My cat keeps lifting her leg

katherinehsp · New member Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 2

My 1 year old male cat seemed to suddenly last week start lifting his leg like he was limping. Here is the thing though, it happens infrequently. He will just suddenly seem unable to put his right foot down and then will run on three legs around the corner and sit down.

Then as quickly as it came on, it will go away. Right after sitting down - he will get up and walks all around. He can walk around, run, jump. Stand on his hind legs. But like once a day he will have this *spell* for literally just one moment. His legs don't seem effected in any way 99% of the time.

I took him to the vet the other day, and was annoyed that the vet charged me $53.00 and told me just to bring him back it if wasn't better in a week or two. She seems to think that he hurt himself somehow, and every once and a while it flairs up causing him to lift his leg. Which could be true. Last Monday he took two very hard falls -- during play.

But it looks to me like some sort of neurological problem. It is like he is having a seizure he gets this weird look on his face and then can't seem to figure out how to put his foot down. He runs -- I think because he knows there is something wrong and is scared.

Has anyone ever had anything else like this? I fear that if I go back to the vet without some sort of *working diagnosis* it will be years before she figures it out. Tx.

Mary_NH · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:37 am Post subject:

get a 2nd opinion if you have other vets around.

Chessmind · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:39 am Post subject:

Hi and welcome to Auspet. I think you should trust your instincts and I agree with Mary_NH. It would be a good idea to get a second opinion. It would be nice though if the first vet was correct and your cat no longer does the 'leg lift.' Let us know what you decide to do.

katherinehsp · New member Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 2

Because the first hasn't fully examined him yet. And I would prefer not to go on an expensive jaunt for nothing. You know how nutty cats are, he could have just picked up a new behavior. I just don't want to bring him back and have the vet do a zillion x-rays and find nothing and or a zillion neurological tests and find nothing.

For the moment I am just going to stay the course, if just lifting his leg is all he is doing -- that isn't that bad. I am hoping I can connect it up to electric shock, ie, I walk around on the rug and shock him and it is his reaction to it, but I don't remember it last year and I had the same house.

He did the leg lift today when I arrived home and it does seem to be after contact with me or rubbing himself on the rug. Hopefully. I was just hoping someone had something similar.