Cats are distinguished by their activity, which sometimes causes them to suffer. Their excessive mobility can cause injuries of various origins. If you notice that your cat is limping on its front leg, then you need to contact a veterinarian and undergo an examination.
Cat lameness can be caused by many things and can cause the animal significant discomfort and pain. The disease can be permanent or occur periodically, for example, only in the morning or evening. The causes of lameness in cats associated with injury are as follows:
- dislocation of the paw during games;
- splinter in the fingertips;
- sprain;
- fracture;
- claw damage.
An animal may also limp due to a specific disease:
- osteochondrosis. Occurs mainly in old cats. In this case, pinching of the spinal cord roots occurs. Touching upon cervical region, pinching leads to lameness of one front paw or both. The older the pet, the more severe osteochondrosis will manifest itself;
- elbow dysplasia. Mainly affects purebred cats. The disease manifests itself in youth and only intensifies over the years. In this case, the lameness affects either one of the front legs or both at once;
- arthritis or arthrosis. Occurs in older cats and leads to inflammation of the joints. With this disease, the cat limps on the front or on the hind paw. The animal begins to limp gradually. Osteoarthritis can affect older animals and overweight cats;
- osteomyelitis. Characterized by partial destruction of bone tissue. The disease can affect any of the four limbs. It mainly affects cats under two years of age. Osteomyelitis is typical for Persians and related breeds;
- infections, such as calcivirus. In addition to limping, the animal may experience nasal discharge, oral ulcers, and fever.
Your pet may not be able to step on his front paw due to damaged nails. This happens as a result of a fall from a great height or an impact. The claw may break if someone steps on the paw. This causes the animal great discomfort and pain.
There is another reason for lameness related to the disposition of the animal. For example, if you accidentally stepped on its paw and crushed it under a door, the animal will begin to limp demonstratively, expressing its resentment. The main thing is not to pay attention to this, and after a couple of hours your pet will get tired of playing and stop pretending.
If you notice that the cat is really suffering, immediately take him to the veterinarian to eliminate the possibility of complications.
Symptoms of lameness
An animal can limp with varying degrees of severity. Some slightly twist their paw when walking, others cannot step on it at all. Observe your pet, conduct a visual examination and run to the doctor if you notice at least one of the following signs:
- the cat cannot walk at all or moves with difficulty;
- after touching the paw, the cat pulls it away and begins to whine;
- refuses to go outside, especially if you have to go up or down stairs;
- the animal does not stand on its paw;
- with a fungal infection, a trace of dermatophytes is visible on the paws.
In addition to physical signs, your cat may lose appetite, become tired, lethargic, or irritable. If you forcefully examine a painful limb, the cat may hiss and even claw you.
Diagnosis of cat lameness
What to do if you find a cat with lameness on the front or back leg? First, do not delay visiting a veterinary clinic or office. If the cause is an infectious disease, then delay in treatment can cost not only the animal’s health, but also its life. During the visit, the veterinarian will perform the following diagnostic measures:
- will look at the patient's medical history (if any). He will conduct a survey of the owner, find out whether the animal has had any injuries recently, and find out about the presence of accompanying symptoms, in addition to lameness;
- visual inspection of a limping cat. It is necessary to understand how serious the lameness is, the location of the most painful area of the limb, and the presence of abnormal places in the structure of the joints. The doctor will look at how the animal moves, runs, stands;
- neurological examination. Carried out to avoid damage to the central nervous system, muscles, brain or spinal cord, because lameness is not always caused by orthopedic problems;
- radiograph. It will help you see the presence of cracks, tumors, growths and other problems inside the limb.
You may also need to take tests of synovial fluid, general blood and biopsy, and urine. With the introduction of the dye, studies of the spinal canal are performed - myelography. Contrast radiography or arthrography (injection of dye into the joint) is done using the same method. Ultrasound, MRI and CT may be prescribed.
Treatment of lameness in cats
When you have decided on the causes of lameness in the front paw, it’s time to start treatment. It can be simple and done at home with the help of medications, for example for a minor sprain or dislocation. More serious illnesses are treated in a hospital, and surgical intervention is possible.
