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Objectives: In cats affected by severe thoracolumbar spinal cord pathologies, paraplegia and paraparesis, often accompanied by urinary retention, pose significant challenges, impacting both the cats' welfare and owners' lives. This study aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) of cats affected by these conditions, and to evaluate the social and familial implications for caregivers., Methods: The study was structured into two parts. The first part comprised direct observations of aspects of QoL in cats both in household and shelter settings, while the second part involved the distribution of questionnaires to cat owners and shelter operators., Results: Cats with paraplegia/paraparesis and urinary retention can maintain a good QoL, with hindlimb mobility significantly influencing QoL scores. Shelter cats showed a comparable QoL to household cats, challenging the anecdotal beliefs that shelter cats with severe neurological impairments are destined to lead substandard lives. Operator surveys highlighted the feasibility of managing these cats in shelter environments, emphasising the importance of collaboration between caregivers and veterinary professionals. Likewise, owner surveys revealed a manageable time commitment for care, with most owners achieving proficiency in manual bladder expression within 1 month. Despite challenges, most of the owners reported positive experiences and did not contemplate euthanasia for their cats. Regular veterinary visits and occasional physiotherapy were common practices among caregivers., Conclusions and Relevance: Owners who respond to the questionnaire and shelter operators have a high commitment to cats with paraplegia/paraparesis. Although the study acknowledges this potential bias, it suggests that dedicated care can ensure a good QoL for cats with severe spinal injuries, both in shelter and household settings. Effective communication between caregivers and veterinary professionals is essential for accurate information dissemination and optimal care provision. This research contributes to raising awareness of managing these conditions and emphasises the importance of collaborative care approaches in veterinary medicine., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Two captive female Parma wallabies (Macropus parma) died after a history of flaccid paraplegia. On postmortem examination, granulomatous and suppurative osteomyelitis involving the left ischium and the lumbosacral region, with meningeal extension at the cauda equina, and caseonecrotic mastitis were the most significant changes. Multiple small nodules in the liver and spleen, and an enlargement of some lymph nodes with central caseous necrosis were also observed. Microscopically, a disseminated granulomatous inflammation with numerous multinucleate giant cells was seen. Numerous acid-fast bacilli were detected in macrophages, in multinucleated giant cells, and free in the central necrosis and suppurative exudate. After culture, polymerase chain reaction assays were carried out to detect the 65-kDa heat shock protein (Hsp65) and insertion sequences (IS)1245 and IS900. The causative agent was identified as Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium., (© 2015 The Author(s).)

A 6-year-old neutered female cat was examined for chronic and progressive pelvic limb ataxia that progressed to non-ambulatory paraparesis over 1 month. Haematological and serum analyses were mainly within normal ranges. Thoracic and abdominal radiographs did not reveal any morphological abnormalities. Magnetic resonance imaging investigation of the thoraco-lumbar spine demonstrated a well-defined, extradural mass that extended into the epidural space from the L2 to L3 vertebral bodies and expanded in the L2 to L3 left intervertebral foramen. During surgery, a long, narrow, white parasite which was weakly adherent to the phlogistic epidural fat tissue was gently removed from the spinal canal. Histological examination of the pathological tissue supported a diagnosis of epidural steatitis surrounding a female adult Dirofilaria immitis. This is a novel case of natural D immitis infection with spinal localisation in a cat, well documented with magnetic resonance investigation, and cytological and histological examinations, introducing a novel differential diagnosis for extradural spinal masses in cats.

Two cases of focal tetanus in the cat are described. Clinical findings included severe muscular spasms of the pelvic limbs in one cat, and involvement of the thoracic limbs and muscles of the neck and face in the other. Electromyography in both cats showed spontaneous activity characterised by the presence of motor unit potentials. F waves, never previously reported in focal tetanus in animals, showed significantly increased F/M amplitude ratio in both cats and increased F wave duration in one cat. The electrodiagnostic findings provided relevant diagnostic and, possibly, prognostic information.

A 9-month-old female Yucatan pig was euthanized after acute onset of paraplegia. Gross and microscopic examination revealed dorsal dissection of the nucleus of the L2-L3 intervertebral disk through the annulus fibrosus, extrusion of nucleus pulposus material through the overlying dura mater and into the spinal cord, and associated acute spinal hemorrhage and necrosis. This is, to the authors' knowledge, the first reported case of intervertebral disk disease in swine.

Practical Relevance: Feline arterial thromboembolism (ATE) is a common but devastating complication of myocardial disease, often necessitating euthanasia. A combination of endothelial dysfunction and blood stasis in the left atrium leads to local platelet activation and thrombus formation. Embolisation of the thrombus results in severe ischaemia of the affected vascular bed. With the classic 'saddle thrombus' presentation of thrombus in the terminal aorta, the diagnosis can usually be made by physical examination. The prognosis is poor for cats with multiple limbs affected by severe ischaemia, but much better where only one limb is affected or motor function is present., Patient Group: Cats with left atrial enlargement secondary to cardiomyopathy are typically predisposed, although cats with hyperthyroidism, pulmonary neoplasia and supravalvular mitral stenosis may also be at risk., Management: Analgesia is the main priority, and severe pain should be managed with methadone or a fentanyl constant rate infusion. Congestive heart failure (CHF) requires treatment with furosemide, but tachypnoea due to pain can mimic signs of CHF. Thrombolytic therapy is not recommended, but antithrombotic treatment should be started as soon as possible. Aspirin and clopidogrel are well tolerated., Evidence Base: Several observational studies of ATE have been reported. No randomised, blinded, controlled studies have been reported in cats at risk, for either treatment or prevention of ATE, although such a study comparing aspirin and clopidogrel in cats is currently under way.

