Why are my cat's stiff hind legs and fever not improving?

Hello and thank you very much for your question. With the history that you were giving me, I worried that there may be a puncture wound or abscess formation on the left rear leg. Another possibility would be that we have hurt our leg somehow and the pain associated has caused the temperature to rise. Nevertheless, with a temperature that high, your pet needs to see the veterinarian as soon as possible to get a correct diagnosis and treatment started. If there were not a fever associated, I would tell you to wait for 24 to 48 hours with complete rest of the cat with no movement. But because of the fever, you do need to see a veterinarian. Thanks a lot for your question. Have a good day.

Difficulty walking could be a sign of neurologic disease, and infection would be a concern for a cat Fluff's age. Some parasites like toxoplasmosis can cause neurologic disease, as can viruses like the feline immunodeficiency virus. Difficulty walking could also be related to trauma but this might be more obvious on an exam. If the labs are not conclusive, a referral to a neurology specialist might be recommended as sometimes advanced diagnostics like an MRI and/or spinal tap are necessary for a diagnosis. If she continues to eat and drink normally and does not seem painful I'd wait for test results to come back and discuss the next step with your veterinarian.

Poor Jasper! In addition to antibiotics, I would start Jasper on an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) to help with the fever, if they have not already done so, since his kidney values are normal. It does happen occasionally that we see a cat that is obviously experiencing symptoms of a severe infection or inflammatory response, but we are unable to locate the source of the infection. If abdominal radiographs and ultrasound were not done, this is something additional that could potentially help discover the source of the infection. At this point, make sure he is eating, get the antibiotics into him, ask for pain medication like an nsaid (metacam, onsiar, etc.) or an opiate (buprenorphine) if they didn't send you with one, and give him time. Best of luck!

That sounds like a really tough case. You may need to talk to your vet about advanced diagnostics such as MRI or CT scan, or a referral to a specialist. Has your vet done blood cultures? Checked fungal titers? Tick-transmitted diseases? You may also discuss supportive therapies with your vet, such as cold laser therapy or medical acupuncture.

I'm sorry Jasmine isn't feeling well at the moment! It could be that she was deep in sleep, and it took a minute for her to wake up. That can happen with cats, and while it does appear scary, it can be normal. She is a senior girl, and it can be expected that she will sleep more as she grows older, but having a health check is always a good idea. I'd recommend taking her into the vet tomorrow for a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis to see how her body and organs are functioning.

This is a sign that the disease is more serious than previously thought, you must take Odie back to your vet today, he will need to have a blood test done and the medications will need to be changed, if this is an infection he will need to take antibiotics for at least a week.

I am so sorry that Kitti is so sick. I’m very worried about her from your description and I’m afraid she needs some pretty intensive care if she’s going to recover. If you are near a veterinary specialty center, consider going there through their emergency department. What diagnostics have been done at this point? If bloodwork hasn’t yet been done, ask about doing some lab work to get a better idea of what’s going on. Xrays or ultrasound may also be helpful. I am sorry I don’t have any solutions for you to try at home , but delaying appropriate treatment could change the outcome. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.