Maggie May after her final surgery to correct her double luxating patella.
All about Luxating Patella in Cats
What is Luxating Patella?
Luxating Patella is a debilitating condition that occurs in cats and other animals; it literally means that the animal’s kneecap is dislocated or is slipping out of place. Depending on the severity of the dislocation, the kneecap either slips in and out of place from time to time, or moves out of place permanently.
What are the causes of Luxating Patella?
Luxating Patella is caused by some form of trauma in the recent past. Accidents can cause a malformation of the bones forming the knee joint, and the kneecap slips out of its normal position in the joint. In some breeds of cats like the Bengal Cat, the British Shorthair, the Devon Rex and the Turkish Angora, luxating patella is congenital.
How is Luxating Patella treated?
If your pet’s condition is mild, there is no need for any kind of treatment other than a few painkillers and/or anti-inflammatory medication. Severe conditions that cause permanent lameness are treated surgically by vets. Your cat will be able to move almost normally after a corrective surgery to move the kneecap into place and stabilize it.
Is it possible to prevent Luxating Patella in cats?
This condition is not preventable; however, it is important to keep your pet from gaining weight because overweight cats are more prone to slipped kneecaps.
How do you know if your cat has Luxating Patella?
Cats that suffer from this condition are unable to move smoothly and quickly because their knee joints are affected. They skip or lift one hind leg when walking, and if both legs are affected, they would tend to hop about without using the affected limbs. Also, your pet’s knee joints could be thicker than normal. Your vet should be able to diagnose this condition by palpating your cat’s knee joint or through an X-ray.
This condition is rare in cats and more common in dogs.
By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Tina Marconi, she writes on the topic of online vet tech programs . She welcomes your comments at her email id: tinamarconi85[@]gmail[.]com.
10 comments:
Maggie sweetheart, that picture shows so much! You were so brave with TWO naughty kneecaps. I was in agony with one. And I too had a shaved leg which was such a shock! But the operation made it so much better and I could walk again. This post is really important as luxating patellae are more common than people think : Aila-sisko had TWO (but one could be slipped back in place okay by the vet). It's really important to get any limps checked and Äiti remembers so well that hopping around I did..... Thank you rof this post. Love and noserubs, your beloved King xxx
Your post is very imformative and lets us know about this painful condition. I remember when you had your operation and the picture brings it back. You take c are little one.. Hugs GJ xx
Very informative! We better stay fit and trim!!
Ouch! Eyes watering just reading this.
Wow, this is really great information. Thank you for sharing it!
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fangu for this post. Our meowmie says she learned somet noo. /purrs furr you Maggie
Peffe and Lussie
Hi Maggie May! We are so behind - but we are glad we finally made it by because this is great info! We are lucky because none of us at our house have this but we do have a doggie cousin that does and we know it hurts lots - you are so brave to go through everthing you did with yours!
I think my cat may have just suffered from a luxating patella - a friend of mine has a dog who just had the same thing happen and her vet gave her a way to manipulate her dogs leg back into position. Do you have an infomation on how to do this for cats?
Hi Jamie,
Sorry to hear about your kitty. Maggie May was able to manipulate her knee back into position a few times by stretching it out. However, it didn't take long before it was completely out and only surgery could repair it. I never tried to manipulate it myself for fear of doing more damage.
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