My friend's cat just had tremendous muscle weakness. Could it just be a bug bite?

Get it to the vet, no matter what you do. Don’t waste time on here. It could be a lot of things.

@DrasticDreamer I agree.

Unfortunately, I am not the cat, Jackson’s, owner. I will ask him to try again but his mother told him to let the cat do his thing and they’ll probably listen to her. If anyone has other advice, thank you.

Is the cat limping? Putting any weight on its legs at all? Does his face look “normal” ..his eyes? Is he panting, meowing, howling etc? Is his breathing regular?

They should be feeling the cat’s body all around ..looking for anything unusual.

If nothing is found, they can try a pinch test. Pinch between the toepads and the larger footpad on each foot that is problematic…if the cat clearly responds then, it is not nerve damage. I’m trying to remember how to assess possible muscle/ligament damage as well.
Also, there is something called “anal prick” ..where you take something like a qtip and poke the anus ..if the cat turns to look at you or clearly responds…then you know it’s not likely spinal cord damage but if the anus “puckers” and the cat does NOT respond (ie turning it’s head, meowing, howling, growling.. in response) ..then there may be spinal cord damage as the message is not getting to the brain via spinal cord.

I hope some of this might prove useful as I am only going by memory at the moment ..all my texts are in boxes :)

That kind of weakness could mean serious liver/kidney problems, in which case the cat needs immediate medical attention.

Or it could mean any number of things. I agree with @DrasticDreamer.

I’m disheartened to read the phrase ”tried to bring to the vet.” So because the cat didn’t want to go, they didn’t bring it? That’s ridiculous. Pets, like children, don’t know what’s best for them. It’s the adult’s responsibility to take care of them. Sounds like your friend is negligent. Maybe your friend should get a plant next time, or a cute stuffed animal.