My cat can not walk – Causes and solutions

In this article we are going to review the most common causes that can explain why your cat can not walk. Although the reasons that cause this difficulty are not always serious, it is usually necessary to go to our veterinarian to prescribe the most appropriate treatment, once you have discovered the cause that prevents proper ambulation.

We will see that, sometimes, recovery may require the performance of a surgery, hence the importance of veterinary consultation. In this way, if your cat walks weird or, directly, do not walk, do not hesitate to visit the specialist.

Why does not my cat have strength in the legs?

Before we begin to explain the reasons why a cat can not walk, we must pay attention to the characteristics of this impediment. A cat may suffer paralysis when he completely stops walking. This problem, more common in the hind legs, completely prevents them from moving. Therefore, neither walk nor stand.

Other times, a cat can not walk because his legs fail, also more commonly the rear ones. In these cases we will see weakness. The cat can stand but falls, can not move. Sometimes it succeeds but with strange movements, raising the legs abnormally or moving in circles. Other times the difficulty of mobility occurs because the cat have tremors, tics, or seizures All over your body.

Causes of paralysis in the legs of the cat

An accident, an impact, the attack of a dog or a fall of great height can be the cause that our cat can not walk. This happens when there is a Spinal involvement so that nervous communication is interrupted with the legs, which remain immobile. In addition, these injuries can cause more serious injuries, so it requires a quick transfer to the veterinarian, always handling the animal with care.

In general, when it comes to paralysis due to trauma, the animal tends to try to move with undamaged legs, dragging those that have been affected. For this reason, we can notice that the cat drag the hind legs, or the front. And if all the limbs have been harmed, obviously not move any.

An x-ray or a resonance You can give us information about the status of the column. Depending on the damage, so will the forecast. Medication, rehabilitation or surgery may be required. The cat can recover or maintain sequelae. To prevent, we must avoid that the cat has access to the outside without control and install mosquito nets in the windows so that it can not fall.

Furthermore, the Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy It can also cause paralysis in the legs of the cat, especially in the back and tail, because the cardiovascular system fails and, therefore, decreases blood flow.

Why does my cat lose its balance when walking?

Numerous are the causes behind a cat can not walk because of weakness, usually on the hind legs. In older cats we can see that they stop climbing at heights, even if they are small. that may be sign of pain due to some degenerative process like the Osteoarthritis. In addition, cats that have recovered from diseases such as panleukopenia can maintain neurological sequelae that affect their wandering. They are cats that do not walk completely straight, raise their legs excessively to take a step, lose their balance easily or show a lack of coordination between their legs. These damages can be irreversible but they do not prevent them from leading a normal life.

El vestibular syndrome is a neurological disorder that produces symptoms such as tilt of the head, walking in a circle, nystagmus (continuous eye movements), strabismus or ataxia, which produces the lack of coordination that will make walking difficult. This syndrome can be caused by trauma, otitis, infectious diseases, etc. The solution goes through a good neurological examination that allows to identify the triggering cause. It can be cured, but some cats are left with the head tilted as a permanent injury.

Finally, the lack of balance can also be justified with the development of a Ear infection, so, again, the visit to the specialist is mandatory.

My cat wobbles and falls, why?

Sometimes our cat can not walk because he has lost control of his body, to suffer seizures, tremors or tics, sometimes accompanied by other symptoms. This table usually corresponds to a poisoning and requires immediate veterinary help. The prognosis will depend on the substance with which the cat has come into contact, the contact time or the size of the cat.

To avoid scares, we must monitor that the environment that we offer our cat is safe, preventing access to potentially toxic substances or plants. Special care must be taken with antiparasitic products for dogs, since they sometimes include toxic active ingredients for cats.

If we know the substance that has poisoned our cat, we must tell the veterinarian. With fluid therapy and medication it is possible to recover the cat without sequels, although, as we have said, the forecast is reserved. For more information, do not hesitate to consult the following article: “Poisoning in cats – Symptoms and first aid”.

My cat does not walk well – Do you have injuries?

Finally, sometimes the cat can not walk or does it with difficulty due to some injury, usually in the foot. Therefore, if we suspect any localized damage, as long as the cat has not suffered an accident or presents more symptoms, we must examine fingers, nails and pads well. If we find any injury, we must tell the veterinarian.

Preventing you from stepping on hot surfaces or keeping your nails well-maintained can minimize these problems. Also, establish a routine to check the status of these areas on a regular basis help us identify any wound quickly, preventing infection and the clinical picture worsens.

Other causes why a cat’s legs fail

If your cat fails the hind legs, or front, and none of the previous causes correspond to their status, you should know that there are many other reasons that have this condition as a symptom. In this way, we highlight the importance of going to the veterinarian as soon as possible, since we can face a severe picture of constipation, a thrombosis, a Herniated disc, a hip dysplasia or a possible diabetes.

In all the above cases, veterinary intervention is necessary, since otherwise the animal’s life could be seriously compromised. In this way, if you wonder what to do if your cat’s legs fail or he can not walk, the first thing we recommend is to check each of its parts in case there is an external injury. Then, visit to the specialist with all the information collected to facilitate the diagnosis.

This article is merely informative, in .com we do not have the faculty to prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.

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