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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / July 2006Bumps on cat's back
Hello ! I have a 16 year old tabbie. Along the top of her back or spine, each vertebrae has a bony lump on it. These extend up to about 3/8 " or so. The bigger ones toward her tail - feels like there's a ball bearing under the skin. The bumps do not move, they are bone. So when I pet her back I feel a series of bumps. I assume these have grown up over the past months or years, she's a little standoffish so I don't pet her much. There is no skin change at all. Is this part of the aging process ? I've had many cats but none ever lived this long so I've never seen this. She gets around pretty good for an older cat. Thank you. > I have a 16 year old tabbie. Along the top of her back or spine, each > vertebrae has a bony lump on it. These extend up to about 3/8 " or so. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > the past months or years, she's a little standoffish so I don't pet her > much. Hi My first thought is what you are feeling is the spinous processes of the vertebrae which are perfectly normal. Older cats sometimes lose a bit of weight (I'm told) so perhaps you're only able to feel them now. Weight loss through should be checked out by a vet Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs Maybe that's it. She's fairly skinny but she's always been on the light side. I think she weighs 7 pounds now but at her peak weighed 8. She has no loss of appetite ! She can hear canned food. She spends a lot of time sort of stooping, that is, on her feet but sort of crouched down. May be arthritis, I have been giving her that joint stuff (not pot, the other) that the vet gave but the capsules don't seem to do much, though maybe they are forestalling further damage. She can jump up on the hassock just fine and still drinks out of the toilet when given the chance. > Maybe that's it. She's fairly skinny but she's always been on the > light side. I think she weighs 7 pounds now but at her peak weighed 8. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > damage. She can jump up on the hassock just fine and still drinks out > of the toilet when given the chance. Sounds like my senior kitty (17+ years). Molly's very petite (6.75 lbs now) As she's aged she's lost some weight and her vertebrae have become more prominent. She also crouches quite a bit and walks stiffly. Unfortunately she can't tolerate the joint stuff either! She either throws up or has diarrhoeae or both. Maybe pot would help . . .! Bonnie >> Maybe that's it. She's fairly skinny but she's always been on the >> light side. I think she weighs 7 pounds now but at her peak weighed 8. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Bonnie Ask your vet about Arnica Montana. My cat Tigger used to sit by my chair and meow until I got up and gave her some. It's a liquid and the vet said I could give her a dropper or two as needed. As far as I know there are no side effects and it did seem to give my cat some relief. She was also on the Cosequin but that didn't do much for the pain from her arthritis. W >>> Maybe that's it. She's fairly skinny but she's always been on the >>> light side. I think she weighs 7 pounds now but at her peak weighed 8. [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > W Thanks for the suggestion! Is it for joints or does it help with digestive issues? She can't tolerate Cosequin. She is an incredibly sweet cat and I hate to see her creaking around so much. We rescued her when she was already a senior cat--probably 9 or 10 and she's mothered every kitten that we've rescued since. She's spayed but she'll allow them to nuzzle up to her (even after they're full grown) and basically takes over as mom cat. She'll groom them, treat them like her own. She's also bomb proof--nothing seems to bother her. You can hold her like a baby and she just gently grabs hold of your hand, starts licking it and purrs. I used to take her on vacation with us and though she wasn't crazy about the trip, she'd settle down within a few minutes and sleep the whole way. Thanks, Bonnie >>>> Maybe that's it. She's fairly skinny but she's always been on the >>>> light side. I think she weighs 7 pounds now but at her peak weighed 8. [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > > Thanks, Bonnie The Arnica Montana is for pain. >>>>> Maybe that's it. She's fairly skinny but she's always been on the >>>>> light side. I think she weighs 7 pounds now but at her peak weighed [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] >> > The Arnica Montana is for pain. Thanks for the info! Bonnie > > I have a 16 year old tabbie. Along the top of her back or spine, each > > vertebrae has a bony lump on it. These extend up to about 3/8 " or so. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > bit of weight (I'm told) so perhaps you're only able to feel them now. > Weight loss through should be checked out by a vet Yep - that's what my vet told me. They're more pronunced in Randyh my 16 year old cat - he was 11 pounds a few years ago now he's 8.5lbs which the vet considers normal for his age. Emily is 13 years old and not showing any signs of it. But in here case, for most of her life she was 6.5lbs, now she's 8.5lbs too. >Hello ! > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >Thank you. This is not at all unusual & is part of aging - especially if she's also got arthritis - she's loosing muscle mass everywhere, probably isn't nearly as active & mobile as when she was younger. One of my cats was put to sleep last fall at almost 21 years & although still relatively perky & alert, she was very skinny & bony-looking, especially her front & back legs. Her weight had dropped from her normal 12 lbs to about 6-1/2 lbs. As long as your cat is pain-free, there's no reason you can't have several more years with her. |
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