Cat: Muscle Loss, Lethargy and a Bad Attitude

Last July, my cat, Fred (7), escaped from the house.  That night, he had a sneezing fit and was later found nearly unconscious.  We took him to the ER, where he spent several days being treated for a URI.  

When Fred returned from the ER, he was still lethargic and rarely jumped.  He used to sleep with us or on the couch and jump into windows.  All this stopped.  A month into his recovery, he began to snap at us if we tried to touch his right side.  The snapping became progressively worse.  Eventually, he started meowing ferociously and following us around the house biting at our ankles.  We took him to the vet who noticed he had pain in his right shoulder (normal X-rays).  Pain killers didn’t help.  We think his front leg was injured the night of his escape because the ER vets noticed his claws on that paw were broken.

Fred still has a slight limp and some pain in his leg.  His behavior problems, lethargy and reduced jumping persist.  We recently noticed a change in his fur/skin, which is dull and flakey.  New food is helping somewhat.  Fred appears to be sensitive to brushings (he used to like it, now it seems to hurt).  He also feels fragile.  At his last vet visit, we learned he lost 2 pounds (in about 2 mos.), most of which was muscle loss.  Fred is overweight (started at about 18+ pounds 8 months ago, down to 14).  Fred has a great appetite, drinks normally, and only vomits occasionally (which is normal for him).  He does not appear to have digestive problems (defecation/urination are normal).  

All tests are normal (thyroid, diabetes, FIV, FeLV, CBC, kidney function, etc.).  Fred is now getting a chest/abdomen X-rays/ultrasound, urinalysis and a FIV/FeLV retest.  If the results are normal, we have no idea what to do.  Our next step is to take him to a specialist.  Maybe he has Myositis?  Any thoughts on what might be wrong would be greatly appreciated.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Fred must have undergone something really traumatic during his escape in July.  Part of the problem may be behavioral and part due to some sort of traumatic injury.  Myositis is possible and diagnosis just involves a small biopsy of the affected muscle.  A course of prednisolone (a steroid) or an immunosuppressive medication may be warrented.  I would also have your cat tested for Bartonella (cat scratch fever) since this disease is on the rise.

Since his personality has changed so dramatically I think an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication would also help to get him over his post traumatic stress syndrome.

Good luck!

[Eswepe]

I should probably also add that he has stopped purring.