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My indoor/outdoor cat is limping and is in pain. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Longhair | Male | neutered | 3 years and 2 months old

Hi there, my cat is 3 years old and she's both an indoor and outdoor cat. I noticed this morning that she has a limp on her left hind leg. When i lift her up she doesn't meow, she only meow when she's lying down and adjusting her sitting position. I also noticed she's got a really big appetite, she wants to eat all day..

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 5th, 2020

Pickle could have injured her leg outside. I recommend resting her for the next 48 hours. No running, jumping, or playing. Keep her indoors at all times during this time. If she still appears painful after this time, then I would take her into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose where the pain is coming from, and can dictate a treatment plan for it. She may also benefit from some pain medications, which the vet can prescribe. Please do not give her any human pain medications, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given.

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Hi my 5 yr old cat is limping I don’t see anything on her paw what else can I do??
Poor May! I recommend resting her for the next 48 hours. No running, jumping, or playing. Keep her indoors at all times if she is allowed outside, and confine her to a small room or large crate to limit movement. If she still appears painful after this time, then I would take her into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose where the pain is coming from, and can dictate a treatment plan for it. She may also benefit from some pain medications, which the vet can prescribe. Please do not give her any human pain medications, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given.
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My 8 year old cat Bella is limping tonight, favoring her left hind leg. She landed hard jumping off the bed last night, but didn’t exhibit any symptoms until this evening
Poor Bella sounds in pain! I recommend resting herfor the next 48 hours. No running, jumping, or playing. Keep her indoors if she is allowed outside, and confined to a small room with food, water, and a litter box. If she still appears painful after this time, then I would take her into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose where the pain is coming from, and can dictate a treatment plan for it. She may also benefit from some pain medications, which the vet can prescribe. Please do not give her any human pain medications, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. Best of luck, I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Whenever my cat is let outside, she comes back in with a slight limp. I think it may be from her jumping from heights but at the same time there is nothing I can do to stop her jumping off them as I can't keep an eye on her whenever she is outside. D
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My indoor cat ran outside 2 days ago and she came home today. She has a limp. We know from which leg it’s coming from but we can’t pinpoint where the pain is. She walks on the leg but when she sits she applys no pressure to the leg. This is her left
She may have a wound from a cat fight. If you feel the leg all over you may find a scab. I would clean the area with a warm wet cloth and remove the scab to get the infection to drain. If there is no wound check her toenails for an injury or her pads. She also may have bruised her leg. Luckily cats heal orthopedic injuries well without treatment. If the lameness or pain worsens then I would bring her in for treatment. There is no safe over the counter pain medication for cats. If she’s very painful then your veterinarian can prescribe pain medication after an exam. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Cinder’ella.
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My cat has been walking on three legs and keeping her left front leg up(limping), she stays active, eats and grooms herself so idk what's wrong. Either she has a sprained leg or the thing I found in the pictures I found at the lower part of her paw.
Poor Oreo! It sounds like she has injured herself, and it could be due to a strain. I recommend resting her for the next 48 hours. No running, jumping, or playing. Keep her confined to a small room to limit movement, and do not allow her outside if she is allowed outdoors. If she still appears painful after this time, then I would take her into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose where the pain is coming from, and can dictate a treatment plan for it. She may also benefit from some pain medications, which the vet can prescribe. Please do not give him any human pain medications, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given.
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My cat Luna seemed to start limping on her right front paw a few hours ago, and I'm assuming it's because she walked across the floor in my bedroom where she usually always is, and the floor was wet because of my boyfriend mopping. I think maybe she
I'm sorry Luna is in pain and limping! Yes, you are correct she could have slipped on the wet floor causing the limping. I would rest her for the next couple of days. Keep her confined to a small room (be sure to put a litter box, food, and water in with her) so she doesn't move as much, and do not allow her outside if she is normally allowed outside. Monitor her, and if she is still limping by Monday, I would take her into the vet for a health check. It's very important not to give her any human pain medications. Many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. The vet can prescribe her pain medication as needed.
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My cat was outside yesterday playing around on the grass after a couple of hours later she came back in the house and she was limping from her rear left leg (dragging) she can't seem to hold her weight. She walks as if she got hit by a car or someone
Hello and thank you for reaching out to Boop by Petco. Based on the information you have provided, and the attached pictures, I am also very concerned that Sprinkles may have sustained significant trauma, causing her to be non-weightbearing lame on her left hind leg. Whether she was hit by a car or potentially fell and injured her leg, it sounds like she is in a significant amount of pain. She also looks like she has abraded skin (a wound) on that leg as well, which is at risk of becoming infected. I recommend having her seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible to have her injuries addressed. He/she will perform a full physical exam to localize her pain and determine if she has other, more life-threatening injuries such as damage to her chest or abdomen. X-rays may be indicated if a fracture is suspected. Ultimately, pain medication and antibiotics can be prescribed to help ease her pain and prevent infection. Importantly, NEVER give pain medication that is intended for humans to you
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My cat ran out the door and I just let him back in an hour and a half later. Sometimes he plays with the cats in the neighborhood. He is now walking with a limp and laying down whenever possible. He just makes a little noise here and there when
Limping is a sign of pain in cats, so Gunther is showing you he is in pain. He's also showing you he is in pain because he makes a noise when walking and lays down when possible. I would rest him for the next 48 hours. No running, jumping, or playing. I would keep him indoors at all times during this rest period. Keep him confined to a large crate or small room to limit his movement, and make sure he has food, water, and a litter box in that area for him to use. If he still appears painful after this time, then I would take him into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose where the pain is coming from, and can dictate a treatment plan for it. He may also benefit from some pain medications, which the vet can prescribe. Please do not give him any human pain medications, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. Best of luck, I hope this helps!
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Good morning I have two 8 week old kittens that have just started limping. They play and jump vigorously and I'm hoping it's just a strained muscle. Nothing feels out of place but they get irritated when I mess with the affected legs (each of them ha
I would rest them over the weekend. No running, jumping, or playing. Keep them indoors at all times if they are allowed outside, and put them each into their own rooms to keep them quiet. If they still appears painful after this time, then I would take them into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose where the pain is coming from, and can dictate a treatment plan for it. They may also benefit from some pain medications, which the vet can prescribe. Please do not give them any human pain medications, as many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given.
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I noticed my cat (4 years old) limping this morning (bouncing off or avoiding her right hind leg). I haven't noticed any abnormalities on the leg. How can I best care for her?
Hello, thank you for using Boop by Petco! Limping in a cat is much less common than limping in dogs. Usually if a cat is limping it is a more significant injury. Even though you do not notice anything outwardly abnormal there is definitely a problem if she won't use that leg. The issue could be a soft tissue injury, bone injury (like a fracture or dislocation), a joint problem or a nerve injury. There is no way to tell without having a vet examine her and have some x-rays done. If you want to give her a few days to see how she goes you can certainly do that as long as she is eating and drinking well. But, if after about 3 days she is not much improved she definitely needs to see a vet. You cannot give cats over the counter human medications like paracetamol, aspirin, etc. Cats are EXTREMELY sensitive to those medications. It is best to just monitor her and keep her indoors, calm and quiet. Try to minimize her jumping, running, playing the best you can. Hope this helps. If you
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