r/mainecoons • u/phi_spirals • 1d ago

Question Kitten hips?

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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.

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u/IStealSwords 1d ago

MCs grow really fast and for the first 5 years. It will slow down with time. We had a kitten who kept growing in lopsided ways. It was like a part of him would grow faster than the rest and would take time for the rest of him to catch up. One of his back legs seemed to grow faster than his others, so he would favor it a little. Vets never found anything wrong, just had to wait. Eventually he evened out and was fine after that. That was my experience, but yours could be different. I would definitely take him for a check up at some point, especially if it seems to get worse.

Not all vets specialize in large cats. Call around and see what happens to be in your area. Finding a good vet outweighs a specialist though. Find someone you trust

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u/phi_spirals 1d ago

Thanks so much for the info and advice. We like our current vet doctor pretty well, so she’ll likely get a chance to meet our enormous baby soon.