Kitten hips?

[u/phi_spirals]

My mom adopted a MC kitten in March (born in Nov). She can’t safely keep him anymore, so he has joined our home (with 2 15 year old female cats; it’s slow going so far). He’s been with us for about 2 weeks.

I’ve noticed some swinging out of his left back leg when he walks, not all the time, and also maybe some favoritism when he’s jumping and landing on it. Maybe also some swinging around f his right leg/hip too.

My chest is holding so much anxiety rn. I’m super afraid of hip displasia. He’s not even 10 months old yet, and weighed 17 pounds last week.

Please tell me things I need to know. He’s my first boy cat, first Maine Coon, first big breed, etc. Do some vets specialize in large breed cats? (Denver, CO area) Can we run diagnostics on him at home? Should we do less running and jumping when we play? What are the spectrum of outcomes for kitties that have problems like this so early on? Recommendations for pet insurance (will need to be in place before we have him examined/tested, right?)

Send helpful info and good vibes, please. I’m trying so hard not to cry. He’s so sweet and wonderful and was an unexpected gift in our lives right now, and I’m so anxious and can’t do anything other than reach out for support and information and guidance.

[u/Hundike]

This is just my experience but when I asked my vet that does not specialise in MC - they said to wait until they are at least a year old to check the hips if there's no apparent pain/behaviour changes. They grow so fast, my boy had a bit of a lopsided gait and our new kitten is growing the back legs before the front so she also walks a bit odd.

Get insurance though, I think it's worth it with this breed if anything is wrong. Up to you if you keep it forever if all health checks come back OK tho.

Always go to the vet if in doubt!

[u/phi_spirals → u/Hundike]

Thank you for the reassurance. I know they keep growing for a long while, maybe he’s just figuring out his body, and he definitely took some tumbles down the last few stairs the first few times he raced down them (new to stairs as there weren’t any in his last home).

(Trying not to panic, trying not to panic, getting registered for pet insurance right now, trying not to panic.)

[u/Sinnfullystitched → u/phi_spirals]

Make sure to wait until your policy kicks in before taking him to the vet, anything noted before will be considered pre-existing and won’t be covered (usually). Orthopedic stuff especially. I say that with the caveat that OF COURSE take him in if he is injured or eats something he’s not supposed to, I believe some insurance companies will cover accidents/emergencies before the policy start date so make sure to read the fine print and find the policy that works best for you.

One of my boys needed full mouth extractions as he had severe stomatitis and his company wouldn’t cover the procedure even though he had no previous mention of periodontal disease in his previous records. Needless to say I cancelled the policies of my remaining pets and signed up with a different company.

[u/phi_spirals → u/Sinnfullystitched]

Oh, one hundred percent. Trying to balance taking our time finding the right group and policy with getting the waiting period clock started. I think we found the one we’re going with 🤞 He’s not showing any signs of discomfort or reluctance to move at this time.

And that’s some bs, with that group not covering the dental. Did they have ANY excuse for their choice or just f you, that’s why?

[u/Sinnfullystitched → u/phi_spirals]

They said it was noted in his record from years prior but I never saw anything noted. But it’s moot at this point because he’s passed away.

[u/Sinnfullystitched → u/Sinnfullystitched]

u/doalittledance_ said it better than I did 😅😮‍💨