Drug therapy
In the case where lameness is associated with a splinter or other foreign body getting into the paw, treatment consists of treating the wound with a simple antiseptic. But first the splinter is pulled out so that swelling and inflammation do not occur. As a rule, no complications arise, the wound heals within 2-3 days. Along with painful sensations, lameness will disappear. Fractures are not uncommon in active cats. If the animal breaks its paw, you should try to immobilize it before arriving at the clinic. At the hospital, the cat will be examined and a bandage or cast will be applied.
Treatment of degenerative changes in the limbs and arthritis in cats is carried out with the help of drugs that restore the elasticity of cartilage, for example, Ketofen. It is prescribed both in tablet form (1 tablet once a day) and in the form of injections (1% solution). Medicines can only be prescribed by a veterinarian, after carrying out the necessary diagnostic measures. If pathological changes in the joints are caused by excess weight and impaired metabolism, the animal is prescribed a diet to reduce body weight.
There are cases. When it is impossible to determine the exact cause of lameness. In this case, the animal is prescribed to minimize physical activity and is prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs. Painful sensations are relieved by No-shpa, Papaverine, etc.
If lameness is caused by an infectious disease, then the root cause is eliminated first. Diseases like calcivirosis are treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics in combination with immunostimulants, anti-inflammatory drugs and vitamins. This is necessary to protect the animal’s body, which is already weakened by the disease. The doctor may prescribe a weekly course of Flemoxin at a dosage of 12.5 -22 mg per kilogram of weight.
Surgical intervention
The duration and intensity of treatment depend on the type of disease and its advanced stage. For example, osteomyelitis disappears with age, but osteochondrosis, arthritis and arthrosis can become chronic. In this case, constant dulling of painful outbreaks with anti-inflammatory and painkillers will be required.
When lameness becomes severe, surgery is required. Depending on the situation, the doctor may decide to replace the affected joint with a prosthesis.
In case of dislocation kneecap If timely treatment is not carried out and the disease progresses to stages 3 and 4, surgery is prescribed. The same applies to osteochondrosis. At the beginning of the development of the disease, medications are prescribed. If the lameness does not go away, but only progresses, surgery will be prescribed to eliminate the pinched nerve.
Prevention of lameness
Some cats, due to their natural predisposition, may suffer from lameness. Proper maintenance of the cat can avoid its occurrence or at least reduce the intensity of its manifestations: protect it from injury, adjust the diet, adding more foods with calcium and vitamins.
If you want to know whether a kitten will limp in the future, study its pedigree. Perhaps this is due to heredity and does not pose a danger to the health and life of the animal.
Cats that have crossed the border of old age, as a rule, move little and therefore begin to limp due to atrophy of the limbs. Play with them more often, provoking them to take active actions.
To prevent splinters from getting into your paws, do not be lazy to clean the room as thoroughly as possible, making sure that there are no objects lying on the floor that are potentially dangerous to the animal.
Lameness in cats is not that uncommon. If nothing else bothers your pet except it, then it is quite possible that in a couple of days the situation will return to normal. If you see that the cat has become restless and has been limping for a long time, then professional help is required.
A healthy cat is an active animal; it still lives exclusively at home or goes out for a free walk. Such activity can lead to a number of injuries, for example, lameness on the front leg. Often this is not an independent disease, but a clear symptom of the presence of other hidden diseases.
How can you tell if your cat has front leg lameness?
What is it - lameness or a fracture of the front paw?
Everything greatly depends on the health status of the particular pet, the severity of the individual episode, most often the signs are as follows:
- the animal does not step on the sore leg, tries to transfer weight to the healthy limb;
- the cat has an uneven, slow gait;
- does not want to perform the movements that are familiar to her;
- the pet does not allow anyone to touch its sore paw and is in pain;
- The cat endlessly licks the sore limb.
Causes of lameness in cats
Examination of the front paw.
When lameness is constant, almost from birth, it can be caused by genetic abnormalities in the very development of the skeleton (dysplasia).
It happens that a cat begins to limp due to a number of metabolic disorders (for example, osteodystrophy). Less common are serious illnesses such as osteosarcoma .
When chroma appears suddenly and there are no visible injuries, its common causes are bruises, dislocations, small cracks and even ligament tears. Even an unsuccessful jump from a small height, such as a chair or sofa, can cause an injury to the cat that will cause it to limp. A cat with a minor cruciate ligament tear may it's enough to suddenly limp .
