Cutis Laxa In Elderly Cat ?

[tobby]

Our 18 1/2 year old male developed a heavy limp in the right rear leg at a undetermined time. He still likes to climb on the couch and sit in the sun so we figured he may have bruised himself coming down. Decided to take him to the vet as he was having trouble walking - clearly trying to put weight on the other legs to support the rear leg which would no longer support much weight.

He has occasional had minor limps before as he has started to show signs of arthritis in the last couple years. We have been giving him a supplement in his for that. We give the same supplement to another 18 1/2 year old female we have. Even with the very bad limp and unsteadiness he still asks to go outside for a escorted "patrol" of the front porch area. We never leave him alone outside.

The vet did blood and other tests and they are o.k. He has some fat and thick fur so we hadn't noticed he had lost some weight. The vet found a lump near the left leg on examining him again after the X-rays. The bio said it was not a tumor. The vet said he needed to do more research and gave us some pills for pain.

He wrote down a preliminary name of a possible condition on a piece of pair called "cutis lava". Upon checking Google I haven't found any connection with cats. All the sites I've looked at so far talk about a rare disease only affecting about 200 families of humans.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello!
I was wondering if your vet is consulting, or would be willing to consult, with a university medical veterinary team? Is there one reasonably near you?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Cutis laxa is a connective tissue disorder. So, maybe that is what it looks like to your vet, and s/he is just putting a human label on it?

What is your vet going to do next - more research - possibly as Furballsmom suggested with a nearby vet university?

 

[tobby]

We are suppose to continue giving him 1/2 of a pain pill for the next 2 weeks and check back. The vet had no explanation for the weight loss. The information supposedly came from a web site, which apparently must be only be for vets if its exists at all as I have found nothing that pertains to cats and this condition. We are about 110 miles from one of the leading animal universities - Iowa State University.

 

[FeebysOwner]

You could probably call the vet university yourself, and just ask some questions? Or, maybe email them, or use a contact list on their web site?

 

[tobby]

Thanks for the replies. I sent a email earlier today; however, I not too hopeful on a reply as they run a clinic for small animals and are likely to provide free advice. I also mentioned I got the information from my vet, in which case they may not want to comment out of fear of violating the unwritten code of "doctors stick to together".

 

[FeebysOwner]

I also mentioned I got the information from my vet, in which case they may not want to comment out of fear of violating the unwritten code of "doctors stick to together".

I hope not! But, you never know!

The next step would be to contact the vet and ask if s/he can provided some documentation about this particular condition in cats. I would hope the vet can give you that much!!

 

[tobby]

The university never answered back as expected.

The previous diagnosis makes no sense as Wikipedia indicates its a rare skin disease that has only appeared in about 200 families worldwide.

Cutis laxa - Wikipedia

This cat and several cats are under the care of my adoptive parents who have reached their 70s and are sometimes forgetful and spend most of their time in front of the TV. They are also on a fixed income as they are retired. I am not saying they are getting bad care but sometimes lax care as they give a daily shot to another cat with diabetes.

A previous cat under their care was given two asthma pills daily. She began to get worse one day and died during the night. She would occasionally have coughing and sneezing attacks so I initially suspected this was another one. I did a little detective work with a calendar and the remaining pills in the two bottles and determined there were too many pills left. When I confronted my mother about the evidence indicating the cat had not been getting all her medicine my mother asked why would I do something like that. After the cat died I learned of emergency asthma kits that can kept on hand, so either the vet did not tell them about these or he did and they simply cost too much or they forgot about them.

They refuse to call the vet and the animals are under their name at the vet. I have gotten several different stories afterward such as its a lump of fatty tissue, its his hip, or its his age, etc.

There is a lump inside his right leg near the hip joint. The vet has the now 19 year old cat on "Gabapentin Quad Tab 20", which is pain medication. It was initially 1/4 a pill twice a day. In the past week the back right leg became lame again. I am not sure if this due to the condition becoming worse or from the parents not giving it in his wet food. After I found him by the water dish unable to walk a few feet at a time they were suddenly interested in giving him the the pill orally. That lasted for one dose as he is a very large and strong cat even at 19. They are now back giving him the does in his wet food. They then called the vet and asked if they could up the medication, which now became 1/4 of a pill three times a day. I suspect the cat became worse again after they forgot to give him medicine. When on the medication he can walk better but its obvious the right leg is still giving him trouble and he does not seem his regular bright self, but "drugged".

After doing some research on my own I think its likely benign lipoma. I am not sure its infiltrative lipoma, which requires a more complex procedure. When I confronted them with this they ask me if I have hundreds, later thousands of dollar to spend on the cat, and try to argue about it being something else or that I do know anything.

Fatty Skin Tumors in Cats | petMD

I am considering taking the cat on my own to another vet which offers laser surgery, but am hesitate due to the cat's age.

 

[Furballsmom]

Is there a way to get a home visit vet, maybe?