My little girl Fuzzy (a.k.a. Kiki, Silver, Her Royal Hiney) is 9-1/2 years old and has ALWAYS favored her right front paw because of a bad declawing she had had as a kitten before we got her. She's been really stiff for the past several months, she's kinda jerky when she walks and she keeps her back arched up a bit when walking. She has also not been able to jump nearly as well as usual, and she's even fallen a few times when trying to jump onto something short like an office chair. I'm thinking either due to pain or weakness.
I took her to the vet, who did a very comprehensive physical exam and blood testing and a set of xrays of the full body. The blood tests showed that her kidney function was one point higher than the normal, but we couldn't get a urine sample from her. I've taken her in again to try for a urine sample, and they just can't get one from her. The xrays showed that her spine, hips, shoulders, look great, but she has calcification of her knee cartilage, possible very mild arthritis in her lumbar spine, and there are small bone fragments in her toes from when she was declawed as a kitty.
So... we'll keep trying for a urine sample to get a better idea of her kidney function. I have a couple of questions, though, maybe someone who has dealt with this before can give me an opinion... Should she undergo more surgery to remove the bone fragments in her toes or just leave them alone, since she's been that way virtually her entire life? With possible kidney problems, would undergoing surgery be more risky? The vet said we could try an antiinflammatory to see if that would help her stiffness and paw tenderness, but I'm concerned about what that might do to her kidney and liver functions. Are there ANY antiinflammatories that are considered safe for cats?
My little girl is, and always will be, my baby and I only want what is best for her. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she's healthy and pain-free. I'm just not sure where to go from here with the paw/kidney/possible arthritis problems. It just kills me to see her stiff and limping around, but I don't want to put her through surgery or give her medication that could possibly do more harm than good.
Thanks for listening, I'm worried about her and I'm not sure where to go from here.
Thanks,
Andi
I took her to the vet, who did a very comprehensive physical exam and blood testing and a set of xrays of the full body. The blood tests showed that her kidney function was one point higher than the normal, but we couldn't get a urine sample from her. I've taken her in again to try for a urine sample, and they just can't get one from her. The xrays showed that her spine, hips, shoulders, look great, but she has calcification of her knee cartilage, possible very mild arthritis in her lumbar spine, and there are small bone fragments in her toes from when she was declawed as a kitty.
So... we'll keep trying for a urine sample to get a better idea of her kidney function. I have a couple of questions, though, maybe someone who has dealt with this before can give me an opinion... Should she undergo more surgery to remove the bone fragments in her toes or just leave them alone, since she's been that way virtually her entire life? With possible kidney problems, would undergoing surgery be more risky? The vet said we could try an antiinflammatory to see if that would help her stiffness and paw tenderness, but I'm concerned about what that might do to her kidney and liver functions. Are there ANY antiinflammatories that are considered safe for cats?
My little girl is, and always will be, my baby and I only want what is best for her. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she's healthy and pain-free. I'm just not sure where to go from here with the paw/kidney/possible arthritis problems. It just kills me to see her stiff and limping around, but I don't want to put her through surgery or give her medication that could possibly do more harm than good.
Thanks for listening, I'm worried about her and I'm not sure where to go from here.

Thanks,
Andi