All this time I thought he was just clumsy. Then a couple of nights ago he was walking along and his back legs just collapsed underneath him. I thought he had a seisure or something so I took him to the vet. He is only two years old. The poor guy will have to live with this for the rest of his life (unless it gets bad enought for surgery).
At least his day usually only consists of moving from sunspot to sunspot with a stop at the litter box inbetween. He’s an indoor cat.
Is this where the knee sort of bends to the outside? It’s called patella displacement or words to that effect. Essentially, the knee cap slides off the joint, leaving the knee unstable, hence it buckles.
One of our cats had just that. He got surgery for it when he was about a year and a half old. Had to sleep in a cage for 6 weeks. Quite an ordeal, and certainly not cheap (EUR 1,000 where we’re at), but he’s completely fine now.
Maybe it’s a little more complicated when it’s both hind legs, but I do believe it can be fixed. You’ll be buying your cat a lot more fun in life, that’s for sure. And he’s still young, so it’s definitely worth it!
What a handsome fellow! Love the name, too.
That’s exactly it. I couldn’t remeber what it was called. The vet that we could do surgery but we would have to do each leg seperatly (to the tune of $1,000 each). He also said he didn’t think it was neceassary becuase he is an indoor cat and doesn’t need to run from predators or chase birds or whatever. I think two spells of 6 weeks in a cage would be really hard on him, and I am not sure it would be worth it.
Thanks, he has a sister named Yzma, so far they have both lived up to their names, but I think Kronk from The Emperors New Groove had weak ankles, not knees…
He’s very beautiful and I guess if it’s not painful for him (is it?), only a mild annoyance and it’s not threatening to his quality of life, it’ll be okay.
That vet said he wasn’t in pain, it’s just annoying. You can tell when he walks that it is making it difficult, but he doesn’t seem to be in pain. If it becomes painful, that is when we would resort so surgery.
Sorry to get back to this so late, I’ve been busy. 
What our vet told me back in the day, was that the joint would in time cause pain, because the sliding cap causes excessive wear. Indoor or outdoor, cats run around, jump, chase each other… in our case our “handicapped” cat had a clear disadvantage over the other one, and was plain slower. Even though it was mostly play (though they’re both males, so they can get somewhat agressive), Vincent ended up getting his ass kicked a lot.
Since we’ve moved, they’ve become outside cates too now, so I’m all the more happy we ended up doing the surgery. But even in an indoor situation, the cats “status” if you will, definitely improved after surgery. They like to play, and will do so even if they’re not 100%.
Not in any way do I want to sound judgmental, but look at it this way. If this cat lives to be 15 years old (and that’s not unlikely since he’s indoor and no doubt well taken care of), what does $2000 even mean over that period of time?
Again, I’m not here to tell you you’re a bad pet owner - just a perspective from someone who’s had the same thing happen, and saw the great positive results from the surgery.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with your pretty boy there.
It’s not that I don’t have the money or think it is to expensive. I just think that the surgery would be really hard on him, and I am not sure it’s worth it at this point. My vet said it may get worse, or it could just stay the way it is for the rest of his life. If it gets worse, I will do the surgery for sure, but his quality of life really isn’t effected much. My other cat is a real pussy(pun intended), and he kicks her ass all the time.
The problem is that he has to have both legs done. With six weeks in a cage after EACH one, plus whatever extra recovery time there is after that, I am not sure he would ever forgive me. If or when it does become painful, I will most definitely get the surgery done.
I really appreciate the feedback from someone who has gone through the same thing with their feline overlord.
ETA: This is Shera Ooops.
I fully understand, and let me tell you, those 6 weeks in the cage are a pain in the ass. Twice, in your cats case. But hey, it’s a cat. It will forgive you, in fact, it’ll have forgotten all the hassle a week later. Don’t worry about that aspect. Cats only carry grudges untill the next food bowl comes around. 
Anyway, you’re the best judge of the situation, not me. Good luck with it all. Just be weary of signs that he might be in pain - i.e., if he starts hiding a lot, that might be a hint right there.
I will. He isn’t very subtle. He would probably just fall down in front of me a start meowing in agony:D
