Patches has leg cramps

[bartfull]

At least I think that is what is going on. Once, just a few days after he came to live with me he jumped off the bed and had a limp for just a few minutes. Then one day a few weeks ago he was sitting in the chair next to me and his front leg went way up in the air over his head and he couldn't bring it down. A few minutes later he was ok.

Then last week he was in the living room and came into the kitchen all crouched down with his back legs splayed out. Once again, a few minutes later he was fine. It happened again this morning. He doesn't cry out in pain when this happens but he sure looks uncomfortable. Generally his health seems fine other than that. He's pretty playful for a 13 year old. He eats and drinks like normal.

This morning I looked up "leg cramps in cats" and it seems it does happen. Often dehydration is the cause but Patches seems to drink enough and he does get yogurt twice a day too. (He will not eat canned cat food.) I even looked up MS in cats but they don't seem to get that.

I used to get leg cramps until I went gluten-free. I checked with the groomer down the street and she has a new distributor now so she can get just about any brand of grain-free cat food. I did a search and still couldn't find the threads where we talked about the best brands. Could anyone chime in once again and give me some advice? Thanks.

[ravenwoodglass]

So sorry to hear that your little fur friend is having these issues. Have you had him seen by your vet? He is getting up there age wise and these issues could have a number of causes.  You might want to think about also giving him steps or a ramp up to your bed. He may have just landed wrong and strained something or he could be getting arthritic although that wouldn't account for the spasms as far as I know. Cats can be in a great deal of pain and not show it so a trip to the vet would be ideal. If you can get him in when he is having an episode that would be helpful.

As far as grain free foods go there are many on the market. I give my kitties Goodlife. It does have brown rice but seems to be a good quality and my kitties do well on it. Hopefully others will be on with some good grain free ideas for you.

I hope what is going on with your kitty isn't serious and that he is back to his old self soon.

[squirmingitch]

I don't know much about cats so I can't help you out on either food or his leg cramping but I do think a trip to the vet would be a good idea. I sure hope this thing with Patches isn't serious or causes him pain. I like the idea of a ramp to the bed, sofa, places he would have to jump up & down to or from.

[Ender]

My best friend's cat (also a senior kitty) has seizures so bad that the poor thing goes into convulsions and loses his bladder control.  His seizures seem triggered partly by noise, but the true cause is unknown. When my friend took him to the vet, they basically said he was otherwise healthy, some cats just get seizures, and as long as he was drinking, eating, and playing, not to worry too much. Just monitor, monitor, monitor...I say this because it's not uncommon for a kitty to have neurological disorders (like humans), and it's a very good sign that he's still eating, drinking, and playing.

How long have you had him by the way? If you haven't had him long, then the kitty might have had this all his life.

I also agree with the vet suggestion, especially before you get too involved in chasing down a new food for your cat. Cats are often picky, and senior cats especially don't always tolerate change too well (especially when something isn't their idea!). It could just stress him out. 

[bartfull]

He usually doesn't have ANY trouble getting up or down from anyplace. He often jumps from the back of my easy chair onto the floor instead of going down to the seat and jumping from there. If I put ramps up he'd probably ignore them.

Honestly, he acts like a much younger cat. I'm actually wondering if he IS younger. I believe Harold didn't know how old he was when he got him and that the vet just estimated. And to be honest, we all know how often doctors of any type can be wrong. I've been around cats most of my life and if I were to guess at his age, I'd say between 8 and 10. He's SO playful, and sometimes he just RUNS through the house. Grommit used to do that too, but when she got older that stopped.

I'm not going to take him to the vet yet. It's only happened a few times and I did a bunch of research. It isn't uncommon for cats to get leg cramps, and I'm now sure that's what it is. He has his regular checkup coming up in a couple of months and I'll ask then. Of course if things get worse I'll take him sooner.

In the meantime I am going to be getting him some grain-free food. I did a bunch of research there too and Orijen is the brand every cat website and vet website say is the best. That's what I asked her to order. And I'm going to start giving him an eggyolk a week too. A little extra moisture, and it's good for him.

[bartfull]

Oh yeah, Ender? I read (it think it was on the BBC News) that cats do indeed sometimes get seizures from noise. Ripping off a sheet of aluminum foil, crinkling a plastic bag, and even tapping a dish on a spoon are all enough to set some cats off. I know Grommit used to run fast into the other room when I used foil in the kitchen. Never had a seizure but she hated that noise. Kind of like nails on a chalkboard to her I guess.

And you might be right about maybe he had this all his life. I've only had him since July. Maybe that's why Harold (his previous owner - or should I say the guy previously owned by Patches? ) used to give him yogurt every day. Maybe he asked the vet about it and she told him he needed more moisture.

Raven, it would be great if I could get him to the vet while it's happening but it would be impossible because it only lasts literally a minute or two. By the time I got him there it would be long over with.

The good news is he is just fine right now. Sits on the back of my chair and tries to eat my hair every morning while I drink coffee. Grabs my wrist and pulls it to his chest whenever I say goodbye to him in the morning. ("No Mom! PLEASE stay home with me!") Snuggles with me every night. And he's getting to be almost as talkative as Grommit was. (She never shut up.) He TOTALLY owns me!

[Ender]

Yep, that's what he's got. My friend has to be careful about opening any bags of kitty food or people food around him for that very reason. Any crinkling can trigger him. My friend swears he can tell if one is imminent in the next few days, too. He's usually right.

Those two...a pair, I tell you!

Let us know how the new food works out.