Veterinarians may often receive complaints from owners of furry pets that the cat is hunchbacked or that it has a pronounced curvature of the spine. Basically, these symptoms and external changes in cats are accompanied by a disease such as kyphosis. The disease itself is a curvature of the upper part of the vertebrae with a visible deflection back - popularly called a hump. The doctor diagnoses the disease after examining the furry patient. To treat and prevent the disease, it is recommended to follow the doctor’s instructions.
Why does the disease appear?
Kyphosis is a curvature of the spine that is concave back. There are a number of varieties of this disease, both congenital, genetically transmitted, and acquired during the life of the pet. The following types of kyphosis in cats are distinguished:
- Genotypic. It is inherited from the forefathers, since the gene responsible for the hump dominates. If one of the parents has the disease, the newborn kitten will also be born humpbacked. For this reason, cats with this pathology do not participate in mating for breeding purebred individuals.
- Congenital. It appears due to abnormal development of the upper region of the vertebrae. It can occur as a result of improper crossing of cats. So, it is not recommended to breed a Scottish breed with another. Mestizos often have hump pathology. The correct option would be mating only between folds and straights - 2 varieties of Scots.
- Compression. Develops after a vertebral fracture, due to the development of compression. This curvature looks like an acute angle that is directed upward.
- Tuberculous. It is formed due to the fact that the vertebral body itself weakens, is compressed and destroyed from the inside. This type of hump also has an angular shape, like the compression type.
- Mobile. It occurs as a result of weakening of the spinal muscles.
- Rachitic. Appears due to the development of rickets in newborn kittens up to six months old. It begins to form in the womb; its development is affected by cat health problems and improper feeding of babies.
- Senile. Aging pets are susceptible to degenerative and dystrophic disorders in the vertebrae, which can cause a hump on the cat’s back.
How to react to a cat's arched back?
If you ever find yourself in a situation where your cat arches her back aggressively, you'll want to slowly back away from her. Typically, a cat will arch its back angrily because it wants the threat to go away. If you try to approach her, she may attack you.
But when you see your cat coming up to you or sitting on your lap and arching his back, it means he is happy and comfortable around you and wants you to pet him. In my personal experience, don't try to force anything. Let your cat come to you and then pet her slowly and gently. Cats don't take well to being forced.
Now, if you notice that they are coming towards you while jumping up and down, it means that they are in a playful mood and want you to play with them. This can strengthen the bond between owner and pet. In this situation, play with it a little. This will make him more affectionate towards you. Then he will trust you more and may obey you.
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Well, if you want to get out of a situation where your cat is arching its back and you feel threatened by it, just slowly move away from the cat. Because he shows that he doesn't want to be in that situation. They don't want you around them at the moment, so just leave him alone. This is the wisest thing you can do at this moment.
Well, there is another case where a cat shows its side profile by arching its back. This is called a side jump. This usually starts with the cat standing on all fours outstretched, showing his side to you, and then starts jumping up towards you. Always know that lateral jumping is not an aggressive expression of the cat. He just wants to play. If you also want to play with him, you can copy his moves in a non-violent way.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis of the disease includes palpation and x-rays.
To make a medical diagnosis such as “kyphosis” and accurately determine its type, the animal must be taken to a veterinary clinic or hospital. There, specialists will examine the pet by palpation, then an x-ray is taken, and in rare cases, a myelogram is prescribed (a puncture is taken from a sick cat and, based on it, an analysis of the bone marrow contents is performed).
Only after completing all the appointments can the veterinarian make a diagnosis. If he makes a verdict simply as a result of palpation, then the cat’s owner is recommended to seek help from another doctor.
Causes of ataxia
Ataxia can be not only a congenital defect, but also a consequence of a number of other pathologies. Among the most common negative factors are the following aspects:
- poisoning. Various chemicals used in domestic conditions or substances used to poison rats and mice can cause poisoning in a pet's body. Cats are very sensitive to odors, so the cause may be not only eating the composition, but also steam fumes that enter the respiratory tract, and then into the blood through the nasal passages. Poisoning is always accompanied by a number of negative and severe symptoms for cats. Such signs include severe vomiting, loose stools, foaming at the mouth, bleeding from the nose or mouth, loss of consciousness, and poor appetite. In this case, urgent help is required. First of all, gastric lavage is performed (if the cat has eaten toxic substances), then sedatives and adsorbent medications are administered, which will help remove toxins from the pet’s body. Sedatives are also necessary in order to calm the furry one and avoid psychological trauma. Treatment is carried out for several days, then rest and proper nutrition are recommended;
- head injuries. It is very often observed during spring days, when mating time begins for cats. These days, animals behave especially actively and are often injured in fights with relatives. Skull injuries can be caused by a fall, for example from a balcony. As a result, coordination is impaired. The cerebellar area, nerve pathways or vestibular apparatus begins to dysfunction. As a result, the cat runs sideways. Treatment is prescribed only by a veterinarian after he has taken an X-ray or MRI of the pet’s head;
- violation of metabolic processes. Very often occurs as a result of hormonal imbalance or poor nutrition. Some owners like to pamper their pets with fresh river fish. Such a diet causes a lack of vitamin B1, since the thiaminase enzyme contained in fish destroys thiamine (or B1). As a result, ataxia develops. Metabolic processes are often disrupted when an animal is sterilized, so owners note that the cat walks sideways after sterilization. Treatment can only be prescribed by a doctor;
- a brain tumor. Oncological diseases and growing tumors in the animal’s head compress the nerve pathways and lead to a malfunction in the central nervous system. In this case, systematic treatment and constant monitoring by doctors are required. In some situations, only surgery can save a cat;
- infectious disease - panleukopenia. A severe infection affecting the nervous system in the body;
- harmful plants. Often found in free-ranging cats. Animals love to eat various herbs on the site. If your pet is addicted to mint, he may develop ataxia. As a result, the cat will begin to walk sideways. To eliminate the symptom, you need to monitor what the animal eats and eliminate it from the diet.
