Popping Joints

[Kelly Struble]

I have a 5mth old F3 male that is happy and playful. He doesn't seem to have any problems except that his joints pop ALL the time! It seems to be mainly his shoulders. It happens when he is playing, jumping or sometimes just standing up to stretch. I started noticing this a little over a month ago and figured it would go away, but I haven't seen a decrease in frequency yet. The pops are very loud and I just want to make sure it is not a precursor to something serious. Anything I should be worried about?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

 

[Trish Allearz]

I have never heard a cat pop its joints! Doesn't mean it doesn't happen though.

I'm sure others will be around shortly with more experience on this one

 

[Patti]

That's odd, I've never heard of that before. Has he been evaluated by a vet?

 

[Pam Flachs]

I've never heard that either. I agree with Patti that a vet visit may be in order.

Keep us posted as to what you find out!

 

[Sunny]

Never heard a popping like that before. I would definitely check it out. One of my boys has extremely minor luxating patella that I can feel but not hear if I have his belly and hump resting on a hand and his legs go to maximum extension and the pulled in while he wiggles. More like the rubbing/noise your knuckles make if you make a fist but real faint. Get some more history on the lines just in case.

 

[John Popp]

Very doubtful there is anything wrong here if your kitten isn't experiencing any pain as a result or it's activity isn't limited as a result. The popping sound likely results from a vacuum between the head of the leg bone and the socket where it resides (layman terms in use). Pressure can release the vacuum just as it would opening a bottle of soda or cracking your knuckles.

As cats are very light on their feet their legs are supported a great deal by muscle as opposed to bone. Without any discomfort being present, I wouldn't worry about it although for peace of mind I might try giving them some of the many hip and joint treats available. Certainly if there are signs of discomfort I would get them in to see your vet, just wouldn't open that can of worms until necessary.

 

[Per Lausund]

Never heard of popping joints in cats before, but my own certainly do when the manual therapist starts working on them!