There are numerous causes of lameness, the most common being a limp, when a pet lands incorrectly on its feet, trips or falls from a distance that is too short. You can follow the lameness at home for a while, but the animal should not become completely three-legged or immobile. In larger accidents, it is possible that the pet will suffer a cross or fracture injury. The most common treatment for these is surgery, in some cases complete rest and a cast or other bandage can help. However, we often talk about long treatment periods lasting many weeks and even months. 

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There are also congenital defects that cause lameness, these include hip defects of varying degrees (more common in large breeds) and patellar luxation, the latter may cause a funny "bump" on the leg, which after a while turns into normal walking again. There is very little research on these diseases in cats. 

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In older cats, lameness, stiffness and constipation can be caused by osteoarthritis and spinal spondylosis, which are progressive diseases. The form of treatment is a painkiller, usually gabapentin, which the pet has to eat for the rest of its life.