Twisted Limbs in Kittens

If the condition is treated early and the kitten is going to recover, an improvement is usually seen within days. If the limbs fail to respond to treatment and remain twisted and useless several weeks later despite regular physiotherapy/splinting, then the prognosis is poor.

If only one limb is affected and the kitten is otherwise normal, amputation of the affected limb is a possibility. If the kitten shows other serious abnormalities, especially ones relating to the internal organs, then euthanasia is recommended as soon as those abnormalities become apparent.

One thing that is certain is that the longer the elapsed time between birth and treatment of a twisted limb, the less likely it is that the kitten will recover due to atrophy of nerves and muscles. This is particularly important in rescue work where a litter is not found until the kittens are several weeks old. By that stage the twisted limbs are probably beyond correction. The rescuer must carefully weigh up the likelihood of recovery. In Sophia's case, treatment was ineffective and euthanasia was the only humane option.

In a breeder situation, the decision to treat may be influenced by the kitten's potential as a show or breeding animal. Its genes may be too valuable to give up without attempting treatment.

In a rescue situation, even where the twisted limbs are noted early enough to attempt treatment, there remains the issue of (wo)manpower, time and funding of any veterinary support to treatment. Where devoting time and energy to a single kitten would be to the detriment of dozens of healthy kittens, the euthanasia of a potentially treatable kitten may be an agonizing, but necessary decision.

Radial Hypoplasia presents different issues for the rescuer/breeder. Unlike twisted hind limbs, it cannot be rectified by splinting and physical therapy. It is an inherited trait. The individual kittens should be assessed for quality of life and euthanized if necessary. The parent cats should not be bred from again in order to eliminate the defect from breed lines.

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