What this means
Jumping up is a natural and favourite movement for cats, so if a cat avoids it, struggles or hesitates for a long time before a jump, that is a clear change. Cats do not limp as plainly as dogs: they simply adapt. They reach the sofa by way of a chair, choose lower spots, climb stairs less, sleep longer or play less.
The reasons vary. Sore joints, hips, knees or back, extra weight and muscle weakness are the common things to discuss with a vet. In young animals, inherited joint, nerve or muscle diseases can show as a reluctance to jump. A cat that sees poorly can also avoid jumping because it can no longer judge the distance, and that problem causes no pain.
Write down when you noticed the change, whether it came on suddenly or gradually, and whether the cat also moves stiffly, limps, plays less or has changed in weight. If a young cat avoids jumping or tumbles, do not wait for it to pass.
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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Joint inflammation and wear
Sore joints make a cat avoid jumping. Often the cat also moves stiffly and grooms less.
About the condition: Arthritis -
Excess weight
Extra weight loads the joints and makes jumping harder. A heavy cat tires sooner and moves less.
About the condition: Obesity (excess weight) -
A fault in how the hip or knee joint formed
A hip that formed imperfectly or a kneecap that slips out can hurt or get in the way. The cat may briefly hold a back leg up or skip on three legs.
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Inherited muscle and nerve diseases
Some inherited diseases become clear in youth. The cat may tremble, weaken, walk stiffly or unsteadily and avoid jumping.
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Muscle weakness from low potassium
When there is too little potassium in the blood, muscles can weaken suddenly. The cat may droop its head, walk with short steps and avoid jumping.
About the condition: Hypokalemic polymyopathy -
Loss of sight
A cat that sees less well can no longer judge distances and avoids jumping. It causes no pain, and from the outside the eyes can look healthy.
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- When it began to avoid jumps, and whether the change came suddenly or gradually
- Whether it chooses lower spots or climbs by way of a chair instead of jumping straight up
- Whether it moves stiffly, limps or briefly holds a back leg up
- Whether it plays less, sleeps longer or tires sooner
- Whether you have noticed a change in weight or matted fur on its back
- Whether it moves hesitantly in dim light or bumps into things
When to book a routine visit
Book a visit if your cat has started avoiding jumps, moves stiffly, has gained weight or plays less. Have a young cat that trembles, weakens or tumbles seen as soon as possible.
Related conditions
Conditions whose entries mention this sign. The list is somewhere to read on, not a way to reach a diagnosis.
- Arthritis Bones and joints Inflammation of the joints in which the cartilage wears away over time and the joints become stiff and sore. Cats are good at hiding pain, so it can go unnoticed for a long time while it makes every day's movement harder.
- Glycogen storage disease Hormones and metabolism An inherited metabolic disease in which the body cannot properly build and use glycogen, the store of sugar that the muscles, liver and nerves draw their energy from. It shows itself in kittens and young cats.
- GM1 gangliosidosis Nerves and muscles An inherited storage disease in which the body lacks an enzyme that breaks down certain fatty substances. They build up in nerve cells, especially in the brain, and gradually disrupt their work.
- Hip dysplasia Bones and joints The hip joint forms imperfectly, so the ball of the thigh bone does not sit in the socket as it should, and the joint wears over time and starts to hurt.
- Hypokalemic polymyopathy Nerves and muscles Muscle weakness that sets in when there is too little potassium in the blood, a mineral the muscles need in order to contract properly. The weakness can come on suddenly and be so severe that the cat cannot lift its head or walk.
- Luxating patella (slipping kneecap) Bones and joints The kneecap slips out of its groove at the lower end of the thigh bone, so the knee briefly locks and the leg stops bending as it should. Over time the joint can wear and start to hurt.
- Obesity (excess weight) General health So much fat builds up in the body that it gets in the way of moving and puts a strain on the whole system. Excess weight loads the joints and can be linked with diabetes and other illnesses.
- Progressive retinal atrophy Eyes An inherited eye disease in which the light-sensing cells of the retina slowly die off. Sight fades gradually, first in dim light, until in time the cat may go completely blind.
- Spinal muscular atrophy Nerves and muscles An inherited disease in which the nerve cells in the spinal cord that tell the muscles to move slowly die off, so the muscles weaken and shrink. The first signs appear in young cats.
- Weight and joint issues Bones and joints Excess weight and joint problems feed each other: extra weight loads the joints, and sore joints make a cat less willing to move. The result is a vicious circle that is hard to spot, because the changes come on slowly.
Body systems: Bones and joints Hormones and metabolism Nerves and muscles General health Eyes