Thank you for updating. 

sarahlove said:

He had regained use of one back leg by the time we got to the emergency vet that night. The next day he was able to walk short distances and is now back to his normal self.
We aren't sure what happened or why but am so thankful he's back to his happy self.

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wonderful news!!!!

i'm so very glad that your boy seems to be fine again! wonderful news!!!

If it happens again, you can feel his back paws and legs to see if they are cold, as if there is no circulation.  That's the hallmark sign of a saddle thrombus, if you suspect that. 

Does your kitty have any sort of existing heart issue?  Embolisms are common in kitties with heart issues, and often are the cause of strokes & mini strokes.  Cats can have mini-strokes too (TIA's) just like people do.  Our poor Fuzz cat, may she RIP, had many over her last two years with us.  With most of hers, she acted very drunk, sometimes her legs/feet wouldn't work and you could tell she was struggling trying to get up and walk,  but she was not in obvious pain.  It was more like things just wouldn't work and the poor thing was so confused because they wouldn't.  But a saddle thrombus causes intense, unrelenting pain, and very cold back legs and paws, to the point cats howl out from it.  A friend of mine's cat passed away from a saddle thrombus, and she said it was a living hell until the time they got to the vet and had him put down.  She said she had never heard a cat scream like that and he bit because of the pain.  I cried just listening to her tell me about it on the phone!

Healing vibes your way, and here's hoping you all don't go through it again

That is great news that he has regained use of his legs!   Although you do not know a cause, it does sound like a mini-stroke.  So that this episode (or worse) does not happen again, I would recommend a checkup for any underlying heart or high blood pressure problems.  He may need to be on preventive medication. 

Hello! Vet tech and new here but looong time lurker!

Another possibility for your kitty's sudden rear leg weakness (and quick recovery) could be feline vestibular disease. Our lovely lady, Lily was dx'd with it. Vet treated with anti-motion sickness and anti-nausea meds.

Symptoms are:

*shaking head side to side (if the vestibular disease affects both ears, you may not see this symptom)
*nystagmus (eyes darting rapidly side to side)
*lack of coordination/inability to stand/hind leg weakness

Feline vestibular disease (FVD/FVS) is not fully understood. Current thinking is that the special fluid in the semicircular canals of the inner ear, or the special sensory cells of the inner ear, become damaged, abnormal, or inflamed. It can be idiopathic (unknow cause), caused by an ear infection, tumor, or geriatric in nature (old age), and can be recurring, in some cases.

When episodes occur, they can be very scary to witness. Since symptoms also mimic stroke or ASE/ASD(aortic saddle embolism/thrombus), it is imperative to have your kitty checked out and diagnosed as having FVD/FVS, and not the aformentioned diseases. Episodes can be of shockingly rapid onset (within less than an hour) and rarely last more than a few days.

Our Lily has the recurring form of FVD/FVS. Oddly, her flare-ups seem to occur during rainy weather. Perhaps (just a personal theory) the drop in barometric pressure during poor weather could have an effect on the inner ear structure. It's not that bad a theory, if you think about it. Vet has perscribed Dramamine for flare-ups. Her symptoms rapidly improve (within a few hours) after administration of Dramamine. I usually only have to administer once a day, when she flares up.

Please, feel free to discuss further with your vet, if you feel your kitty fits the symptoms.

Wow. My friends cat , also named llilly had vestibular problems to. It was quite different from losing use of her legs though. It was more like her whole world was stuck in a spin cycle dryer. She would roll over and over trying to make herself upright. Eyes rapidly moving side to side and head shaking were pretty major with her to. Very scary. We thought she was having a seizure the first time. Just your mention of the words Lilly and vestibular have me feeling nervous, lol.

 

My old doggie had vestibular problems.  He had the nystagmus...sometimes appearing out of the blue and very badly, I felt so sorry for him and nothing I could do.  We gave him meclizine for it, even though it didn't help very much.  He would often vomit before we could get the meclizine in him.  But it would take him a full day to recover, and the only way to get him feeling better was just getting him to sleep it off--but then again, poor baby was 23 years old!  He was as old as Methuselah, so maybe that's why he didn't recover from the episodes quickly.  He didn't have rear end or back leg only weakness, he just acted drunk as a mop, weaving and wobbling, sometimes going in circles.  The equivalent of me having vertigo.  But he never dragged an extremity.