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Why is my cat limping but shows no pain when I touch her paw?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 10 years old

My cat is limping but will let me touch her paw and doesn't seem to be in pain. What could be the cause?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 26th, 2016

I am sorry to hear your cat is having lameness. Cats are masters at hiding pain and illness so they don't typically scream out unless there is substantial pain there. But limping and a pet not willing to place a foot down is an indicator of a certain level of pain there or else they would put entire weight on the limb and paw.

This most likely is not a fracture because that pain would be very evident with her not allowing you to touch it and there would be a substantial amount of swelling there. So that leaves a muscle sprain or ligament partial/complete tear. The key is to localize where on the leg the pain is coming from, look for obvious swelling, and then treat the pet with anti-inflammatory medication if sprain is suspected or do an x-ray if the knee or joint is suspected as the source of the pain to rule out a ligament rupture.

Unfortunately there are no safe over the counter pain meds available for cats but your vet has safe products to prescribe for your cat for conservative treatment at the very least to see if this will improve her condition.

72Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Tomasz Wnuk
Veterinarian
Published on April 19th, 2020
It sounds that the leg hurts. Painful lameness is a cat can be related to many serious orthopedic condition - it could be fractured pelvis or hip fracture, it may a long bone fracture or torn ligaments in the knee. Please, take Kona to your vets as soon as you can, as there may be a serious problem going on with her leg.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Robin Diers, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on July 16th, 2017
Hello there. While it is difficult to determine the cause of Leo's limping without examining him, some reasons that might cause him to be painful are sprain/strain, bite wound (even cats that get along well can have spats or play too hard), or even a broken bone. I recommend taking Leo to the veterinarian to have his leg looked at. Your vet may want to do an x-ray of his leg and can also give you a medication for pain.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Shaneez Wallani, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on February 19th, 2019
Please make an appointment to have Narla seen by a vet, as limping like you described can be an indication of pain. This could be due to a muscular or nerve injury, trauma, some infectious diseases such as Lyme disease, or joint diseases such as arthritis. The gait you are describing could also be due to luxating patellas, a condition where the kneecap is not stable in the joint, or a tear of the cranial cruciate ligament (similar to the acl in people). Your vet can assess Narla by doing a physical exam, and will make recommendations for further diagnostics/ treatments as needed. Pain medications meant for humans can be very dangerous and even deadly for cats due to toxicity, so I do not recommend giving any to Narla without consulting with your vet. Here are some links with more information about luxating patellas, cruciate ligaments, and arthritis. Some of them describe the conditions in dogs, but the basic concepts are the same in cats.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2448
https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952244
https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=8896028

Try getting a video of the behaviour so that you can show it to the vet, as that may help them make a diagnosis.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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