Overgrooming and wobbly back legs. Help?

[fiwen30]

Hi there.

My 3 1/2 year old, neutered male, George, has been overgrooming his back legs over the past couple of weeks. He's long haired, but has a fine coat, and he's over-licking the back and sides of his thighs to the point of bald spots and thinning fur.

I took him to the vet last night, who remarked that he was somewhat underweight, although he eats well, and to keep an eye on the patches to see if they grow back in. He gave him a neck drop for worms and parasites and sent us on our way.

This afternoon though, I've noticed George was quite unsteady on his back legs, slipping twice as he walked around the kitchen work surface, and his back legs shook a little and seemed to buckle once.

I don't want to go rushing back to the vet crying wolf, but this does have me concerned as I hadn't noticed anything wrong with his gait before he was taken to the vet yesterday. This out of character clumsiness coupled with the overgrooming has me worried.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

[Shelley123]

Hello , welcome to Catsey.
Sorry to hear about George's problem.
I guess the vet was thinking of fleas and worms and has gone to rule these out with the neck drop.
If you notice he's still wobbly tomorrow I would check back with the vet, it does sound strange. Maybe you could video him walking as once at the vets he may not want to move around.
I once had a cat with a potassium deficiency which affected his legs.
Keep us posted

[Elaine]

I'd give the vet a call tbh, maybe talk with him to see if he can shed a little more light into what might be causing it but I suspect he will want to see your cat again to make a proper diagnosis.
You have every reason to be worried and you are not crying wolf. I'd be worried too.

[fiwen30]

Thanks for the responses! I'm hoping it's maybe some lingering soreness from being poked and prodded at the vets rather than anything more sinister. However, I will be keeping a close eye on his, and if it persists tomorrow then another check over will be in order.

Will let you know how it goes!

[Shelley123]

Hope George is ok today

[farthing]

Over grooming can also be a sign of allergies, and seeing that you say he is slim it might be worth looking into. I would go back to the vet anyway if he was wobbly.

[TiggerMoon]

Hi, just wondering how George is getting on. Did you find out the cause of his wobbly legs?

[fiwen30]

Thankfully by the morning he was back to his normal self :) His legs are still patchy, but I'm keeping an eye on him, and hopefully the wobbly legs are gone for good!

[Shelley123]

Glad to hear George is ok

[Gaina]

Did the vet check his blood pressure? My cat (though a lot older than George at 14) has an over-active thyroid and at his latest check up my vet asked if he was steady on his feet as this can sometimes be a symptom of high blood pressure, which often goes in tandem with hyperthyroidism. As I say George is very young to be troubled with his thyroid but if he gets wobbly on his pins again, it might be worth getting his blood pressure checked.

Glad he's feeling better x