I've been on here a few times and have found everyone to be very kind, practical and helpful.
One of my special needs pets is a cat I adopted from Romania - Liza.
Before Liza came to me, I saw some footage of her where she could just about walk but it was very disjointed. By the time she came over to me, she could not walk at all and lies on her side. She isn't incontinent and she doesn't need her bladder or bowel expressing, however, she cannot get to the litter tray either. Liza also has the added complication of being diagnosed FIV+.
I've had Liza for over a year now and believe it or not, she's a very happy little girl despite being unable to walk. She starts purring as soon as you get the food out and she loves a fuss.
What I was wondering, was what her actual diagnosis or proper term for her condition is. The story is that a man threw a rock at her back and that's how she became injured. She wasn't without use of her legs straightaway though? When she came to the UK, my vet did an x-ray and he said he could not see anything definitive. On one image, it looked as though 2 of the vertebrae were touching slightly, but on another image, they weren't.
She has deep pain sensation in all of her limbs, she can move all of her limbs and can even reach her back feet to wash them by lifting her legs in the air. Her front paws move but are much stiffer and she doesn't seem to have as much control over them. She pees and poops by herself and when she has done so, she can and does sometimes pull herself along the bed to get away from the soiled area.
Liza is so used to lying down all the time (I turn her as regularly as I can) that she really cries when you pick her up and try to 'right' her.
Does anyone know of a similar cat and what their condition was called? Could they have any treatment for it? One friend in France has a similar cat and says it is like Multiple Sclerosis in humans.
I massage Liza's limbs and try to prop her up so she isn't lying down all of the time. I am concerned though as her chest is so tiny due to her front legs being together all of the time if that makes sense? It's as though that area is 'compressed' now.
I wondered if getting her a cart was a good idea? Just so that she can be in an upright position and see the world how she should. I was also wondering if that way, if her feet were touching the ground, maybe her brain might kick into gear and send signals to her limbs so that she might have some mobility again?
Any suggestions or thoughts would be much appreciated.
Thank you.xxx
