Consult your Vet immediately if your cat begins dragging a leg, is unable to move their legs or appears unable to stand.
Leg paralysis in cats is an urgent condition and requires veterinary treatment. Your veterinarian will provide supportive care such as hospitalization, intravenous fluids and oxygen therapy as appropriate. Steroids or anti-inflammatories to reduce spinal inflammation are commonly administered.
Common Causes of Complete & Partial Paralysis in Cats
Traumatic injury (car accident, fall, fight) Infection in bones or tissue near the spinal column. Slipped discs damaging or pinching the nearby nerves. Inflammation around the spine placing pressure on nearby nerves.
Arthritis is the most common cause of mobility issues in older cats. It's a degenerative condition that causes pain and inflammation of your cat's joints. As a result, an older cat with arthritis can find it increasingly difficult to move around.
The symptoms of vestibular disease can set in very suddenly in your cat and might look very distressing to owners, but the condition by itself isn't a cause for alarm. In one way or another, the symptoms are all due to your cat's disrupted balance and may include: Difficulty standing up.
Decreased Appetite and Thirst
If your cat seems to have lost interest in eating or drinking, it could be a sign that they are experiencing pain. Changes in eating and drinking habits could be symptoms of many other serious medical problems, too, so it is always best to alert your veterinarian.
The First Signs – The first signs that your cat may be entering their final stages typically include lack of appetite, fatigue or lethargy, difficulty moving around, and changes in alertness.
The most common cause of rear limb paralysis in cats is a blood clot that goes to the back leg, called a saddle thrombus or arterial thromboembolism (ATE).
Help your pet regain their independence by fitting them with a cart for their hind legs, or using a harness or sling to help them walk. Contact a nearby rehabilitation veterinary hospital for a trial run of a cart or harness, since different aids make different pets more comfortable.
It is possible to recover from cat paralysis, but every cat's prognosis is different. In the most severe cases and more drastic injury, it's possible that a cat can be paralyzed for the rest of their life.
It's scary to see your cat suddenly not be able to walk, look drunk, fall over to his or her side, have a head tilt, or act neurologically inappropriate (e.g., seizure). Other signs that look like “acute strokes” in cats include: sudden imbalance. falling over to the side.
Botulism is a rare condition that causes paralysis in cats. Botulism is caused by ingesting the botulinum toxin, a substance produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. Most cases of botulism in cats are caused by eating dead animals or contaminated raw meat.
If voluntary movement, pain sensation, and spinal reflexes improve over 1 to 2 months, the outlook for recovery is good. An Elizabethan collar may be needed to prevent the cat from chewing on its leg. If the nerve injury is suspected to be permanent and the animal is chewing the leg, amputation may be the best option.
Howling, crying, hiding, and otherwise acting in a way that is out of character for your pet should alert you that something may be seriously wrong. Changes in litter box habits, particularly in male cats, can indicate a serious health problem.
Recovery for Paralysis in Cats
Many cats recover from paralysis with proper treatment as nerves regenerate slowly. However, a full recovery will depend on the health of the nerve; some nerve injuries will get better in a few months, while others may need surgical reattachment.
Sudden paralysis and pain, usually in the rear legs, are the most common clinical signs of aortic thromboembolism, although weakness and lameness may be seen. If the rear limbs are affected, there may be decreased or absent pulses in the femoral arteries of the rear legs. Sometimes a front leg is involved.
In cats, loss of muscle mass may result from ageing (sarcopenia) or from multiple chronic conditions, including chronic kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, congestive heart failure, and cancer (Baez et al, 2007; Freeman, 2012; Santarossa et al, 2017; Santiago et al, 2020).
As your cat nears the end of her life she will probably be less active. She will sleep more and more and may be weak when she is awake. Some cats may also appear depressed and listless.
The Task Force has designated four age-related life stages (Table 1): the kitten stage, from birth up to 1 year; young adult, from 1 year through 6 years; mature adult, from 7 to 10 years; and senior, aged over 10 years.
If your cat is losing interest in routine activities, in addition to having a weakened physique, an illness, and mobility problems, euthanizing may be the kindest gift. An unwell cat could become uninterested in playing or going for walks. It may also become disinterested in eating its favorite treats.
This is not the same thing as lying down; acute collapse is similar to a person passing out, and is characterized by weakness and disorientation. Collapse may also be preceded by vomiting, diarrhea, or panting. In most cases, cats will collapse for one minute or less and may return to normal quickly.
While cats have been known to fall from over 30 stories and survive, it's not very common or thoroughly researched. That being said, studies suggest cats can fall as far as 20 stories, over 200 feet, and survive with little to no injuries.
Cerebellar Hypoplasia, also known as CH and wobbly cat syndrome, is a neurological disorder that causes sudden jerky movements, uncoordinated motion and loss of balance. In a CH cat, the brain does not develop properly.