Hello everyone,
It’s been a long time but my Bengal has been experiencing some rather uncomfortable days for about 2 months, so I came to seek some advice..

After doing some research, it seems the Bengal breed is somewhat susceptible to displaying signs of neuropathy. It started in mid January, & it seems she has good days & bad days. The first signs of it were actually in October of last year, when she began limping on the left hind leg. After a trip to the vet, we found nothing broken or displaced, & simply thought that maybe she had a rough fall from her cat tree. They prescribed some anti inflammatory& after a few days she was back to normal. T

This leads us to mid January, her limping came back but now the right side, & little by little started to effect both legs, & eventually her front legs & paws. She has days where it’s pretty bad & difficult for her to move comfortably. Another trip to the vet was more intense, with blood work & xrays & still nothing causing the issues.

I then stumbled across neuropathy in bengals & from what I’ve read, seems it kind of clears itself up over some time & things get back to normal. I’m not 100% sure she is dealing with neuropathy but it seems to be very similar.
Question is have any of you owners experience this & how long did it take to clear up..
Also she has been on steroids as well with not much reaction
Thanks so much for any info

I should also mention that she just turned 3 Years old. I have an appointment set up with a specialist vet but couldn’t get in until April 1. I’m hoping to narrow it down with the help of the specialist. For those of you that experienced neuropathy, was the vet able to pinpoint exactly what was going on? It seems like it’s not very common in Bengal cats but enough cases to bring up some studies.

She is being very brave throughout this tough time. She even continues to try to play with her toys within her capabilities. It’s tough seeing her like this, I really wish I could do something for her

I am so sorry your baby is having to deal with this. Thankfully, there are vets who specialise in neurology and will be able to help you. My cat has suffered from this a few times. We will be walking and suddenly, he can't operate one of his front paws. Within minutes, it has gotten one of his back paws and I have to pick him up and carry him -- straight to the vet. By the time we get there, the symptoms are gone and he is back to normal and we leave without any medication. I'd say this happens about twice a year and at all other times, he is fine. I believe the fact that bengals are hybrids and the early (and continuing) inbreeding has caused a lot of these health issues bengals have.

I'm sure the specialist will offer a diagnosis and treatment. I know getting in to see a specialist takes a while, but the wait will be worth it. Good luck.

Shoot, sorry to hear about your ill kitty. Neuropathy is something that quite a few members have dealth with here on the forum. Definitely use the search functionality and read some of the old threads (if you haven't already). Like this one:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21496&p=239148&hilit=neuropathy#p239148

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The little monsters 3

Thanks for the input! I have searched & read about a few instances on these forums. It’s a great way to hear directly from Bengal owners.
I was luckily able to get an earlier appointment for March 21 at a different specialist vet that’s a bit further away, but it’s well worth it to me. I’ll post back with the findings.

Thanks again for responding!

Hope your appointment goes well and you will keep us posted.

I have some updates, first off she is beginning to show signs of improvement, for the past few days it’s been limited to only her rear right leg off and on.
After a consult with the neurologist today, he is suspecting that my cat is not dealing with neuropathy. After some clinical testing he was pretty convinced it wasn’t neuropathy. I even showed him some videos of her at her worst.
He is thinking she isn’t dealing with spinal issues and recommend I see their orthopedic doctor if things continue.
What do you all think?

Did any of the doctors suggest Prednisone (or Prednisolone)? I've had Dachshunds with spine issues and similar symptoms and a week on those meds took care of it. Happened a few times on one dog and avoided $5,000 surgery. She lived to a ripe old age. I'm not a doctor, just thought it might be worth asking. Hope it helps and good luck.

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The little monsters 3

Unfortunately, these specialists only deal with their specialty, so for other issues, you need another specialist. I would trust what the neurologist said if he had performed the necessary tests. Steroids can be prescribed for so many issues -- mine is on prednisolone for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

It would probably be in your best interest to consult with an orthopedic specialist. That way you can eliminate the spine as the problem and go from there. It's horrible when our babies have issues because it can be so difficult to diagnose without specialists and tests. But no matter how hard this is on you, think about your baby -- and how difficult the walking is for her.

I am so sorry you are having to go through these issues -- but hopefully, you will end up knowing what the issue is and can treat it. Good luck -- and thanks for the update.

We did try prednisone, only it was next to impossible to get her to eat the pills, even trying the pill pockets & sneaking them into her treats, she smelled them out right away & wanted nothing to do with them.. we then tried the prednisone cream that you can put in her ears. No luck after the entire bottle.

Whatever she is dealing with, seems to come & go, & it’s not always effecting the same limbs, although it seems to be the rear right majority of the time.

I’m going to give her some more time & see how she does over the next week. Like I said in my last post, she has been doing much better for the past few days. If things go back for the worse, I will contact the orthopedic doctor & go from there.

Thanks again everyone for your input

I use the liquid prednisolone and syringe it into Raiden's mouth. It is a lot easier as long as I hold his front paws with my left hand so he can't scratch the crap out of me. That being said, most medications take some time to work. However, you know your baby better than anyone and you simply have to use your best judgment as to what treatment you want to take. I would think with an orthopedic issue, it would be constant while with neurons, an issue can come and go depending on how the nerves are doing. Since you've eliminated any neurological problems, I honestly don't know what to think. I would think there might be a medication out there that would help your girl.

Note: most liquid medications must be specially compounded by a pharmacy, but I much prefer the liquid to trying to get pills down my bengal. I think he has swallowed them and then discover several on the carpet. And they definitely get suspicious after the first few pill pockets. The only thing I found were some pain pills that taste like fish and I was able to get a DSH to take them in the food. My bengal simply eats around them. I wish they weren't so smart! LOL

Good luck with your little lady.

Well after a short time she has continued to get better on her own. Time will tell if she has completely shaken this, but she has been showing signs of her old self. Even jumping up on places that she wouldn’t dare while she was feeling sick.. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it’s finally done and doesn’t come back!!

It’s so strange that there was no real answer from the vet or specialist, & no matter what we tried to give her didn’t seem to help at all. Either way I’m relieved to see her getting better each day!

I’ll definitely update & thanks again everyone!

That's good news for sure. I hope the improvement continues.

Well I have some updates, after a few more weeks she has continued to show signs of improvement to the point where I’m almost convinced she has overcome whatever it was that was bothering her.

It’s such a relief to see her jumping without hesitation & basically playing around like her old self again. It’s almost as if she has forgotten about what she was going through just a short time ago, & is living life like a Bengal cat should once again!

It was definitely tough seeing her go through this & I’m hoping this will not resurface again.

Thanks for everyone & their input!!