Warm hips - problem?

Meep's 11 now. She was born with somewhat deformed hind legs (warped
bones) - not terrible, but she's about as cow-hocked as a cat can get,
when she walks she swings her hocks around, and has very narrow hips.
She also has luxating patellas, though hasn't had a problem with them
for some time.

She's always stretched out her hind legs after getting up from sitting
or laying down, even if only for a short period. As she's only the
second cat I've ever had, and very different from the first one, I
really have no idea if this "every time" stretching is normal or not. I
suspect she's putting those patellas back where they belong.

She didn't have any arthritis when the x-rays were taken that diagnosed
her kneecap problems (two years ago?)... but, she gets a joint care
glucosamine additive in her food every night... it's preventative, but
also for her cystitis.

I've noticed that just recently, she's taken to lying on the tile
floors, something she used to only do when she was hot. Sure, it's hot
outside - this is Australia after all, it's 40c (104f) outside - but the
AC's working fine & she's an indoor cat. If I put my hands on her hips,
they're just slightly warm. In a horse (my area of expertise) this
would be a sign of problems, but no idea if it is in a cat as well. She
doesn't seek out her 'reflected heat' pad, as I'd have thought she would
if she was arthritic.

She has no obvious mobility problems, runs and jumps, etc per normal.
Aside from me noticing the warmth, and her lying on tile sometimes,
nothing has really changed in some time. Going to the vet is pretty
traumatic, so I don't want to take her in unless necessary.

Just looking for any opinions: Could there be a problem here, or am I
just being hypersensitive (I tend to be hypochondriac about my cat)?

jmc

"jmc" wrote in message
...
Meep's 11 now. She was born with somewhat deformed hind legs (warped
bones) - not terrible, but she's about as cow-hocked as a cat can get,
when she walks she swings her hocks around, and has very narrow hips. She
also has luxating patellas, though hasn't had a problem with them for some
time.

She's always stretched out her hind legs after getting up from sitting or
laying down, even if only for a short period. As she's only the second
cat I've ever had, and very different from the first one, I really have no
idea if this "every time" stretching is normal or not. I suspect she's
putting those patellas back where they belong.

She didn't have any arthritis when the x-rays were taken that diagnosed
her kneecap problems (two years ago?)... but, she gets a joint care
glucosamine additive in her food every night... it's preventative, but
also for her cystitis.

I've noticed that just recently, she's taken to lying on the tile floors,
something she used to only do when she was hot. Sure, it's hot outside -
this is Australia after all, it's 40c (104f) outside - but the AC's
working fine & she's an indoor cat. If I put my hands on her hips,
they're just slightly warm. In a horse (my area of expertise) this would
be a sign of problems, but no idea if it is in a cat as well. She doesn't
seek out her 'reflected heat' pad, as I'd have thought she would if she
was arthritic.

She has no obvious mobility problems, runs and jumps, etc per normal.
Aside from me noticing the warmth, and her lying on tile sometimes,
nothing has really changed in some time. Going to the vet is pretty
traumatic, so I don't want to take her in unless necessary.

Just looking for any opinions: Could there be a problem here, or am I
just being hypersensitive (I tend to be hypochondriac about my cat)?
------------
In human beings, people with rheumatoid arthritis often have warm joints
during a flare due to inflammation. You may want to phone the vet and
discuss the situation. I doubt that the vet can make a diagnosis without
seeing Meep however. I would think you would also see some signs of pain in
Meep if she were having a flare. OTOH, cats are very stoic and hide their
pain well. What may end up happening is that you may end up with a
prescription for some type of anti-inflammatory (aspirin is an
anti-inflammatory BTW) to be used only if it seems like Meep is having a
problem. Or the vet may want to give Meep an injection of a corticosteroid.
Or, you may want to ask your vet if it's okay to give Meep some aspirin in a
cat-sized dose, whatever that is, (she will require several doses for the
anti-inflammatory effect to kick in) and see if she stops lying on the tile
floor before taking her in. Be aware that aspirin (like most
anti-inflammatories can cause gastric irritation and bleeding). Or I may be
completely off the mark. It may be that Meep has just developed a sudden
affinity for cool tiles. I have a foster cat who sleeps in the (often cold
and wet) sink or the bathtub. If I try to put a blanket in there for him, he
pushes it away in disgust. I do think you should phone your veterinarian,
and see what he/she advises. If you are posting about this on a newsgroup,
you are obviously worried. (I'm a hypochondriac about my cats too).
Good luck and please report back.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

"cindys" wrote in message
...

