Weakened back/hind legs

[eyemadreamer]

:sad:
i'm so devasated, something is wrong with my kitty, Lucky.. he is one of the 3cats we have, and he is the youngest at 3 years old.

It was saturday night (a few day ago) when I noticed he wasn't walking almost not at all, but he still got around somehow... noticed him laying in different spots from where I put him originally but not very far. And when I would touch him back there, on his hind legs or lower back... He screams, i knew he was in pain and something was wrong. But other than that, he'd sleep and purr when i pet his head/neck/upper back.. he'd let me pick him up and hold him, snuggle with him as long as i didnt touch the "areas".

I called the vet and made an appt for first thing monday morning (today) but they didnt have any openings til 4pm. We took him in... the Vet was stumped, had no idea what was wrong with him. She decided to keep him overnight, take some xrays and such. Around 9pm (a vet that works late after everyones gone home- we were impressed) we got a call from her. She said the xrays were perfect.. everything looked good. Except for one thing she noticed... that his hindlegs were twice the size of a normal young male cat. I was really suprised to hear that, I hadnt ever noticed, my husband said he s noticed in the past, though. maybe i'm just blind.

Anyway, we have to wait until tomorrow for more information-- she put him on some steroids and pain killers and will be taking some blood work. She did mention cancer... my heart stopped when she said that, she said that sometimes cancer causes hind legs to stop working slowly. I really dont want to believe it, i'm sure it is something else...

We also have 2 other cats who are 7 years old both.... We've been feeding them all the same food for the last 2 years, the other cats are fine. I'm pretty sure its not nutritional/food related (however i could be wrong, each cat is still different to his own).

There is something i found on the internet while researching on "large hind legs" as the vet mentioned. I found a breed "Manx" they are actually known for having short to no tail at all, however it does also mention that they can still have normal length tails too, which my cat has. but the reason why this popped out to me (from wikipedia site):

(quoting) "The hind legs of a Manx are longer than the front legs, creating a continuous arch from shoulders to rump giving the cat a rounded appearance" (unquote) and also,

(quoting) "Manx Syndrome" is a colloquial name given to the condition which results when the mutant tailless gene shortens the spine too much. It can seriously damage the spinal cord and the nerves causing spina bifida as well as problems with the bowels, bladder, and digestion. Some only live for 3 years; the oldest recorded was 5. In one study it was shown to affect about 20% of Manx cats, but almost all of those cases were rumpies, which exhibit the most extreme phenotype. (unquote)

Now, i dont know the breed of my cat... we actually rescued him off the streets when he was about a month or 2 old. But from looking at some of the pictures of the Manx cats on the website-- it actually does resemble my cat somewhat except that my cat has a normal tail length. (which is confusing to me) So, the hindleg thing and the fact that he is exactly 3 years old .... could this be it??? However, almost all pictures on google of manx cats are short tailed/non-tailed. So maybe my cat is part Manx? I dunno...

Anyway, I'm really nervous... from reading all these posts on here related to weak hindlegs/back... seems like a lot of people didnt get the answers they were looking for. I'm afraid of that.

Oh one more thing, when the vet was checking lucky out.. he screamed several times when the vet was touching his hindlegs areas, she mentioned that "young males" are generally wussies. I was really bothered by that... i really think he was really actually hurting.

ANY Information or questions, PLEASE post them. I will be checking often.

I feel so helpless and worried-sick right now as he is miles away in a crate in a vet office and I'm here unable to help or comfort him.