Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with neck disc disease treated by two ventral slot surgeries
By Lisa Castellano & Michał Mól·Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science·2026·Surgery Department, Davies Veterinary Specialists, Linnaeus Veterinary Limited, Mars Veterinary Health, Higham Gobion, United Kingdom, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Case Report: Two adjacent ventral slots for treatment of multiple compressive cervical intervertebral disc protrusions in a British Shorthair cat
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old female British Shorthair cat was brought to the vet because she was having trouble moving her legs and was unable to walk. An MRI showed that her spinal cord was being compressed by disc material in her neck. The vet performed a surgery called a double ventral slot to relieve the pressure on her spine. After a rough start, the cat began to improve and was able to walk again within 10 days. At a follow-up appointment a year later, she only had mild weakness in one leg.
People also search for: cat leg weakness · British Shorthair spinal surgery · cat neck disc disease treatment
Abstract
An 8-year, 10-month-old female spayed British Shorthair cat was referred for progressive tetraparesis. At presentation, the cat was non-ambulatory with left-sided hemiparesis Cervical magnetic resonance imaging showed presence of extradural disc material causing moderate spinal cord compression at C3-C4 and C4-C5 levels, and mild compression at C5-C6 level. A double ventral slot surgery was performed at the C3-C4 and C4-C5 levels. Following an initial neurological deterioration, the cat made a steady recovery and was fully ambulatory 10 days postoperatively. At the 12-month follow-up, the cat showed only mild left pelvic limb monoparesis. Intervertebral disc disease is still rarely reported in cats, compared to other species. This report describes the use of two adjacent ventral slots to manage multilevel compressive cervical intervertebral disc disease in a British Shorthair cat, with its 12-month follow-up.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1779092