Page 949 - Problem-Based Feline Medicine

44. The cat with generalized weakness

Rodney S Bagley, Jacquie Rand, Terry King and

Fiona Campbell

KEY SIGNS
● Weakness.
● Inability or reluctance to walk or jump.
● Stiff, stilted gait.
● Ventroflexion of the neck.

MECHANISM?
● Diffuse loss of muscle strength results in generalized weakness. Diseases of the peripheral
nervous system, neuromuscular junction and muscle often result in generalized weakness.
Systemic diseases affecting metabolism of or perfusion to, the muscles may also result in
weakness.
WHERE?
● Peripheral nervous system, neuromuscular junction and muscle.

WHAT?
● Diseases include the peripheral neuropathies, neuromuscular junctionopathies (myasthenia
gravis) and myopathies. One of the most common causes of weakness is hypokalemic
myopathy.

QUICK REFERENCE SUMMARY
Diseases causing generalized weakness
DEGENERATIVE
● Degenerative neuropathies (p 963)
Weakness with decreased to absent spinal reflexes. Dropped hock appearance in young Birman
cats, beginning 8–10 weeks of age. Storage disease may be associated with aneuropathy. These
diseases are often breed-specific with clinical signs beginning in cats less than 1 year of age.
● Degenerative motor neuronopathies (p 964)
Progressive weakness and muscle atrophy in adult cats, decreased to absent spinal reflexes, tremor
especially of head and tongue, cervical ventroflexion and dysphagia.

continued
941