HIND LEGS GIVING WAY

[POPPYSMA]

Hello! I'm worried about my kitty. My indoor Devon Rex cat (3 yr old) got out of the house for a few hours a couple weeks ago. When I found her I noticed a brief giving out of her hind leg right before I picked her up, however it didn't happen again. After looking her over, I thought she was fine. Fast forward about a week later and her hind leg/legs intermittently give out here and there as she is walking. She doesn't seem to be in pain (even when and after it happens) and is otherwise behaving normal; jumping, running, drinking and eating. It started to become more frequent several days ago so I took her to a vet but didn't get any answers. Just anti-inflammatory and a wait and see, because we couldn't afford an MRI and otherwise she is appearing healthy. I wanted to post this video just to see if anyone out there has seen anything like this before.

The strange thing is, this youtube video shows the only time where it was actually occurring with almost every step she takes. We took her over to a house she had never been to ( she was a little unsure and prowling, the flooring was different and she was a little stressed). I'm wondering if any of these factors caused it to happen over there more consistently because it's harder to catch it happening at home.Thanks for looking.

The end of the vid gives you the clearest view of what's happening.

 

[lutece]

Did the vet check for patellar luxation (kneecaps slipping out of the groove)?

 

[Jcatbird]

You really need to show this video to the vet. It gives a clear view of what is happening and obviously she is having some kind of issue. There are so many things it could be but it does appear that there is a slipping internally or a weakness. If she is a jumper, she may have missed a jump and strained tendons or dislocated the joints. An X-ray is less expensive and might help but won’t show tendon or muscle damage but could show and misalignment of joints. You could ask. I would try to keep her from high places right now. If possible keeping her a bit less active to see if things get time to heal. Cats always hide pain. It is built into them. Ancestors that were feral would have hidden pain because it would show weakness and leave them more vulnerable to predators. They also don’t want to stress their humans. I have a cat that missed a jump and had a leg injury. I did not see it but heardcthe fall. She limped badly! I was so worried that her foot was broken! She got pain meds and I was told to confine her to a small area to keep her from jumping and to allow for rest and observation. She recovered. I hope your kitty just strained something and continued activity has kept her from allowing her legs to recover. It could be something just that simple but do follow up and show the vet the video! Please let us know how she is doing.

 

[Leomc123]

i am not a vet, but to me it looks like either a dislocated knee joint or something to do with the ligament that is inside the thigh area that is supposed to hold the legs ability to keep body weight. You can see there is nothing wrong with her feet or paws to make her left leg collapse like that so it is something happening there that has to do with a knee joint or upper thigh tendon or ligament. Could be a strain or a tear.

 

[POPPYSMA]

Thank you for your insights. I’m taking her back in today with the video and I’ll ask about patellar luxation and get an X-ray to start. I’m trying to keep her on the ground but she loves getting up high, so it’s been really hard to keep her from jumping around and she is not as light on her feet as you think a cat would be. It makes me wince!

 

[lutece]

Good luck! It's possible the vet might not have thought of patellar luxation as it is mostly seen in small dogs (not as common in cats), but it can be an inherited issue in the Devon Rex breed. It could certainly be something else, too, but that was my first thought.

Patellar luxation can be diagnosed by simply manipulating the kneecap, but you might need an x-ray if the knees are normal and the vet wants to check for something else.

 

[fionasmom]

Definitely get the x ray and go from there. As was stated, I have had dogs with luxating patellas but you don't see it as much in cats. Having said that, there are two TNRed males ferals who come to my property daily for food and rest and both have turned up with limping type injuries which do clear up as if they did make a bad jump or overdid something.

 

[LTS3]

One of my cats has a luxating patella in both knees. She was slightly limping for awhile. It was barely noticable. My vet saw the video and didn't see anything unusual but sent me to the orthopedic vet who diagnosed the luxating patellas simply by moving the knee caps. The luxating patella is mild so we're not treating it with anything at the moment. Cosequin may be helpful to some cats. Severe cases may need surgery.