CASE REPORT article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery
This article is part of the Research TopicCase Reports in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery, Volume IIView all 18 articles
Surgical management of a meningomyelocele in a cat
Provisionally accepted
- 1Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, New York, United States
- 2The University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, Tucson, United States
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A 2.5-year-old domestic shorthair cat was presented for evaluation of chronic progressive paraparesis and urinary incontinence characterized by leaking small amounts of urine and incomplete bladder emptying. General physical examination revealed a subcutaneous mass over the L4/L5 spinous process that was painful on palpation. Neurologic examination revealed non-ambulatory paraparesis with intact spinal reflexes, intact deep pain perception, and marked pelvic limb muscle atrophy. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-circumscribed tract extending from the epidermis through a split L5 spinous process to the level of the dorsal meninges with associated dorsal deviation of the spinal cord. These findings were consistent with spina bifida at L5 and an associated meningomyelocele. A dorsal laminectomy was performed for surgical decompression and the diagnosis of meningomyelocele was confirmed via histopathology. Postoperatively, the cat remained non-ambulatory and incontinent but had improved comfort. To the author's knowledge, this is the first report of surgical management of a meningomyelocele in a non-ambulatory cat.
Keywords: CAT1, congenita3, meningomyelocele6, myelopathy2, neural tube defect4, spina bifida5
Received: 27 Dec 2025; Accepted: 03 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Muller, Daniels, Cimino and Hennessey. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kelly M Muller
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