luxating patella

Question
I have a 2 year old cat, and he has been having trouble with his hind legs. I finally found a vet who was helpful to me, they gave him Cosequin to take and they recommend surgery. I don't know if surgery would help or if I should try the meds first and for how long. Do you know what all the surgery would entitle and how long and painful recovery would be? I am trying to weigh the good and bad. Because my cat is not been very active the last week or so. Thank You

Answer
Hi Stephanie.  Cosequin will help prevent wear on the joints, but it won't do anything to fix the underlying problem.  If his knees are causing him pain, then surgery really is the way to go.  In kittens, this is a problem commonly seen that tends to correct itself, but in adult cats, you can assume the problem will only get worse, not better.

There are a couple different procedures used to correct the problem.  They can stabilize the knee cap by passing wire over it and anchoring the wire to the joint.  Or they can deepen the socket if the problem appears to be due to shallow joints.  Or if the ligaments are too loose, allowing the kneecap to move freely, the ligaments can be tightened by shortening them and stapling them to the bone.  They are all relatively simple operations and can be done by a general practitioner in most cases.  The cat will generally go home the same day.

Pain relievers/anti-inflammatories can be given to help with pain.  Cats generally recover very well from these surgeries.  He will be sore for a bit, but should not be in much more pain than what he's going through now.

He will need to be on cage rest, however, for several weeks, while the surgery sites heal.  My vets recommend 4 weeks of strict cage rest, and limited activity for 16 weeks - no jumping, climbing or strenuous play.

Though this certainly will not be a fun time, your kitty probably still has more than 10 years to go.  The longer you wait for surgery, the more likely irreversible joint damage will occur, and that can leave him crippled for life.