My new stray kitten can't walk. What's wrong and what to do?

Unfortunately, if Lila is having trouble walking or seems in pain, she needs to be seen by a vet. Issues such as neurologic or muscular problems, cerebellar issues, illnesses, disease, nutritional issues, etc are all potential causes which is why a veterinary exam is so important in finding the cause and providing treatment. Keeping Lila calm, quiet, and eating, and limit activity may help until you can afford care. I am also including a link to a website that may help give you some ideas/options to make vet care more affordable: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care

Hello, it looks like that kitten has undergone some form of trauma and should be seen by a veterinarian or the shelter as soon as possible. You can contact your local animal control officer to have them pick up the cat or take the cat to the veterinarian or a shelter yourself. The kitten may indeed need surgery amongnst other medications. Please have the cat evaluated promptly. Hope this helps and best of luck!

Please take your kitten to the vet immediately. It sounds like she may be having neurologic symptoms, which could be due to low blood sugar associated with not eating and drinking, and she is very likely dehydrated. This is potentially deadly, and your kitten should be seen right away to check her blood sugar levels, assess for dehydration, and address the cause of her weakness. Another very serious concern in a stray kitten is the possibility of rabies infection, which is transmitted from the saliva of infected mammals, can be passed on to humans, and is fatal. There may also be other underlying neurologic causes for her condition, and a veterinarian can help determine the cause and start treatment .

It sounds like Ming was very badly injured and it is best to seek veterinary care ASAP. Even if he is improving, there could be internal injuries such as broken bones or organ damage from being shut in the door that are not visible to the naked eye. A complete exam is always best, especially if he is in pain, can't walk or move properly, or is now having seizures. If you cannot afford veterinary care, this site may help give you ideas to make it affordable so Ming can get the care here needs: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

Unfortunately, without a diagnosis it's impossible to say what you need to do to help him - there are many things that can cause a drunken, uncoordinated gait in a kitten this age, and all of these different problems would require different treatments. If the kitten has been to the vet, I would recommend asking him/her what they think is causing the abnormal gait. The kitten may have a birth defect called cerebellar hypoplasia, which is a benign condition that does not require any treatment, or could have a serious neurologic problem such as toxoplasmosis, meningitis, or even a toxicity of some kind (antifreeze, etc.) - these issues are much more serious, and would require prescription medication or even hospitalization to treat appropriately.

He may have a congenital deformity or an injury from before you got him. X-rays would help your vet determine what is going on with his bones to make his walk seem wrong. But there may be nothing we can do to fix it. As long as he can eat, drink, and use the potty, he will be able to adapt to any situation! Just remember that if he has trouble walking he may not be able to get away from other pets, so he should never be let outside, and you may consider not getting any other dogs or cats while you have him.

Hello. Your kitten is showing signs of illness. If he defecated on himself and if limp he could be injured but more likely he's hypoglycemic. Young kittens need to eat every hour or so to keep up with their energy demands. I would recommend having him seen by a vet asap. He need veterinary examination and treatment. If you can get him to eat some kitten milk replacer while you get an appointment set up, that would be good. If he won't eat that try rubbing some honey on his gums to raise his blood sugar. That will help but again, he sounds very sick and need to be seen immediately. Best wishes! Thanks for using Pet Coach.