Why did my cat suddenly stop using his back legs? Vet couldn't tell.

Poor cat! If there is no deep pain present in the back legs then chances are kidding you won't regain function unfortunately. We use the pain is an indicator whether the pet will walk again. However if deep pain is present (kitty moves twitches or flinches when you pinch the back toes), then there is a chance that Katie can regain function of the limbs. However you won't know the extent of the injury without an x-ray. And without an x-ray he won't really know what treatment kitty needs. I unfortunately don't see a good solution here without proper diagnostics. Kittie may be a lost cause at this point without proper medical care for such a traumatic injury like this which undoubtedly involves the spinal cord and/or pelvis. I would highly consider Humane euthanasia for this kittie because the outcome looks bleak.

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.

A full diagnosis would be required before any treatment could be recommended in such a severe case. A full physical exam by your vet will be essential to try and determine the cause of the paralysis but unfortunately, recovery would not be guaranteed. Fever, dehydration and viral or parasitic infections of the nervous system would all be concerns

Poor baby! I am so sorry for your loss. My biggest concern with cats and sudden deaths like this would be congenital heart problems especially i male cats. It can cause them to throw clots which could have caused paralysis in the other rear leg. It can also cause a high blood pressure which could cause acute blindness. Another concern would be some type of toxin. You could always have a necropsy done on him to see if they can find the cause but sometimes the results are inconclusive. Again, I am sorry for your loss. I hope this helps.

That sounds like a really tough case. You may need to talk to your vet about advanced diagnostics such as MRI or CT scan, or a referral to a specialist. Has your vet done blood cultures? Checked fungal titers? Tick-transmitted diseases? You may also discuss supportive therapies with your vet, such as cold laser therapy or medical acupuncture.

He may have injured himself jumping down and should be seen by your vet right away with those symptoms. He may have pinched a nerve or fractured something, though not being painful makes this less likely. The only way to know for sure is to get him seen by your vet or at an emergency clinic right away. Your vet will do an exam and x-rays, possibly other imaging or diagnostics as their findings call for. Based on these results, they will be better able to tell you what is going on and how best to treat it.

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!