What this means
You usually notice stiffness not from the walking itself but from what goes with it: the cat gets up slowly, takes its first steps on locked legs, hesitates for a long time before a jump or no longer jumps onto the sofa, the windowsill or the edge of the litter box at all. Note whether the stiffness is worst after waking and eases with movement, or stays all day, and whether all the legs are stiff or only the back ones.
A cat that stops jumping up is very often in pain and is not simply getting old. Cats hide pain: they do not cry out and do not always limp, they change their habits instead. They choose lower spots, climb stairs less, sleep longer, groom less, and sometimes start to toilet beside the litter box. Old age is therefore not an explanation to settle for: a change like this is worth showing to a vet in a cat of any age.
Stiffness in a young animal is a different matter. In a kitten or young cat, a stiff walk with short steps, trembling or weakness can point to an inherited or developmental disorder, and a vet needs to assess it. Sudden weakness together with a stiff walk and a drooping head is an emergency.
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 move carefully. The stiffness is worst after waking, and jumping and climbing up slowly become rarer.
About the condition: Arthritis -
Excess weight loading the joints
Extra weight adds strain on 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.
About the condition: Weight and joint issues -
A slipping kneecap
When the kneecap slips out of its groove, a back leg briefly locks. The cat may walk unevenly, skip on three legs or avoid jumping.
About the condition: Luxating patella (slipping kneecap) -
An inherited muscle or energy-store disease in young cats
Some inherited diseases show in kittens or young cats: they tremble, weaken, walk on stiff legs and move less.
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Muscle weakness from low potassium in the blood
When there is too little potassium in the blood, the muscles weaken, the gait becomes stiff with short steps and the cat soon lies down. The weakness can come in episodes.
About the condition: Hypokalemic polymyopathy -
Inherited loss of the nerves that drive the muscles
In a young cat the nerve cells in the spinal cord die off, so the muscles weaken, the steps shorten and the back legs look weak.
About the condition: Spinal muscular atrophy
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- When the stiffness is worst: after waking, after play or all day
- Whether all the legs are stiff or only the back ones
- Whether your cat has stopped jumping up or hesitates a long time before a jump
- Whether stairs or stepping into the litter box have become harder
- Whether your cat grooms less, especially on its back
- Whether it also trembles, tires quickly or lies down soon
When to book a routine visit
Book a visit if your cat has started walking stiffly, no longer jumps up or takes a long time to loosen up after sleep, whatever its age. If a stiff walk appears in a kitten or young cat, tell a vet as soon as you can. Before the visit it helps to film your cat walking.
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.
- 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.
- 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