Cat is limping - what should I do?

[Sunshine49]

This afternoon I noticed that my young female cat has developed a very slight limp. She doesn’t seem in any pain - she was happily purring and enjoying a fuss just now, and I touched the paw that she’s limping on in several places and she didn’t flinch.

Should I take her to the vet and how quickly do I need to do this? I’m away for two days from tomorrow morning but I could cancel my plans if needed.

Thanks!

In the absence of any wounds or pain when touching it I would give it a couple of days to see if it improves. She could have landed awkwardly when jumping and had just pulled a muscle. If it doesn't improve I would see the vet

I agree with dementedpixie. It's probably a sprain . Give it a couple of days.

If you have tried touching the paw and she hasn't yelped in pain then I would see how it goes. A few months ago my old male cat had been out for a short while and came back in limping . I had a look and a feel and he didn't cry out. 24 hours later and he was ok.

Thank you so much for the reassurance everyone. I will keep a close eye on her and if she’s not better soon, I will take her into the vet. She’s just been happily jumping in and out of a cardboard box, so hopefully it’s nothing too serious!

Mine jumps off a 7ft wall (has a cat flap in the gate but that’s no fun) and comes in limping. It’s generally better quite quickly.

If it’s an abscess brewing they get listless, go off their food, sleep a lot.

Mine fell off a ladder and had a slight limp afterwards. Apart from the slight limp she seemed absolutely fine (although was very pissed off with the ladder of course).
We kept her in for a few days to stop any fence jumping and after a day or two she was back to normal.
I think if she is putting her foot down and not in obvious pain it's ok to wait a couple of days. If a cat is holding a paw completely off the ground though I think it's more serious.