Help for the front paw by a veterinarian.
Another common cause of lameness in cats can be arthritis, nerve or nail disease that affects the sensitivity of the paws.
Lameness in cats and calicivirus
Lameness can also develop due to infection with feline calcivirus.
Many studies indicate that under the influence of calcivirus, a systemic infection sometimes occurs, which causes localization of the virus directly in the tissues of the joint. Thus, calcivirus is quite capable of causing temporary polyarthritis, more often in adults than in kittens.
Ulcers in the mouth are the first sign of calcivirosis.
It should be noted that lameness, directly associated with calcivirus, mainly manifests itself in kittens. In cases where lameness makes itself felt after vaccination, it is most often caused by an acquired infection. True, sometimes the reason lies in the vaccine.
Lameness syndrome
The severity of chromatosis syndrome varies quite widely, ranging from subtle inflammation, slight limping, to a severe form of polyarthritis, when the pet stubbornly refuses to move and refuses to eat on principle.
Typically, affected cats recover on their own over time.
What should the owner do?
If you notice that, the first thing to do is inspect the paw immediately . Perhaps the cause will become clear, for example, damage or a foreign body in the limb itself.
If there are no visible injuries, you need to take your cat to the vet. He will conduct a manual examination and, most likely, the pet will have to undergo x-rays. Only after a thorough diagnosis will it become clear why the lameness occurred and how serious the situation is, will a treatment strategy for the cat be proposed.
A domestic cat, especially if it is a young animal, personifies not only peace and comfort, but is also associated with an active lifestyle. Fluffy pets play with pleasure, jump from heights, run, and frolic.
If a cat is lame on its paw, the owner will immediately notice the problem. The reasons can be very diverse - from minor injury to serious problems with the musculoskeletal system.
Lameness is a violation of the motor function of an animal, in which there is incomplete contact of one of the limbs with the ground. In this case, the body weight is transferred to healthy paws. The owner may notice stiffness of movement, uneven, slow gait. The animal refuses to perform usual movements (jumping on the sofa, jumping from a height). The cat does not allow you to pet the sore limb and constantly licks it.
Veterinary experts note many reasons why a cat stops 
lean on one of the limbs and begins to limp:
- Long claws. Untimely cat claws result in excessively long claws interfering with the normal support of the limbs when the animal moves.
In addition, the claw can grow into the soft tissue of the paw, causing pain and leading to lameness.
- A common reason for a cat to be lame on its paw is splinter. Fluffy fidgets love to climb trees. Such fun often leads to sharp wooden splinters getting stuck in the delicate tissues of the cat's paw. Having stuck into the paw of an animal, the splinter causes pain and discomfort when moving, changing the gait.
- The causes of sudden lameness in a pet are most often injuries such as bruises, dislocations, sprains and ligament tears. The activity of an animal often plays a cruel joke on it. Jumping from heights is a common cause of sprains and tears of the cruciate ligament. Limb injuries are observed in free-ranging cats.
Running away from dogs, participating in fights with relatives, climbing trees and hills, furry pets are often exposed to bruises and problems with the ligamentous apparatus. The most common traumatic dislocations are observed in the hip, elbow and wrist joints.
- A more serious cause of severe lameness is limb fracture. In this case, the owner can observe not only the presence of lameness in the animal, but also the dragging of the injured paw. As a rule, the animal tries not to step on the broken limb due to severe pain and holds it suspended.
- The owner often observes how the cat is limping after an injection. This phenomenon is temporary and is due to the fact that during the injection the needle was inserted too deep into the muscles. After a few hours, the lameness caused by the intramuscular injection stops.
- A persistent problem in a young animal may be caused by a genetic disorder - hip dysplasia. This pathology of the musculoskeletal system occurs in many breeds of domestic cats and is a negative sign that breeders should get rid of. With dysplasia in cats, the owner may observe that the cat is limping on its hind leg.
As a rule, strong changes in a pet's gait can be observed at the moment when the animal begins to move after sleep or rest. As you walk, the severity of lameness decreases. Fast-growing cat breeds, such as Maine Coon, British and Bengal cats, are predisposed to this disease.
- In the first stages of a viral disease calcivirosis the owner may observe the so-called lameness syndrome. At the same time, the pet also notices increased joint pain. This is due to the localization of the calcivirosis virus in the connective tissue of the joints.
