Dear Sinéad, Siouxsie and Thomas:
I noticed a note to you from a person with a problem with her kitten resembling the one I am having with my 4-month-old Abyssinian kitten, who is now in the hospital (first day).

He developed an odd limp in his right front leg after being completely normal under my care as his new owner after adoption (from a breeder who is also a vet) for his first 2 days in his new home. This lameness in his right leg partly immobilized him.

Taking him to a vet immediately (naturally it occurred on a Sunday as an emergency!), the emergency vet noted he had a fever of 104 degrees. Instead of giving him an antibiotic shot, the vet decided on a inflammation reliever. The next day, I took the kitten first thing to his main vet. His temp was now elevated to 105. He seemed normal, if somewhat played down, but limped radically because of his right leg and/or paw.

The cat showed no pain as the vet examined his leg, nor did the x-ray show anything. So, now the main vet at the hospital is treating the kitten with antibiotics, fluid, and may have to put him on IV to impart fluids to bring down his temp.

I am extremely sad and worried. This is beautiful, playful kitten. I had just lost my 18-year-old Abyssinian a week before. So far as I know, this kitten hasn't fallen, etc., nor has he been outdoors.

One theory the vet had is that the kitten had been bitten at the breeder's, that the result of this didn't show up until later (he was adopted last Friday; there are no other animals in my house). But the vet has found no evidence of that. I am just hoping, like the person that wrote in to you, that given rest and the antibiotics my beautiful kitten will recover and be able to walk and play normally.

I know you probably cannot say much about this given this summary, but is it possible the kitten, who was playing intently a lot the last couple of days, maybe pulled a tendon or strained his leg in some way? But why would that register as an infection, thus raising his temp and demanding antibiotics?

Thank you for whatever input you can give!
--Al

Sinéad: Boy, Al, it looks like you've got a bit of a mystery on your hands.

Siouxsie: We've got a little bit of experience with abscesses and infections, so we'll give you what suggestions we can.

Thomas: If your kitten had been bitten or received a puncture wound, the area of the wound would become swollen, and would be warm and painful to the touch.

Sinéad: That's right. A week or so ago, I got a bite from an ungrateful mouse that didn't want me to eat him, and wouldn't you know, the thing swelled up and felt really miserable, and my paw hurt! (Of course, Mama knew what was going on and got me to the vet for treatment.)

Siouxsie: Usually a wound like a sprain or a fracture would not cause a fever. The body goes into shock in a case like this; the extremities become cold, and the blood pressure decreases.

Thomas: Of course, fractures and sprains cause swelling of the injured area, too, and one of the main ways that vets tell fractures from infections is the presence or absence of a fever.

Sinéad: You didn't mention whether or not your kitten's paw or leg was swollen. If it wasn't, the odds are that the infection or injury was not in the leg or paw itself.

Siouxsie: However, injuries to other parts of the body, such as the shoulder, can also result in lameness. A cat doesn't have to have a broken leg in order to limp. If his shoulder or one of his ribs got dislocated or fractured in an awkward fall, that would certainly cause pain, inflammation, and perhaps even some level of fever.

Thomas: We would suggest that your vet look for an injury to your cat's shoulder, collarbone, neck, rib cage, or upper abdomen.

Sinéad: You mention that your vet took an X-ray of your cat, so the film probably shows his entire bone structure. We're sure your vet looked over the whole X-ray to make sure there were no bone injuries in those areas, but it couldn't hurt to ask your vet if it's possible that a shoulder or rib injury may be contributing to your kitty's pain.

Siouxsie: We'd suggest that you pet and stroke your kitten all around, paying particular attention to his right shoulder, upper back and rib cage. Don't poke or prod too hard, but do put a little bit of pressure on as you do your examination. If at any time your cat pulls away from your touch, that will indicate that you've found a sensitive spot.

Thomas: If your kitty is still feeling pain and discomfort and still has a fever at this point (you wrote us a few weeks ago), then you definitely have something more serious going on than a sprain or strain.

Sinéad: We also hope that if your cat is still having discomfort and other symptoms, that your vet ran a blood panel that tests the red and white blood cell count, as well as measuring enzymes that test liver, kidney and thyroid function. If this blood test came out normal, that's good news.

Siouxsie: If your kitten has an infection, his white blood cell count will be elevated. White blood cells are the ones that fight off infections, and the body makes more of them when infection is present.

Thomas: Your vet can also run a blood test that will determine whether your cat has the antibodies for feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). The odds are very good that your kitten would not have either of these antibodies, since he was bred by a reputable breeder who is also a veterinarian. All kittens should be tested for these antibodies, because these illnesses are contagious to other cats.

Sinéad: There's another kind of foot problem that cats can get, and the good news is that this one is very treatable.

Siouxsie: Sometimes, when cats don't have their claws trimmed on a regular basis and don't have surfaces to scratch on, their claws get so long that they actually start growing into the paw pad. This is understandably quite painful and can lead to lameness. The ingrown claw will cause swelling and possibly infection as well, because the hole the claw makes in the paw pad will become a breeding ground for anything yucky that would like a warm, dark and moist hole to grow in.

Thomas: Claw maintenance is a very important part of cat hygiene. Usually we do a pretty good job of it ourselves, but getting your kitten used to having his claws trimmed will be very helpful to you in the long run.

Sinéad: And trimming your kitten's claws will minimize how destructive he can be when he gets into his "scratch on anything, anytime" stage.

Siouxsie: I hate having my claws trimmed! Mama, get away from me with that claw clipper! Grrrrrr.

Thomas: Oh, Siouxsie, quit being such a baby.

Siouxsie: Grrrrrrrrrr!

Sinéad: Anyway, Al, our advice would be that you look beyond your kitten's leg or paw to find the source of his lameness. A dislocated shoulder, for example, would cause a lot of pain, but not a whole lot of swelling.

Siouxsie: However, a dislocated shoulder would probably show up on an X-ray.

Thomas: If your kitten does have an infection and you continue to give him antibiotics, we encourage you to take a look at this column. Although it's about a cat with smelly gas, we do touch on how to rebuild a cat's "good" intestinal bacteria after taking antibiotics. After all, antibiotics are designed to kill bacteria. And they do -- even the bacteria in our intestines that we need so we can digest our food!

Sinéad: And finally, if your vet still can't find anything wrong with your kitten, we would encourage you to seek out a second opinion. It is never normal for a cat to limp and have a fever, and it's possible that your vet may have overlooked something that another vet would see.

Siouxsie: It does happen. Not because your vet is incompetent or anything, but just because he or she is human, and sometimes humans make mistakes.

Thomas: Of course, we cats never do anything wrong.

Sinéad: That's right. I thought I might have been wrong about something once, but it turns out I was mistaken. Hee hee hee!

Siouxsie: Don't forget, Al, that if it turns out that your kitten could logically have been incubating an infection before you adopted him, his breeder will most likely be willing to contribute to veterinary care expenses or, if the worst happens and it turns out there's something fatally wrong, refund your money and offer you the option of getting another kitten. Most reputable breeders operate under a code of ethics that give their buyers these rights.

Thomas: Good luck, Al, and we hope your kitty is on the mend and back to his usual, playful kitten self. Please let us know how everything turned out!

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail us at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the material in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.