Why Can’t My Cat Walk Properly – Key Reasons To Know

If you’re anything like me, you notice almost instantly when your cat can’t walk properly. Any number of things may run through your head, knowing that your cat may be hurt. As any cat owner might ask, you may find yourself wondering, why can’t my cat walk properly?

Your cat may not be able to walk properly because of an injury. If your cat is progressively getting weaker and weaker, it may also be a sign that your cat is about to pass away. 

With four legs, you might think that your cat is twice as likely to hurt his legs. Still, it might be hard to know why your cat is injured, especially if you didn’t notice that your cat cannot walk immediately. Keep reading to learn more!

Why Can My Cat Suddenly Not Walk

Your cat may have hurt himself.

With all the jumping that cats do, it shouldn’t be a surprise that your cat can injure himself at some point and be unable to walk.

Just because your cat suddenly can’t walk doesn’t mean that the injury is severe or long-lasting. 

You might understand if you’ve ever done something like stubbing your toe or hurt your ankle. You might not be able to walk for a few hours or a day, but you’re back to yourself in no time at all.

Your cat could be the same way. 

Some cats will limp on three legs while others decide not to walk at all.

Why Is My Cat Suddenly Having Trouble Walking

Heart disease can be linked to your cat’s trouble or inability to walk. 

This is one thing that I would not link, but trouble walking could be because of heart disease.

I experienced this myself. My mom’s cat, a kitten that was less than a year old, was suddenly having trouble walking. He would be fine one minute and then flop down on the ground. He would not get back up and looked like he was trying to catch his breath.

Our vet referred us to a heart specialist who diagnosed the cat with congestive heart failure. It was not a death sentence, but it meant that he would have a difficult road ahead of him. 

You know your cat best, so if you notice that your cat is acting differently or does not act like other cats, you should tell your vet about the symptoms. 

I am not saying that it will always be congestive heart failure, but there is a chance, and this is something that you’re going to want to know as early as possible. 

Why Is My Cat Wobbly All Of A Sudden

You may be surprised to hear this, but this could be because of an ear infection. 

Cats can have trouble walking and look almost wobbly when they have an ear infection. They may also be walking with their head tilted and shaking their head. 

Ear infections are never fun for anyone, but they can affect your cat’s walking in ways that you might not expect otherwise.

The ear infection itself won’t change how your cat walks, but when there is pain in their ears, they cannot keep their balance and may appear wobbly. 

If you suspect that your cat may be suffering from an ear infection, you should contact your vet as soon as possible. 

What Causes Weakness In Cats’ Back Legs

Weakness in your cat’s back leg could be due to a blood clot. 

While it’s difficult to know precisely what could be causing weakness in your cat’s back legs, you should consider the chance that it is a blood clot. 

These specific blood clots are called saddle thrombus, so it is also a specific kind of blood clot that is well known amongst veterinarians. 

As with a blood clot anywhere in the body, blood is blocked from going to the specific part of the body. In this case, blood cannot flow to your cat’s back leg or legs. 

This is not something that you should self-diagnose. If there is any reason that you suspect a blood clot, you need to work quickly with your vet to get your cat checked out soon. Faster care means that your cat will have the best chance of recovery. 

Why Is My Cat Weak And Not Walking

If your cat is weak and not walking, it could be due to a more severe injury, which is also known as trauma. 

When there is weakness accompanying your cat’s inability to walk is when you should begin to worry about what happened to your cat.

This weakness usually means that your cat has a severe injury.

Since none of us know exactly what our cats do at all times, you might suspect that your cat has fallen from a high place. In this case, I mean a higher surface than a countertop or even a fence. 

A traumatic injury could be if your cat fell from a height like a wall. For instance, maybe your cat was walking along rafters and fell.

Although none of us want to think about it, your cat may also have been hit by a car. Your cat may also be covered in blood or have other external injuries if she was hit by a car. 

In addition to an injury to your cat’s legs, it could also be part of a head trauma that your cat also incurred. 

Why Is My Cat Stiff And Not Moving

Sadly, this means that your cat is dying or has already died.

No cat owner wants to think about the day when it is finally time to say goodbye to our furry best friends. For most of us, though, that will be quite a number of years after adoption or purchase.

Still, the end is never something that is easy to think about, even knowing that your cat lived a long, happy life.

If you notice that your cat is stiff and not moving but still breathing, he is about to die. At this point, there is very little you can do other than make sure he is happy and comfortable.

It would help if you did not leave your cat alone at this stage.

Worse yet, if your cat is stiff, not moving, and not breathing, this means that he has already passed away, but I probably didn’t need to confirm that for you. 

While you can take some time to say goodbye to your cat, you should take care of your cat’s body as soon as possible.