snippage for brevity

In human beings, people with rheumatoid arthritis often have warm joints
during a flare due to inflammation. You may want to phone the vet and
discuss the situation. I doubt that the vet can make a diagnosis without
seeing Meep however. I would think you would also see some signs of pain
in Meep if she were having a flare. OTOH, cats are very stoic and hide
their pain well. What may end up happening is that you may end up with a
prescription for some type of anti-inflammatory (aspirin is an
anti-inflammatory BTW) to be used only if it seems like Meep is having a
problem. Or the vet may want to give Meep an injection of a
corticosteroid. Or, you may want to ask your vet if it's okay to give Meep
some aspirin in a cat-sized dose, whatever that is, (she will require
several doses for the anti-inflammatory effect to kick in) and see if she
stops lying on the tile floor before taking her in. Be aware that aspirin
(like most anti-inflammatories can cause gastric irritation and bleeding).
Or I may be completely off the mark. It may be that Meep has just
developed a sudden affinity for cool tiles. I have a foster cat who sleeps
in the (often cold and wet) sink or the bathtub. If I try to put a blanket
in there for him, he pushes it away in disgust. I do think you should
phone your veterinarian, and see what he/she advises. If you are posting
about this on a newsgroup, you are obviously worried. (I'm a hypochondriac
about my cats too).
--------------
Another possibility is a bursitis. My sweet dog, Alvin, of blessed memory,
had problems with bursitis for years. The first two times it flared up, the
vet gave him steroid injections. After that, we kept Alvin on low-dose daily
aspirin and found it worked just as well as the injections. But for the
record, we knew when Alvin was having a flare because he would start limping
badly, being hesitant to weightbear on the paw that was related to the
affected joint. We could see he was in pain. This is different from your
cat's situation since your cat doesn't seem to be having pain and the warm
hips are bilateral (on both sides) whereas Alvin's problem was unilateral
(on one side only). Again, good luck and keep us informed.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

on Sun, 11 Feb 2007 14:13:42 GMT, "cindys"
wrote:

Another possibility is a bursitis. My sweet dog, Alvin, of blessed
memory, had problems with bursitis for years. The first two times it
flared up, the vet gave him steroid injections. After that, we kept
Alvin on low-dose daily aspirin and found it worked just as well as
the injections. But for the record, we knew when Alvin was having a
flare because he would start limping badly, being hesitant to
weightbear on the paw that was related to the affected joint. We could
see he was in pain. This is different from your cat's situation since
your cat doesn't seem to be having pain and the warm hips are
bilateral (on both sides) whereas Alvin's problem was unilateral (on
one side only). Again, good luck and keep us informed.

ACK! Bursitis HURTS. I had it in my hips (resolved with months of intense
yoga). I can't imagine laying on tile would help with the pain of
bursitis. Also, I don't think bursitis causes warmth in the joints like
arthritis will. At least it didn't for me.

--
Lynne

"Lynne" wrote in message
m...
on Sun, 11 Feb 2007 14:13:42 GMT, "cindys"
wrote:

Another possibility is a bursitis. My sweet dog, Alvin, of blessed
memory, had problems with bursitis for years. The first two times it
flared up, the vet gave him steroid injections. After that, we kept
Alvin on low-dose daily aspirin and found it worked just as well as
the injections. But for the record, we knew when Alvin was having a
flare because he would start limping badly, being hesitant to
weightbear on the paw that was related to the affected joint. We could
see he was in pain. This is different from your cat's situation since
your cat doesn't seem to be having pain and the warm hips are
bilateral (on both sides) whereas Alvin's problem was unilateral (on
one side only). Again, good luck and keep us informed.

ACK! Bursitis HURTS. I had it in my hips (resolved with months of
intense
yoga). I can't imagine laying on tile would help with the pain of
bursitis. Also, I don't think bursitis causes warmth in the joints like
arthritis will. At least it didn't for me.
------------
Any type of inflammation could be warm, but for that matter, I can't imagine
that cold tiles would help with the pain of arthritis either. I was just
trying to come up with some possibilities, but obviously, Meep should see a
vet. It may turn out that everything is fine, and she just decided that the
tile looked inviting this week, but if it were my cat, I would want to be
sure.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

on Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:26:54 GMT, "cindys"
wrote:

Any type of inflammation could be warm, but for that matter, I can't
imagine that cold tiles would help with the pain of arthritis either.

Good point. I wonder, though, if the cool tiles help reduce the
inflammation, which reduces the pain--much like the application of ice can
do.

I was just trying to come up with some possibilities, but obviously,
Meep should see a vet. It may turn out that everything is fine, and
she just decided that the tile looked inviting this week, but if it
were my cat, I would want to be sure.

Oh, me, too. I wasn't suggesting otherwise. I just think that arthritis
is more likely than bursitis. That's just a wild guess on my part, based
only on my own experience with bursitis.

--
Lynne

Suddenly, without warning, Lynne exclaimed (12-Feb-07 6:55 AM):
on Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:26:54 GMT, "cindys"
wrote:

Any type of inflammation could be warm, but for that matter, I can't
imagine that cold tiles would help with the pain of arthritis either.

Good point. I wonder, though, if the cool tiles help reduce the
inflammation, which reduces the pain--much like the application of ice can
do.

I was just trying to come up with some possibilities, but obviously,
Meep should see a vet. It may turn out that everything is fine, and
she just decided that the tile looked inviting this week, but if it
were my cat, I would want to be sure.

Oh, me, too. I wasn't suggesting otherwise. I just think that arthritis
is more likely than bursitis. That's just a wild guess on my part, based
only on my own experience with bursitis.


I would agree that arthritis is more likely than bursitis (I've had
bursitis in my knees, so I can relate). She has limped in the past when
having problems with her kneecaps, but she's not limping or even
"stepping wrong" - I've been keeping a watch out for her limping on both
hind legs - stepping short or, well, just differently.

I suspect there may be some sort of minor inflammation there. I'll keep
checking her hips daily, and if they stay warm I'll definitely bring her in.

jmc