Question
Meez
My cat is a rescue cat that I brought back to Canada with me from the streets of Thailand last year. I think he is about 3 years old now and he has tested FIV positive. For the last few weeks, he has had twitches/muscle spasms in his front legs and shoulders. They seem to only occur when he is just relaxing. It's winter now, so originally I thought he was cold after sitting near our leaky window, but it doesn't appear to be isolated to only that. Once he is asleep, they stop, and when he is walking around and active, they are non-existent.
He has no fever, his appetite is normal, he does not vomit of have diarrhea and his attitude and demeanor is normal. He doesn't appear to lose consciousness or control of himself during the spasms, and it is limited to his front legs only.
I have not yet taken him to a vet, because he has no other symptoms to work on and without sounding petty, I don't want to spend a lot of money for the vet to tell me nothing is wrong and he is fine. Could this spasm be a sign his FIV is progressing, or could it be caused by something else?
AnswerHi Jacquie. He is beautiful. Feline AIDS has the potential to cause neurological problems, but I've never had this happen in any of my AIDS cats. It does sound possible that something neurological could be going on, though, whether related to the AIDS or not. He may even be suffering from simple partial seizures if you are noticing distinct episodes. Certain infections, like toxoplasmosis and feline infectious peritonitis, can also cause neurological problems. Toxoplasmosis is curable, but FIP isn't.
It could also be due to a deficiency of some sort. Potassium imbalance or magnesium deficiency can cause twitching, and these can be caused by dehydration. Dehydration can be secondary to a number of things, including kidney failure, which is common with AIDS.
Your vet would probably want to run some blood tests, and I think this is probably a good idea. Sometimes they will detect other signs during a physical exam that can help them determine whether the problem is neurological in nature or not.
I hope all turns out well!
Jessica
Bald spot on my cats nose
Question
bald spot
Hello Jessica,
Today I notic
Cat paw pad white spot
Question
Drakey Paw Pad
Hi,
I just randomly noticed th
Two Kittens from different litters?
Question
Ginger Female
We wanted to get 2 kitten
Cat keeps biting neck of new kitten
Question
my babys
Hiya I have adopted a new kitten (fem
Pregnant cat and her to be kittens.
Question
Scarlett
Recently (May 2011) we adopted a stra
