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- Dec 1, 2021
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To keep up with my weekly health posts... *sigh*
So, I took my cat to see a holistic/physical therapist vet last week, and she recommended that I make my cat move more, because the muscles on his hind legs are weak (he has hip dysplasia and went through surgery on both legs in January). So last night I pulled out a laser pointer toy, which I never use, and gave him what I thought was a "good workout" for around 20 minutes, I think.
Problem is, he started panting, which freaked me out because he's never done that. Now, I am under the impression we've definitely played for that long before, but I do also think that with other toys he doesn't move *as much* as with the laser pointer. He often sits or lays down and stares at the toy before pouncing, whereas with the laser pointer he just moves constantly. The weather is fairly hot here now (around 30c during the day), so I'm wondering how much of a part this played on his panting, specially given how long his fur is.
My cat is a Maine Coon, so ofc my mind immediately goes to heart health and how scary that is. Every time he goes to a vet, they listen to his heart, and no one's ever noticed anything (last week included). He also had an echocardiogram done prior to his surgery in January, and all was well. The recommendation from the specialist that did the exam was that he gets it done once a year. Is that enough to catch any problems early?
(Needless to say, he won't be seeing the laser pointer anymore. He has plenty of other toys, I'll figure out other ways to make him move that are more focused on doing it for longer as opposed to fast and furious).
So, I took my cat to see a holistic/physical therapist vet last week, and she recommended that I make my cat move more, because the muscles on his hind legs are weak (he has hip dysplasia and went through surgery on both legs in January). So last night I pulled out a laser pointer toy, which I never use, and gave him what I thought was a "good workout" for around 20 minutes, I think.
Problem is, he started panting, which freaked me out because he's never done that. Now, I am under the impression we've definitely played for that long before, but I do also think that with other toys he doesn't move *as much* as with the laser pointer. He often sits or lays down and stares at the toy before pouncing, whereas with the laser pointer he just moves constantly. The weather is fairly hot here now (around 30c during the day), so I'm wondering how much of a part this played on his panting, specially given how long his fur is.
My cat is a Maine Coon, so ofc my mind immediately goes to heart health and how scary that is. Every time he goes to a vet, they listen to his heart, and no one's ever noticed anything (last week included). He also had an echocardiogram done prior to his surgery in January, and all was well. The recommendation from the specialist that did the exam was that he gets it done once a year. Is that enough to catch any problems early?
(Needless to say, he won't be seeing the laser pointer anymore. He has plenty of other toys, I'll figure out other ways to make him move that are more focused on doing it for longer as opposed to fast and furious).
This also gives you an excuse to try and find an alternative toy to help strengthen the muscles in his hind legs. Best of luck!
