Luna's legs are getting weaker (x-ray shot of her spine; #77)

[Karen]

Awww, poor Luna kitty! Can you cut down on the amount she gets of her food each day and maybe loosing some weight will help her get some mobility back? Poor girl, it is hard to see our beloved pets get older, isn't it? As she has had trouble with her hind legs since kittenhood, I wonder if the nerves there just never properly developed for some reason. You and she will be in our prayers, though it is good that she still does jump, that means she does have some control, and we know it would be impossible to get her not to, anyway!

You tell Miss Lilly that is she keeps it up, she's gonna end up in the Dog House ... or sprayed with water or shut in the bathroom - whichever would horrify her most!

[Kirsten]

Thank you, Karen.

Yes, it's hard to see her getting older, and I'm really worried. She spent the entire evening lying on my desk, eventually I lifted her up to find out if she can still walk at all. She could, but it's easy to see it's not comfortable for her. Lily chased her around a while ago, so I wonder if it made things even worse. I'm trying to protect her from Lily, but sometimes I'm just not fast enough.

You may be right about the nerves, it's what my gut feeling is telling me also. A pinched nerve, or a herniated disk. I really fear she may end up paralized, even though my former vet told me today on the phone that even disk hernias can be treated (to some degree at least) with the kind of medicine she's on. We'll see. But tonight, I'm feeling she's not doing well at all.

I cannot cut down the amount of food because I'm already feeding small portions. But what I can do is getting her a calory-reduced struvite crystal diet made by Hill's. So far, I'm feeding her a struvite crystal diet from the pet store because the Hill's diet is so very expensive over here. But I'm going to order it from my vet's office tomorrow, and I hope it's not too late for her to lose some weight. I'm really worried, and I fear her birthday tomorrow will be her last one.

[Karen]

Awww, okay, maybe the reduced calorie stuff will make a difference - it is amazing what losing some weight can do for a kitty's health, in terms of joints in particular! Sending you hugs, and scritches to Luna!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Kirsten, I'm so sorry to hear this. I sure hope that the pain meds will be able to continue to help her. I've also had overweight cats in the past and my Radar is still currently overweight even though he's a very large cat. You just need to make sure that cats don't lose too much weight too fast or else they can get hepatic lipidosis which is fatty liver disease. My RB Pepper got this when he became very sick which made him lose a lot of weight very quickly. I hope that Lily will stop trying to attack Luna. Cats can sense when another cat is ill or weak and then they try to bully them. Since x-rays won't be able to show anything, did your vet ever mention doing an ultrasound? Maybe this would be able to show something. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent to both of you. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

Here's two articles about cats with arthritis: http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/dise...sTreatment.htm and http://voices.yahoo.com/7-home-treat...s-8319665.html.

[phesina]

Oh, Kirsten, we are sending prayers and warm healing energies and good wishes your and Luna's way, that the vets and you will come up with a solution for Luna's difficulties here.

{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}} and ~~~~~~~PURRS~~~~~~~ and from Pat and cats

[Asiel]

I don't know much about cats but I have to agree that it does sound like a nerve problem and possibly some back issue. I'm really sorry you're going through this with Luna, I know your cats mean so much to you. Could you boost her bed higher for when she does decide to jump down so it won't be so far for her to jump? I hope you'll be able to convince Lily that chasing Luna is a bad idea...the water bottle shpuld help with that. Have a special birthday with her tomorrow-- hopefully she'll have another one next year.

[cassiesmom]

Oh, Kirsten, we are sending prayers and warm healing energies and good wishes your and Luna's way, that the vets and you will come up with a solution for Luna's difficulties here.

{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}} and ~~~~~~~PURRS~~~~~~~ and from Pat and cats

Same here! Prayers and good wishes, hugs and purrrrrrrs for Luna and meowmie!

[maid25cats]

When i first moved in with my husband he had a big 4X6 picture window with a thin 4in ledge
It now has a 10in wide ledge.

Is there anyway you can make the ledge wider?
can you put a chair or an ottoman under the ledge so its less of a drop should she fall?

Do they sell the pet step there? Cant get the picture on here but you can check out Petco.com
Brinkmann Pet 4 Step Pet Steps or something similar.

I hope the pain meds make your baby feel better

Happy Birthtday pretty girl and I hope you and your Mommy have many many more happy healthy years together