my cat is walking funny. has anyone else seen there cat walking like this?
since my cat was a kitten he has walked normal ( on the pads of his little feet) about a month ago or so he has started walking on his entire back legs. from the bend down. has anyone else experensed this with their cat? should i be worried?
Yes, many people have seen their cats walking that way ("plantigrade") – This symptom is how many cats get diagnosed with diabetes, and that diagnosis is the first thing I (and probably most vets) would think of especially if your cat is a male middle aged or older cat, and especially if it turns out it’s combined with some other symptoms (like drinking and urinating more than he used to) Specifically it is peripheral neuropathy — nerve damage in the limbs (in cats usually the back legs) — due to prolonged high blood sugar. http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Neuropathy
BUT the good news is that diabetes is very treatable and since this is pretty recent there is a good chance if you get him to the vet now and get his blood sugar under control, the nerves in his back legs can recover. In most cases, this leg problem is NOT permanent and cats do recover significantly, sometimes completely, once their blood sugar is kept controlled at a healthy level.
My own cat had some neuropathy and after a few months on insulin it went away. and i have seen heard of cats who had it MUCH worse and also recovered — they went from basically crippled to running around normally again.
There is also a supplement that can really help a lot — methyl B12 (NOT just any kind of vitamin B12 — you have to get the methyl kind. it’s also called methylcobalamin )
So your cat may get back to walking "on the pads of his little feet"
Some cats get their blood sugar controlled just by changing to a low carb diet. Most do need to go on insulin shots twice a day, but many can go into remission after some weeks or months on insulin to let their pancreas heal and start doing its job again. Then they need to stay on a very low carb, grain free diet.
If it is not diabetes then maybe some other kind of nerve problem or muscle weakness due to another cause. . But in any case you do need to get him into the vet ASAP to find out. If it IS diabetes , the sooner he is treated the better!
i dont think you should be really worried if it doesnt look like the cat is in pain its probley not a big deal my cat walks funny too he bouncys like a frog everywere
Don’t want to alarm you but feline diabetes often causes weakness in the hind legs of cats. Rather than walking normaly, the cat will walk on his hocks if I were you would take him for a visit to the vet.
You should take your cat to the vet as soon as you can. This is a very unusual way for a cat to walk and could be a sign of sickness or injury, especially if it started suddenly.
I’ve known an awful lot of cats in my life, and I’ve never seen one walk like you are describing.
Do you cut his nails?that could be why. Take him to the vet just in case!!!
Good luck
I am only 12 BUT I am thinking about becoming a vet. I couldn’t answer this now, but may I suggest asking your vet? He/She might know about this.
I would take him to the vet as soon as you can. You know your cat, and you know that he isn’t acting normally. He might be in pain, so the vet is definitely the place to go.