Help request -- advice with maine coon 'clicking' when walking

Our 3.5 year old female Maine Coon has recently developed a 'clicking' sound when walking. It occurs on all sorts of surfaces and it's not her nails or anything stuck in her feet. We traced it down to either some ligament or brittle bones.

The cat behaves fine and eats/sleeps/plays/walks normally, just there is a faint click with every other step she takes. I picked her up and tried to gently feel her limbs and once or twice (randomly) I could almost make her leg 'click' by playing with her.

We have an appointment with a top orthopedic vet but it's not until ~10 days from now; our regular vet said that he would not be alarmed. I did some research and for some pets (cats, dogs) it looks like there may be some issue of ACL injuries/etc.

Any thoughts or resources on Maine Coons for this issue? Is it a known problem?

Thank you.

Hi, my MC is 13 this spring and he's developing arthritis. Pretty typical of big cats. Also, MCs are susceptible to hip dysplasia. But, I think at 3 years old, yours is fine.

In my amateur opinion, I think your cat just clicks. I can pop my ankle continuously and it doesn't hurt at all. Bas kitty clicks a little when he gets up, usually after sleeping. Think positive: your cat can never sneak up on you! ha! :LOL:

Talk to the doctor and see how that goes. If all is well, ask him about a joint supplement in case your kitty is/will develop arthritis. I found a liquid that is added to water and Bas loves it and always drinks it. It's all natural. I found this at Petco for around $20. It's, Natural Pet Pharmaceuticals for Felines - Muscle, Joint and Arthritis Reliever. 100% Safe Natural Medicine. Also, see if your area allows chiropractors to practice animal chiropractic (my state does). If not, talk to the doctor and see if he knows anyone that can do animal chiropractic (vets can learn about adjusting animals but in our state chiro is chiro and the chiro knows how to adjust the body). Call the licensing boards, talk to your doctor, and of course, watch that kitty!

Click click! :rofl:

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Originally Posted by RW252

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Also, see if your area allows chiropractors to practice animal chiropractic (my state does). If not, talk to the doctor and see if he knows anyone that can do animal chiropractic (vets can learn about adjusting animals but in our state chiro is chiro and the chiro knows how to adjust the body).

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I think every animal should have access to a chiro vet,we are lucky enough to have one work in our practice & my cats have benefited greatly,only Tuesday evening Shimba had to go & have his back adjusted & is going back for a check tonight,just wish he done humans as well I have to travel a lot further for mine....

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Originally Posted by dantm

Our 3.5 year old female Maine Coon has recently developed a 'clicking' sound when walking. It occurs on all sorts of surfaces and it's not her nails or anything stuck in her feet. We traced it down to either some ligament or brittle bones.

The cat behaves fine and eats/sleeps/plays/walks normally, just there is a faint click with every other step she takes. I picked her up and tried to gently feel her limbs and once or twice (randomly) I could almost make her leg 'click' by playing with her.

We have an appointment with a top orthopedic vet but it's not until ~10 days from now; our regular vet said that he would not be alarmed. I did some research and for some pets (cats, dogs) it looks like there may be some issue of ACL injuries/etc.

Any thoughts or resources on Maine Coons for this issue? Is it a known problem?

Thank you.

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Good luck with your girl,not something I have come across in any MC's I know so will be interesting to see how she gets on good luck & fingers crossed for you all....x

Thank you all for responding.

In general we would not be worried about it just the fact that it started recently. The cat never had this issue and her weight has not been fluctuating (as in going up dramatically) to warrant this thing happening. I'll follow-up with the doctor and we'll see what the next steps are. I don't see why she could not do some chiropractic sessions if needed. The one thing that this cat is unique is in how she holds her paws 'inward' very slightly when she walks. We have a second Maine Coon and she has her paws straight (if not slightly outward) when she walks and sits.