my cat is limping for no reason

my cat has slept nearly all day today but when he woke up he was suddenly limping on his front left leg. i took him downstairs to use his litter tray, which he did and he also ate a little bit too so he hasn't lost his appetite and he walked back upstairs on his own, but is still limping. i have felt his leg and hip but it feels normal and he doens't cry when you touch it, i was just wondering if anyone could tell me what could be wrong..


Reply
Hi
Well he may have slept awkwardly and trapped a nerve which could cause a temporary limp.

the other possibility is that he may have been bitten or stung and the joint may be sore. Have you checked his paw to make sure there is nothing stuck in it?

My cat recently had a bad limp. It turned out that he had twisted funny and this caused pain up in his shoulder. The vet was the only person who could discover this as there were no visible signs of injury. the vet had to manipulate the leg to discover which part was actually hurting. He needed anti inflammatory and pain killers and it took about 10 days before he stopped limping.

See how he is over the next day if he continues to limp then a trip to the vets may be in order.

best wishes kate

Comments for my cat is limping for no reason

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Limping cat
by: D

My 12 yr old cat has the same issue! She wokeup the other night limping and has been limping all day, I can’t see anything on her toe pads or leg, she’s a turkish angora so she’s fluffy and that doesn’t help, also with swelling, her legs already are fat and fluffy. She doesn’t seem to be in too much pain she’s eating and drinking normally and even still jumping on the bed. Anyone have any ideas?
Follow up to previous comment
by: Chloe

Took noodle to the vet today and asked the vet what it could possibly be, she told me that cats, just like people, get a numb leg when sleeping awkwardly for a long period of time
Her limp was gone by the morning after my original comment so it is temporary in this case
She was unable to get her injections but was given flea and worm treatment after we discovered she had fleas and was in fact sold to us at 7 weeks and the assurity the seller gave me of being flead and wormed before rehomeing was false... just, why lie!
Luckily she has insurance now and a wellness plan with the chosen vet so if anything does happen to her we are covered
My poor noodle :( hopefully the rest in thecomments find the answers
Same
by: Chloe

My kitten (9weeks) slept for about an hour maybe 2 and woke up with a limp... she’s not crying of showing any signs of distress when I examined her entire leg checking between her toes and her claws an for any abnormalities, there was nothing and even suspected she might be faking it for attention as our little noodle is abit of a diva.
She’s eating and drinking fine
Using the toilet just fine
Jumping just fine
And is even sleeping playing and crying for human food just fine ( I assumed she would have figured it out by now that she won’t get any)
It’s been about 24 hours now and she still has a slight limp and holds it up by bending her knee to keep her paw up at times
I’m still in the dark to what it is that is causing her limp. A trapped nerve or what?
Currently Saturday and she’s seeing the vet on Wednesday
Same thing but times four
by: Dad

We have pretty much an identical situation as the original description, but it is all four of our ten week old kittens.
thank you so much
by: cloe phare

This website has help me so much I still not quite saw whats wrong we other him but it has given me an ideas! !
Abscess
by: Anonymous

don't know how old this post is, but my 3 yr old cat was the same way, kept limping on his front right paw, and it just so happened when I was on sick leave and waiting for EI. About 2 weeks later an internal abscess (no lump before hand, or any sign whatsoever) ruptured (again couldn't take him to the vet) I put compresses on it and kept it clean and it went away on it's own (healthy cats can be fighters) a couple weeks later he limped again and another one an inch down ruptured but by that time I was working again so took him in to the vet, she gave him an antibiotic injection and honestly ever since he's been kitten like (never, ever seen him like that playfull, especially with my other cats)
thank you
by: gizmo

thank you very much for your reply, much appreciated as i am a very big worrier, cant see it have being a bite as he spent all day inside and hadn't ventured outside for over 14hours before he started limping. have checked, as much as he'll let me for cuts and blood or anything stuck but cannot find anything, but will check again if he'll let me. cannot thank you enough for replying.

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