- Osteodystrophy– another reason that occurs when phosphorus-calcium metabolism and vitamin D absorption are impaired. Softening and deformation of bones develop, which leads to gait disturbances and lameness. Breeds such as Scottish Fold and Scottish Straight are susceptible to the disease.
- and arthrosis– common causes of lameness in older animals over 7 years of age. In addition to the pronounced symptom, the elderly pet experiences swelling of the joints, increased local temperature, and pain when palpated.
- A serious reason why the cat began to limp constantly may be oncological pathology - osteosarcoma. Most often, the disease develops after 6–7 years.
The variety of factors leading to lameness must be taken into account by the owner when detecting this phenomenon in a pet.
What should the owner do?
Having noticed an uncertain, shaky gait in a furry beauty, the owner should 
take measures to identify the factors leading to lameness. First of all, it is necessary to examine the sore paw for the presence of foreign bodies in it: splinters, splinters, glass, etc.
If a cat is limping on a front paw, it is necessary to examine and feel the soft tissues of the limb to find out if there are ingrown nails that are interfering with the normal movement of the animal. If overgrown claws are detected, trimming them at home will return the pet to a normal gait.
After examining the paw pads, the injured limb should be carefully examined. , open fractures are easy to notice during visual inspection. In the absence of visible damage, you should feel the joints of the affected limb for swelling, swelling, pain, and increased local temperature.
If a cat has a sore paw, is limping and has dragging limbs, viral calcivirus should be ruled out. With this disease, in addition to gait disturbances, nasal discharge, sneezing, and conjunctivitis are observed. You should not diagnose your pet on your own. Only a veterinarian can determine that lameness is caused by a viral infection based on laboratory tests.
If the problem is not related to a splinter, wound, or visible damage, the owner should take the limping cat to a specialized facility. The most reliable method for diagnosing hidden injuries of joints and bones is x-ray examination.
Using an x-ray, a veterinarian will see displacement of bones during a fracture, dislocations, ruptures of ligaments, disruption of the normal configuration in the joint, phenomena of hip dysplasia and other pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. This method is painless, can be performed in some cases without anesthesia, with light sedation of the animal.
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Treatment Options
The owner can help the pet on his own only if he discovers an overgrown nail, a splinter, or a small wound on a limb. If lameness is caused by a wound, the wound surface should be thoroughly cleaned of contamination and treated with a disinfectant solution. Even with minor damage to the skin, the animal should be shown to a veterinarian.
If a dislocation is suspected as the cause of the lameness, under no circumstances should you adjust it yourself. If a cat has a swollen paw or is limping, the pet should be taken to a veterinarian immediately.
This should be done quickly, as swollen tissues make it difficult to diagnose and reduce the dislocation. In a clinical setting, if necessary, the animal will be given anesthesia to relieve pain and relieve muscle spasm, and the dislocated joint will be set back into place. After this manipulation, the cat will be given a fixing bandage or splint. In some cases, when dislocations occur, they resort to surgical method treatment.
For fractures, veterinary specialists use immobilizing bandages and apply plaster. In the case of an open fracture, bone fragments are removed from the wound and, if necessary, surgical excision of the damaged tissue is performed.
Treatment of hip dysplasia and arthrosis of certain joints at first is conservative in nature and includes the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins, and chondroprotectors. Massage and physiotherapy provide good results. For exacerbations, painkillers are used.
For lameness caused by antiviral and antibacterial therapy. In case of osteodystrophy, the sick pet is prescribed mineral supplements of calcium and phosphorus, vitamin D. Correction of the animal’s diet and dosed ultraviolet irradiation have a good effect.
Arthritis requires complex treatment, which is based on anti-inflammatory, antibacterial agents and painkillers. An important role in the treatment of inflammatory phenomena in the joint is played by adherence to a special therapeutic diet.
If you notice lameness in your pet, you should not hesitate to visit a veterinarian, and also self-medicate. The phenomenon associated with gait disturbance can be caused by serious reasons (dislocations, fractures, joint dysplasia) that require professional help.
X-rays help make a correct diagnosis of a sick animal. In severe cases, veterinary specialists resort not only to conservative treatment, but also to surgery on the joint.
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