Dwezel the 5 year old cat was limping on his rear left leg & would not place weight on this leg – a symptom of obvious pain! The knee joint of the cat is one of the weakest in its body. It is relatively unstable because there are no interlocking bones in the knee joint. It is held together by several ligaments, including the cruciate ligaments, which allow it to move back and forth like a hinge. When severe twisting of the knee joint occurs the anterior or cranial cruciate ligament commonly tears or breaks. When the cranial cruciate ligament is torn, instability occurs that allows the bones to move in an abnormal fashion in relation to each other. It is difficult for the cat to bear weight on the leg without it collapsing. When left untreated this injury leads to a rapid onset of arthritis in the affected joint. If surgery is performed, it is possible that some arthritic changes will develop, but this occurs much more slowly and to a much lesser degree than if surgery is not performed. #limping#knee #cruciateligament#cruciateligament #tornacl#tornacl #pain#pain #catsofinstagram#catsofinstagram #meow#bocaraton #boca#boca #palmbeach#palmbeach #aaha#aaha #petstagram#petstagram #orthopedicsurgery#bocamidtownevet #bocavet#bocavet #catsurgery#catsurgery #catstagram#catstagram #kneepain#cruciate