my cat has dodgy knee caps now :(

[Aflame]

my FIV cat hal has been diegnosed with dodgy knee caps (his knees click in and out of place )it doesnt hurt him  but is there any thing i could give him to make it happen a bit less and has anybody else had a cat with this the vet said there was an op he could do but it might make his fiv worse he's only 8 and the vet says he sees little toy dogs with this alot ! xaflame

[kaoskat]

Haven't heard of that in cats before. I hope you can find something to help!

[Eviecorn]

I don't know what to tell you as I've never dealt with this issue with an animal.  Hope someone can help!

[HavACrumpet452]

I assume u mean luxating patella since toy breed dogs get it. There are levels 1-4 on how bad it is and most vets dont opt for surgery unless its real bad. The surgery doesnt help 100% and comes with its own risks. Some ppl never do the surgery even at a grade 4 which is the worst. The best thing to work on is weight control. For a cat it may help to arrange furniture up to his favorite places so he takes smaller steps instead of leaps too.

[wystearya]

If they make it for cats, try a cosequin supplement.  My dog has this (not severe at all) and this is what was recommended to me.  Seems to help.  Also, weight control is very important.  Hope your kitty won't need the surgery!

[Aflame]

well he had  actually lost a bit of waight when the vet waighed him, is cosequin available in the uk ?
 

[kezrob23]

if your puddy tat is on meds for the fiv, check first if he can have anything else i remember ringing a 24 hour vet late on a saturday night once to see if my then newly fiv diagnosed cat could still be treated with frontline my mum had a cat a few years back whose hip used to dislocate quite often - he ended up having his hip joint removed. but i totally feel for your cat, i have some of the worst knees going round

[Aflame]

no he is not on any meds for the fiv but does have powder to clear his sineses when he's got a cold so not regular
meds

[Mkia]

I echo the cosequin comment if you can find it. Check your local pet stores. It really helps.

Next, weight control. Nuf said.

Finally, I know this may be hard with a cat, but try not to let the cat jump up to things. If you can, pick him up to the bed, sofa, etc. I understand you may not be able to do this all the time, but when you CAN, pick him up instead. It saves his knees a little because he won't risk popping it out while jumping.


Does he ever lift up her leg for a few steps and then put it back down?

[Aflame]

I echo the cosequin comment if you can find it. Check your local pet stores. It really helps.

Next, weight control. Nuf said.

Finally, I know this may be hard with a cat, but try not to let the cat jump up to things. If you can, pick him up to the bed, sofa, etc. I understand you may not be able to do this all the time, but when you CAN, pick him up instead. It saves his knees a little because he won't risk popping it out while jumping.


Does he ever lift up her leg for a few steps and then put it back down?

yes very high ilke hes steping over some thing 3/4times then normal again

[Mkia]

I echo the cosequin comment if you can find it. Check your local pet stores. It really helps.

Next, weight control. Nuf said.

Finally, I know this may be hard with a cat, but try not to let the cat jump up to things. If you can, pick him up to the bed, sofa, etc. I understand you may not be able to do this all the time, but when you CAN, pick him up instead. It saves his knees a little because he won't risk popping it out while jumping.


Does he ever lift up her leg for a few steps and then put it back down?

yes very high ilke hes steping over some thing 3/4times then normal again

Yup. That's luxating patella. My dog has the same thing. Like I said cosequin is really helpful. I saw a drastic increase after putting my dog on it. Also making sure he doesn't jump if he doesn't have to will help.

[Vintergatan]

poor kitty! I hope you can make his life a bit easier with all the good tips here good luck!

[kellyponyfeathers]

Yep, good advice from everyone.  Each kneecap slides in a groove between 2 little ridges (one on each side).  If those ridges happen to be low, the kneecap can pop out of its groove.  So basically just do stuff so his knees won't have to work very hard.  Keep your kitty slim, as others have said, so his knees won't have to haul around a lot of weight.  Try to arrange furniture and stuff to discourage jumping, like maybe put a low chair or box or something next to the bed, so kitty can use it as a sort of step to jump onto the bed.  And Cosequin is a joint supplement that helps a cat's body make extra joint fluid, which will cushion the knees.

[melodys_angel]

*nods* I think you have a good place to start, hun <3  Fingers crossed things will work out with your kitty!

[Aflame]

well i got some nice oily maccrel for them i will give my other cat some to as i think she is getting artheritis where she broke her pelvis and hock joint 4years ago after being run down  i will also try to get some of that suppliment thanks peeps xaflame