My cat suddenly can't walk. What's wrong and what should I do now?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm very sorry to hear that Alfie's back legs stopped working acutely. This is really concerning, and I would have him evaluated by a veterinarian right away. This could be due to some sort of trauma/injury, like to his back/spine. It could also be a neurologic problem. It is also possible for cats to get something called an aortic thromboembolism (ATE), which means a blood clot gets lodged in their aorta (the body's major artery) right where the vessels to the hind legs branch off. This is also called a saddle thrombus, and results in acute loss of blood supply to the hind legs, which is extremely painful. Regardless of why Alfie has stopped using his hind legs, I recommend having him examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Your veterinarian can try to localize the issue and decide what treatment is best. I hope this is helpful!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would strongly recommend having him seen by a veterinarian sooner rather than later. I am worried that he may have thrown a blood clot to his back legs causing paralysis. This is known as a saddle thrombus and can be quite painful and serious. This is typically due to heart disease. The sooner he is seen the better. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Oh my. This is quite concerning. Bunty could have sustained a musculoskeletal injury to his hips (dislocation) or he could have a saddle thrombus (blood clot in lower limb). He needs to be seen by a vet right away for testing and medical care. I hope your kitty turns out ok. Best wishes and take care.

You should take him to to the vet urgently, it is an emergency, it could be nerve damage or a clot in his blood vessels in the legs, either way you have to act fast otherwise the damage will likely be permanent, take him right away to the closest vet.

Monti have had a saddle thrombus which is a blood clot that cuts off circulation to the hind limbs and is usually very painful and not curable, even with heroics at an emergency veterinary hospital. Another possibility is trauma to the spine which is also usually not curable if the hind limbs are not moving/cold. I recommend bringing her to your veterinarian for an assessment and a discussion re: endpoints for humane euthanasia.

If your cat is suddenly very weak, disoriented and unable to walk normally it is best to seek veterinary care at your vet or an ER clinic immediately. It is possible there is an injury, neruologic or muscular issue, illness, or other underlying problem that should be seen ASAP especially if it is causing disorientation and weakness.

This is definitely an abnormal presentation. Possible causes include stroke, blood clot formation, heart disease, neurologic disorder, tick paralysis, trauma, among other things. Since this is a very acute occurrence (meaning is just happened), I recommend that Oreo see a vet as soon as possible for evaluation and diagnostics.