Rehab for cat

[AgileBeagle]

Have a cat patient who a few months ago tumbled down a flight of stairs causing suspected IVDD. Initially no voluntary movement, owner had to express bladder, etc. Improved dramatically after a single acupuncture treatment, to the point that we couldn't do a second. It did permit spinal mobs and activator adjustment. Owner lasered at home, did some hanging traction, and put hair scrunchies on back feet.
Fast forward 2 months - the cat is doing great, normal gait and bladder function. However there is still some rear weakness - the owner's concern yesterday is that the cat can not jump. It can climb stairs. The owner is motivated, but the cat is not food or toy motivated, and will bite at minor physical manipulation. It will however, go for walks on harness outside in the grass. We put the cat on a carpeted board that we put on top of an overstuffed pillow - to work on core a bit... which she did tolerate for a few seconds. Any other ideas for improving rear strength and function in a less than cooperative patient?

Jan W

[lehughes]

Hey Jan!

Aren't cats fun!??!

Okay, so I'd look at this from two perspectives 1) the spinal cord and 2) the function.

To address the cord, might the owner be able to do some hanging traction with the cat? Just let it dangle...perhaps the cat would tolerate this a bit if it were the owner hanging it. Laser could also be used. And I also found that cats tolerated craniosacral better than any other form of mobilization.

To address function, it might mean moving the cat to an area where it does not want to go, and has to navigate an obstacle path to get back. Or a bit of an obstacle path to get to the litter box... not so difficult that it decides to inappropriately urinate or defecate elsewhere in protest! Do lots of walking on harness in the grass then... maybe finding a hill to walk up / explore! It might sound a bit like cat torture, but maybe put the cat in a short box and let it jump out, then put it in something else that it has to jump out of... or crawl out of...(I'm envisioning a cardboard cat parkour park!!!) All in all, I think you will have to resort to trickery and scrap any of the 'specific therapeutic exercises' you were ever taught. And lots of stairs, so the more the can can be made to walk up / down them would be good... whether that means moving food & water, or the litter box, or the cat bed, or again, moving the whole cat from place to place within the house...

Best of luck!!!

Laurie

[AgileBeagle]

Thanks Laurie! I actually did suggest she make the access to food involve climbing over things (glad I'm prone to thinking up cat torture!) The box idea is great too. The owner was limiting access to the stairs, so I'll suggest she modify that.

Thanks again!

Jan