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

[Kirsten]

Ask your vet about the aerobic oxygen too (mentioned on FB).

Yes, I will do this, and I will also talk to an alternative practitioner for animals.

Poor Luna. Could she have a blood clot? I've heard of those causing paralysis. I hope she feels better.

I sure hope it's not that! But her legs are not paralized, just weak. Besides, the worst problems occured in similar situations (jumping down the window sill), which makes me believe it's something with her joints, nerves, ligaments, or muscles.

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 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.

Well, I'm already trying to come up with a solution that will make things easier for her. Usually she's climbing onto my desk and from there, she'd jump onto the window sill (and back). Looks difficult, but for some reason, it seems to be easier for her. (I took some pictures of this earlier today and will post them later to show you). And yes, a spray bottle for Lily is definitely an option!

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.

Thanks for the link (it's bookmarked), and for all the advice. I heard about liver failure in cats when they stop eating, so I'll be careful. And I will discuss the ultrasound option with my vet.


Besides, she seems to be feeling a little better today, and she was happy about her Sheba meal we had left from her birthday present. :-) She was running very fast when I served her food earlier today.

[Kirsten]

Okay, here are some pictures I took this morning; bad pictures with a lot of motion blur, and a difficult light situation with the window, but you'll get the idea.

This is Luna walking. It's easy to see that she's carrying a lot of weight around her waist!



Here, she's climbing onto my desk, using the printer as a step stone:



Getting ready to jump:



I'm always cringing inside when I see her doing this:



Her place in the window where she loves to sit:



On her way back (another situation that makes me cringe):

[krazyaboutkatz]

Do you think she would use some pet stairs if you put these in front of the window? I have some carpeted ones that I put in front of my bed because it's very high. My RB Storm would use these and it sure helped him get up onto my bed. My other cats that are allowed in my bedroom, Pearl, Ziggy, & Sky will sometimes use them.

[Kirsten]

Do you think she would use some pet stairs if you put these in front of the window? I have some carpeted ones that I put in front of my bed because it's very high. My RB Storm would use these and it sure helped him get up onto my bed. My other cats that are allowed in my bedroom, Pearl, Ziggy, & Sky will sometimes use them.

I was thinking about something like that, but that would mean I'd have to remove the kitty bed from its place in front of the heater. Need to take a picture of the whole scene so you'll get the idea.

[emily_the_spoiled]

I have some blind cats and it always makes me cringe when I see them trying to jump like Luna is doing. I found that if I put something (like a cat tree) in between two areas, they will actually use that to feel their way over to the new area. Can you do something like that between the end of your desk and the window area? That would allow her to go over there but she would basically be "walking" over. Maybe try putting a board between the two areas first to see if she will use it.

[Kirsten]

I have some blind cats and it always makes me cringe when I see them trying to jump like Luna is doing. I found that if I put something (like a cat tree) in between two areas, they will actually use that to feel their way over to the new area. Can you do something like that between the end of your desk and the window area? That would allow her to go over there but she would basically be "walking" over. Maybe try putting a board between the two areas first to see if she will use it.

I was actually thinking about something like that, but if I do, I can no longer close the curtain. That would be okay in the winter, but in the summer, we would fry in here if I don't. But I know I need to come up with a solution for this. For the time being, I hope the window becomes less attractive for Luna now that I have removed the bird feeder. She's never been too fond of the window sill until I set up the feeding station for the birds last winter.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Prayers on the way for you both!!! I know how frightening it is. My Leonardo had severe arthritis and finally got so he could not even stand to use the litter box. I had to let him go at that time. Hopefully, Luna will feel better in a while. Sometimes the weather makes arthrits worse. It sure does mine.

[Kirsten]

Prayers on the way for you both!!! I know how frightening it is. My Leonardo had severe arthritis and finally got so he could not even stand to use the litter box. I had to let him go at that time. Hopefully, Luna will feel better in a while. Sometimes the weather makes arthrits worse. It sure does mine.

I'm really sorry that you had to make that decision for your Leonardo. And I really hope things won't go downhill for Luna so quickly. :-(

[Asiel]

Lovely pictures of your cats Kirsten but the one of Luna jumping up and the one jumping down made me catch my breath...scary, felt as if I had to do something to help in case she fell... I hope she will start doing better, I hope you can find a way to make her landings softer and lower.

[cassiesmom]

Continued prayers for dear Luna and meowmie!

"Look, Meowmie, I did it!" She's got a little smile on her face too Dear sweet Luna, please be careful

[Kirsten]

Well, I think it's time for a little update on Luna. She's still not well, has her ups and downs... even though she's no longer limping. But often enough, I see her walking around stiff-legged, sometimes her right hind leg is giving in, and I'm sure she's in pain!

I've contacted a holistic animal healer that I know and she gave some advice and recommended several holistic remedies which I have bought. They seem to bring her some relief, but she's still not back to normal. We believe it could be her nerve being affected, due to a herniated disc or something similar. I have also spoken to my vet about this, and she said it's hard to diagnose in cats, and that there wouldn't be much we could do. So I hope the remedies I got for her will ease her pain and discomfort, and if not, cortisone will be an option. I'm so very sorry for my poor Luna girl, especially as Lily is so naughty and keeps chasing her. It's so hard to see a beloved kitty aging!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Kirsten, I'm sorry to hear that Luna is still having problems. When I took my RB Starr to a holistic vet she gave him acupuncture treatments and this really relaxed him. Maybe this kind of treatment could also help Luna with her leg pain. Lots more prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.

[Kirsten]

Kirsten, I'm sorry to hear that Luna is still having problems. When I took my RB Starr to a holistic vet she gave him acupuncture treatments and this really relaxed him. Maybe this kind of treatment could also help Luna with her leg pain. Lots more prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.

Thank you! Yes, that may be an option for Luna; I wonder if she would like that. She's such a brave little girl!

[Randi]

Kirsten, are you able to give her massage on her legs? I did that with Fister and he seemed to enjoy it. For the last year of his life, he could not jump on my desk or the kitchen counter. I sometimes lifted him up there.

I hope the remedies you got for her, will help. Give her some kisses from me.

[Kirsten]

Kirsten, are you able to give her massage on her legs? I did that with Fister and he seemed to enjoy it. For the last year of his life, he could not jump on my desk or the kitchen counter. I sometimes lifted him up there.

I hope the remedies you got for her, will help. Give her some kisses from me.

Randi, she does not like being touched there, and if it's a nerve, I can understand that because massage makes an irritated nerve really bad. I was having the same experience with mine about two weeks ago.