Proper nutrition and regular examinations by veterinarians will allow your cat to remain healthy and cheerful. An active pet is the joy of the owner.
Loss of motor coordination in cats is the main symptom of ataxia. The pathology causes great discomfort to the animal, as it is expressed in a disorder of motor function due to damage to the central nervous system. Only a veterinarian can give recommendations on what to do if a cat has poor coordination of movement. If pet owners are faced with such a problem, they should immediately seek help.
Treatment of the disease
A cat's hunched back is not considered a death sentence. In modern times, there are effective methods for treating this pathology. To prescribe correct and effective treatment for a disease, a veterinarian must establish a diagnosis and type of deviation. Thus, mobile kyphosis can be corrected with the help of manual therapy and therapeutic massage. When a hunchback develops due to rickets and tuberculosis, it is first recommended to cure the disease itself, since the cat will feel discomfort when walking not only from the hump, but also from the disease.
Treatment with traditional methods is prohibited when a pathology such as a hump develops. The veterinarian often prescribes gymnastic exercises for the back, physiotherapy, nutritional adjustments, and homeopathy. After the course of treatment is completed, the furry pet is sent again for tests in order to see what has changed in the animal’s body. If the conservative method does not give a positive result, the doctor performs surgery.
Causes of cerebellar ataxia
The main cause of impaired motor coordination in cats is infections that affect the central nervous system and brain. Most often, ataxia develops against the background of panleukopenia.
Loss of coordination is the main sign of pathology
Cerebellar ataxia in cats is a hereditary disease with a genetic predisposition or develops as a congenital form. It can appear as a result of an intrauterine developmental disorder in kittens.
Also reasons may be:
- traumatic brain injuries;
- cerebral edema;
- inflammatory processes;
- damage to the inner ear due to otitis media;
- neuritis of the craniofacial nerve;
- tumors.
Veterinarians include hernias between the vertebrae and spinal cord injuries as possible causes of incoordination in cats.
Preventive diseases
The key to good health for your pet is proper nutrition and vitamin intake.
Every cat owner is able to independently prevent kyphosis, first of all, choose the right diet for their furry friend. This can be a balanced diet of natural food or the purchase of ready-made wet and dry food, premium canned food. Whatever feeding method is chosen, the animal must take a vitamin complex, which is considered an effective prevention of many diseases, including kyphosis.
It is recommended to start taking a course of vitamins from 2-3 months after the birth of a kitten, because it is during this period that the active growth phase of the musculoskeletal system occurs. To avoid or stop the development of a dorsal hump in a pet, veterinarians advise arousing in it an interest in outdoor games, then its muscle corset will be in order. This is necessary for cats of all ages, especially for aging individuals. If the disease has already manifested itself, the veterinarian prescribes therapeutic exercises and physiotherapeutic procedures. The owner of a humpback cat can perform some of them independently at home.
General group of symptoms for all types
The disease has species-typical and generally similar symptoms. The different symptoms depend on the causes. All types of pathology are characterized by:
- the cat holds its head atypically, it can tilt it to the side or lower it down;
- a staggering gait is observed, the animal loses coordination, the cat can walk, raising its hind legs high.
If the animal's spinal cord is damaged, it will experience pain when walking. Such cats try to hide in a quiet place and move less.
Attention! In severe forms, paralysis of the hind limbs can develop in cats.
With cerebellar ataxia, tremor occurs when running or walking. The kitten will often tremble, and most often the trembling is noticeable only in the back of the body. The cat also has dilated pupils and poor coordination.
If the vestibular apparatus is affected, the cat will suffer from severe headaches. Such animals constantly meow, hide in the corner, pressing their foreheads against the wall.
Hind limb paralysis
Behavior and body language
During the process of stroking, the cat can react to different gestures. Of course, they can purr, but they can also roll over on their back, arch it, rub their face against their hand, or bite it. Ailurophiles know that the behavior of their pets varies greatly.
Scientists explain that every cat has scent glands in several places: on the chin, ears, neck and on the sides of the face. When they rub parts of their body against a person's hand or other places, they show their joy and show that they like what the person is doing.
In addition, cats leave a scent trail and thereby announce their presence to others, marking their territory to make the house seem more familiar.
Cats may arch their back when they first wake up from sleep. They also like to be scratched, so stroking a person's hand will be a hint to be scratched.
Localization of damage in ataxia
Depending on the location of the source of inflammation, the pathology is divided into the following groups:
- Cerebellar - appears with inflammation of the medulla oblongata and cerebellum. The disease can be either congenital or acquired.
- Vestibular - with inflammation of the inner ear system.
- Proprioretic - a form caused by damage to peripheral nerves.
- Spinal cord develops against the background of damage to the spinal cord.
In veterinary medicine, there are two forms of ataxia:
- static;
- dynamic.
In the first case, the kitten will not even be able to stand straight; in the second, on the contrary, coordination is impaired only during movement.
Pathology in kittens from birth
