What this means
A healthy cat moves its back legs one after the other. If both back legs push together and the hindquarters move as one unit, the cat travels in hops, like a rabbit. It is clearest when it runs or hurries. Note since when you have seen it, whether the cat moves like this all the time or only when running, and film how it walks.
A gait like this is usually inherited or developmental: it can show from birth or in the first months of life, as a kitten starts to walk and learns to use the litter box. Sometimes the changes are barely visible, sometimes they get in the way every day. It is a feature of how the body is built, not of the cat's character or clumsiness, so a vet needs to assess it. It is worth telling the vet whether the cat was born without a tail or with a very short one.
Bunny-hopping can have other causes too, such as pain in both back legs or hips, or damage to the spinal cord, so it cannot simply be explained away. When judging the gait it also matters whether the cat controls its urination and bowel movements and whether there is weakness, because these can point to nerve damage in the same area.
Possible causes
These are things that can cause this sign. It is not a diagnosis, and they are not equally likely for your cat.
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A lower spine and spinal cord that formed abnormally
When a kitten is born with differences in the spine or spinal cord, the nerves that control the back legs may work incompletely. It is an inherited condition.
About the condition: Manx syndrome -
Another inherited nerve disease in young cats
The nerve cells in a young cat's spinal cord can die off, so the muscles weaken, the steps shorten and the back legs look weak.
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Pain in both back legs
If both hips or knees hurt, a cat may push its legs together to ease the pain. It has often stopped jumping up too.
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An injury to the back or pelvis
After a fall or a blow the spine or pelvis can be damaged, and the cat walks unnaturally. This needs urgent examination.
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A blocked blood supply to the back legs
A blood clot can suddenly cut off the blood to the back legs. The legs then weaken or stop working, and become painful and cold.
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- Since when your cat has moved like this, and whether it began in kittenhood
- Whether both back legs push together all the time or only when running
- Whether your cat was born without a tail or with a very short one
- Whether it controls urination and bowel movements or leaks urine or stools
- Whether the back legs look weak, tremble or tire quickly
- Whether your cat still jumps up or has stopped
When to book a routine visit
Book a visit if your cat or kitten hops with both back legs together, cannot control its urine or stools or struggles to pass stools. If the hopping appeared suddenly, go straight away. When getting a kitten, ask the breeder about the parents' health testing.
Related conditions
Conditions whose entries mention this sign. The list is somewhere to read on, not a way to reach a diagnosis.
Body systems: Nerves and muscles