Muscle Tear in Cats

The symptoms of a muscle tear in cats are similar to the symptoms in any other animal with a muscle injury, including humans. Since your cat cannot communicate its pain to you in the same way you could communicate it to your doctor, you will need to be intentional about noticing and acting on any changes in your cat’s behavior that serve as signs that your cat has hurt itself. The following symptoms often accompany a muscle tear:

• Limping
• Restlessness and trouble getting comfortable
• Abnormal withdrawal and hiding
• Unwillingness to be petted or picked up
• Difficulty positioning for grooming, which may cause matting in fur
• Refusal to put any weight on one or more limbs
• Difficulty lying down or getting up
• Inability to run or jump
• Muscle spasms
• Swelling
• Painful vocalization at the time of injury or when trying to move

Cats tend to be very athletic animals, which causes muscle injuries to be very common in cats. There are a number of ways these injuries occur in cats just as there are in other animals and humans. In addition, the muscles may weaken as your cat ages, making your cat more susceptible to soft tissue injuries. The following actions, when they go even slightly wrong, can cause a muscle tear.

• Energetic or rough play
• Jumping and landing, especially from significant heights 
• Fighting with other cats or animals
• Fleeing from another animal or loud noise
• Blunt injury such as being hit, kicked, pushed, or bumped

As is typical during any visit to your veterinarian, the vet will likely begin the visit by asking you to describe the symptoms you have observed and by doing a thorough physical examination of your cat. In order to make a diagnosis, the vet may also:

• Observe the cat’s movements
• Search for a wound on the cat’s paw or legs
• Use his or her hands to put light pressure on muscles to locate where the cat is hurt
• Feel for arthritic swelling at the joints
• Prescribe seven days of rest to see if the injury resolves itself; if not, this helps the vet diagnose the injury as, perhaps, something more serious
• Order X-rays to rule out broken bones, torn ligaments, muscle tumors, joint dislocation, and arthritis
• Order an extensive orthopedic exam to be conducted while your cat is under anesthesia

Muscle tears are very common injuries in cats. Treatment for muscle tears are usually quite simple and mirror treatments for humans with the same injury, although with medications designed specifically for cats. These treatments are:

• Rest
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications by pill or injection
• Pain medication