? What would make a civvie stop jumping?

So I had an epiphany to come ask the most cat people I know...

I've got this non-diabetic, very healthy, slightly overweight cat named Seamus.
(At last vet check up he was 15 lbs which the vet said was slightly overweight for his size, but nothing to worry about or do anything about unless he gains more.)

He's my Alpha - sort of. There's an old guard of ladies that don't want the title, but also refuse to be ruled by him.
He rules by his weight, as there is a taller cat in the house. Mostly, it's is girth of fur that gives him his power.

During the summer I try to keep him brushed well enough, but he gets a bit sensitive around the thighs. We've had to shave him the last few years due to mats.

The first time I saw him attempt a jump and fail it was at that time of year where I was trying not to shave him, but he wasn't letting me brush his back legs, and he got knots behind his back knees. He was in pain, so we shaved him.

He HATES when we shave him. (Which is why we try not to.) We have stolen his power and the emperor has no clothes, and he knows it. His attitude actually gets more aggressive to compensate.

It may actually be a fear of heights, as he will jump from the floor to the counters (bathroom not kitchen) or the bed.
But last night he had jumped onto the dryer, and then wanted to jump onto a shelf (about the same distance from floor to dryer). We noticed him "thinking" about it hesitantly. (Usually he gives up here. He'd rather pretend he doesn't care than fail.) But last night he did try and fail. He shouldn't have failed. He can make that jump.

His fur hasn't fully grown in from his last shave in August, but this morning I checked, and he doesn't have any mats.

So I don't have any physical reason he shouldn't make the jump.

Is he just scared?
Is it confidence?
Is it muscle memory of previous pain from mats?

Has anyone else had anything like this?

Including a picture of the notorious Seamus for the ahhhs.

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh .... what a handsome dude!! I can see why he likes to throw his power out there!

• How old is he?
• Yes, those mats can be painful because they can pull on the skin so he might have a bad memory./loss of confidence.
• Could arthritis be an issue?
• Eyesight?

 

He's about 8 now. And the darn cat KNOWS he's cute. You can watch him use it to his advantage. I will be taking a picture of another cat, and Seamus will come hog the frame.
I haven't noticed any other behaviors playing or running. He can jump on lower things (as the shelf is one foot away from the ceiling) but he also will do the hesitant thing for a 2 foot jump. He will make it, but it really looks like all his jumps no confidence is gone.
I play with a toy called Da Bird. Seamus is a bit of a butt. Mostly he rolls on his back and waits for me to dangle it over or him he will be stubborn and not play. Occasionally I can get him tearing around the floor and even doing little hops, but he's never been a jumper like a few of my other cats. I don't notice any pain or hesitation during play, with me or the other cats.

His sight also seems fine, but I myself have astigmatism and know I can see okay, but that spatial distances can cause problems. Is there a way to test cat astigmatism? He does run up and down the stairs effortlessly though...

 

Maybe he's got a touch of arthritis starting. You could add some dasuquin to his food and see if he gets his jump back

 

Could he have done something like pull a muscle?

 

I took him to the vet after we shaved him this summer as he was still exhibiting pain.
They gave him about a week's worth of pain meds, so I assume they thought the same.

I forgot to add we use baby gates to protect the dog from getting into kitty crunchies.... So he jumps daily, multiple times about 3 foot up and over. He clears them easily. He never second guess those jumps, but the bathroom counter which is about 6 inches taller, he looks at and does the lunge forward but then won't jump thing. Sometimes he does jump after giving it thought. Kinda just depends on the day.

But with the baby gates I would think a pulled muscle would exhibit daily on even the little jumps?

 

How long do you think it would take to kick in if I did?

I've got a couple cats older than him too. My youngest are 5. Should I add this for everyone, or just try Seamus first?
(The oldest has stumpy little legs, so she's never been much of a jumper. She does climb though... funny enough her name is Amelia, after Amelia Earhart because she tried so hard to jump when she was little, but she was just a flyer... But there's no noticeable change in her movements.)