Presentation: This report describes a kitten with paraplegia and extensor rigidity of the pelvic limbs associated with motor neuron loss and chronic denervation of skeletal muscle. Persistent skeletal muscle atrophy and degeneration had resulted in immobile stifle and hock joints and severe pelvic limb rigidity consistent with a neurogenic form of arthrogryposis. Both pelvic limbs were equally affected and the kitten showed no signs of pain., Investigations: Electromyography identified spontaneous activity in the pelvic limbs. Muscle and peripheral nerve biopsies showed pathology consistent with denervation. On necropsy, 3 weeks after admittance, severe degenerative changes including axonal necrosis and myelin degeneration were confirmed in the lumbar spinal cord., Clinical Relevance: There are very few descriptions of feline motor neuron degeneration in the literature and obtaining an ante-mortem diagnosis is difficult. Although an inherited disorder cannot be ruled out, a condition acquired congenitally in utero or postnatally was suspected in this case., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Neuropathies in cats are mostly acquired. In comparison to the dog, only very few inherited forms have been described. This case report describes the clinical and diagnostic findings of a suspected inherited feline axonal neuropathy with a very unique clinical course. Two young related male Snowshoe cats were presented with an initially progressive history of recurrent pelvic limb weakness. Electrodiagnostic investigations suggested an axonopathy and muscle-nerve biopsies confirmed axonal degeneration. Over the following 2 years both cats stabilised without any specific treatment, and repeat electrodiagnostic investigations and muscle biopsy in one cat confirmed the tendency for remission.

This report describes a rapidly progressive loss of motor function in a 16-month-old male neutered Bengal cat, beginning in the pelvic limbs and progressing to involve all limbs and rendering the cat non-ambulatory. The neurological examination revealed flaccid tetraparesis with decreased spinal reflexes but preserved conscious proprioception and skin sensation. Extensive electrophysiological tests were conducted including electromyography, motor and sensory peripheral nerves potential recordings and 'late' potentials, defining the electrodiagnostic characteristics of this disease. Based on the electrophysiological findings, a generalised proximal and predominantly axonal neuropathy affecting the ventral (motor) nerve roots was suspected. As no aetiology was identified, this disease was classified as idiopathic polyradiculoneuropathy. Over a year, the cat presented three separate episodes of tetraparesis, each with a spontaneous complete recovery, consistent with the reportedly good prognosis for this disease.

A 7-year-old, spayed female Persian cat was referred for evaluation of progressive paraplegia. The cat was thin, cachectic and paraplegic on presentation. The survey radiographs showed a left caudal pulmonary lesion and lytic skeletal lesions at the right iliac crest and left distal scapula. Due to a poor prognosis for complete recovery, the owner opted for euthanasia. Post-mortem examination revealed bilaterally small and irregular kidneys, lysis of the left iliac crest and left distal scapula and a dilated left ventricular lumen with a thin interventricular septum. Histologically, all the lesions were determined to be squamous cell carcinoma. It appears that the origin or the primary site of the malignancy in this case is pulmonary as cardiac and skeletal tissues are primarily mesenchymal in origin and are less likely to develop a primary epithelial malignancy. To the best of our knowledge, there is no description of cardiac or skeletal metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in a cat.

A case of hypervitaminosis A with secondary entrapment and compression of the left brachial plexus nerve roots is described. A 9-year-old male castrated domestic shorthair, fed a home-made diet based on raw pork liver, was submitted for examination for a left forelimb lameness that evolved to paralysis over a 2-month period. Clinical examination revealed a flaccid paralysis and atrophy of all left forelimb muscles. An ipsilateral Horner's syndrome was also noted. Radiological examination of the cervical and thoracic spine showed massive new bone formation at the ventral aspect of the second cervical to sixth thoracic vertebra. The diagnosis of hypervitaminosis A was made, based on the clinical and radiographic findings, as well as the determination of serum vitamin A concentration, which was 630 microg/dl, three times above the upper normal limit for this species. Despite the unfavourable initial prognosis, the cat progressively regained function of the affected limb approximately 6 months after the diet was changed to a commercial canned food.

A 6.5-year-old male rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) was presented with acute paraplegia following a surgical procedure. During surgery, he experienced an acute hypotensive episode that required 3 hours of supportive therapy before hemodynamic stability was restored. Paraplegia remained unchanged until euthanasia 72 hours later. At necropsy, spinal cord segments T10-S3 had acute, massive panmedullary necrosis, which involved most of the central and middle spinal cord, sparing the peripheral white matter. Additional lesions included arterial border zone necrosis of the brain, centrilobular hepatic necrosis, and proximal renal tubular necrosis. The histologic findings of central spinal cord necrosis with a preserved rim of white matter is consistent with severely decreased flow in the anterior spinal artery. Such lesions can result from episodes of generalized hypoperfusion. Possible factors contributing to the hypotensive episode in this case included the addition of xylazine to ketamine and atropine in the preanesthetic medication, positioning during anesthesia, and decreased blood pressure during surgery.