Cat Lost Weight, Clumsy Back Legs Over Holiday Break

[Pikanyaa]

Hi all,

Health history:
So I have a 1.5-year-old neutered ginger shorthair cat named Max. He was a stray for 3 months before we adopted him as a kitten and has a history of a slight heart murmur with no underlying disease found behind it.

Issue:
Today I’m working from home after being out of town for 4 days and my bf and I noticed Max seems slightly clumsier on his back legs than usual, stumbling on the landing for some jumps from high places and seeming to walk with more sway than normal. He also seems a little thinner around the hips than normal, so I weighed him twice on our scale. Idk how accurate it is, but it read 10.4 lbs, which is a pound less than his checkup late last month. I already made a vet appointment for Saturday morning, but I was wondering if anyone here has ever seen symptoms like this and advice for what else to look out for before then for what it might be. His appetite, activity levels, and obnoxious behavior are normal. My other cat is also perfectly fine, so I doubt it’s environmental.

Incident last week (may or may not be relevant):
On Thursday night - Friday morning Dec 20-21, a bag of unopened treats fell from our linen closet and our 2 cats tore up and ate the entire thing, puking their guts out before we woke up (idk which one). They both ate breakfast when we got up, but when I came home from work, one of them had thrown up a bit of their meal (again, idk which one). I called my vet and she recommended they both skip dinner to let their stomachs settle, so I did and fed them breakfast the next morning (Saturday). They were fine the rest of the day.

We left town that night, giving the cats 1.5 servings of food (we usual feed twice a day) to tide them over until Sunday afternoon. Sunday - Tuesday, my cat sitter visited once a day to feed them 2 servings of food. Wednesday Dec 26, she fed one serving and we fed breakfast this morning. She reported nothing unusual in behavior except for them still seeming hungry after Wednesday night’s single portion (they probably expected 2).

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I have no idea what might be causing it. Cannot imagine it has anything to do with the treats they ate - unless they had never eaten them before and there is something it them that the one cat is somehow allergic to. Is he using the litter box ok, and drinking as well?

Tbh, that almost sounds like some sort of injury might have occurred while you were gone. And, it either happened while your sitter was not there, or whatever she saw was not something she thought could have been harmful. You might want to double check with her again.

I don't know how that would tie to a weight loss, but as you said, you could be a few ounces off. But, if he didn't look skinny before you left, and does now, the weight loss could be quick and drastic, which is even more worrisome.

Have you checked around everywhere to make sure he is not still throwing up his food and you just don't know it because he is hiding when the vomits? Make sure you watch his litterbox habits to ensure he is pooping.

I hope other members will come along and offer some advice as well. But, you need to keep a close eye on him and if anything else looks to be wrong, I am not sure you should wait until the scheduled appointment.

 

[Pikanyaa]

Cannot imagine it has anything to do with the treats they ate - unless they had never eaten them before and there is something it them that the one cat is somehow allergic to. Is he using the litter box ok, and drinking as well?

Both litter boxes have urine and feces, so they look normal. And the treats are a type they’ve been eating for months with no issues.

Tbh, that almost sounds like some sort of injury might have occurred while you were gone. And, it either happened while your sitter was not there, or whatever she saw was not something she thought could have been harmful. You might want to double check with her again.

I asked and she said the orher cat fell off the cat tree but appeared fine. Nothing unusual witnessed from Max. I was also thinking maybe he had a *slight* injury since he doesn’t appear to be in any pain, but that wouldn’t explain the weight loss. He does possibly seem more affectionate and chatty than he did before we left. I just wrote that off as him missing us while we were gone.

Have you checked around everywhere to make sure he is not still throwing up his food and you just don't know it because he is hiding when the vomits?

I haven’t seen any vomit, and neither has the catsitter. We live in a small one-bedroom apartment, so if there was vomit anywhere I would have likely noticed by now.

 

[Pikanyaa]

I also tend to be a very anxious person in general, so I’m concerned I might be exaggerating his condition and he ends up fine. I’m keeping a close eye on him and will definitely see about a hospital visit if anything drastic comes up.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oh, well I am a 'worry-wart' too, and always err on the side of caution. Maybe the sitter just thinks it was the other cat that fell, and it was really Max?? When you do get to the vet's, make sure you ask about x-rays, just in case it was Max that fell.

I hope he gets better, even before the vet visit. Do keep us posted.

 

[Pikanyaa]

Oh, well I am a 'worry-wart' too, and always err on the side of caution. Maybe the sitter just thinks it was the other cat that fell, and it was really Max?? When you do get to the vet's, make sure you ask about x-rays, just in case it was Max that fell.

I hope he gets better, even before the vet visit. Do keep us posted.

She had sat for us numerous times, so I believe she knows which is which. And I’ll keep this posted!

 

[Pikanyaa]

I weighed my cats two more times and the scale differed by a few fractions of a pound each time, so I’m thinking it may not be accurate. My bf also said Max maybe didn’t actually lose weight, but we think he did because we were seeing my parents’ cats for several days, and they’re noticeably fatter.

Regardless, I’ll continue watching him tonight. He seems to have gotten more balanced as the day went on, so perhaps he just had some stiffness or a very minor fall injury.

 

[kittyluv387]

Is it possible he has developed a heart issue? That could cause weaker hind legs.

 

[Pikanyaa]

Is it possible he has developed a heart issue? That could cause weaker hind legs.

I suppose that’s always possible given his heart murmur. He was checked for heart conditions last month and appeared to be fine. I’ll hold off on that concern since he seems to have gotten better during today, but if this appears to be a continuous issue, I’ll certainly bring it up.

 

[kittyluv387]

I hope he continues to get better but yes definitely ask about the heart and clotting if it continues.

 

[Kflowers]

If you take him in, remind the vet he has a heart mummer. Sometimes they over look things that have gotten to the back of the charts. Some stuff that you'd think would be on the first page gets shuffled back -- including allergies to certain medicines. Know from experience.

 

[Pikanyaa]

Hi all again,

Max has been perfectly fine since yesterday afternoon, no back end stumbling and just as hyper as ever. My bf and I are also convinced after I reweighed the cats that the scale is not accurate for them, and Max only seems thinner because we spent several days at my parents' house, seeing their slightly fatter cats. Therefore, I cancelled his vet appointment.

Thanks for all your attention and concern! I believe he's fine and I was just being a worrywart. ^_^;