Seizure? Stroke?

My cat, Mama Kitty, is 16 years old, give or take.  

In the past month or so, after she furballs, which she has always done fairly regularly, she seems almost paralyzed.  The first 2 times it happened, it lasted less than 30 seconds, and me petting her seemed to bring her out of it.  

Today was the third time, and it scared me terribly.  She threw up, and immediately went into the paralysis, and it lasted around 30 minutes.  I was petting her, and held her (which she normally does NOT tolerate and didn't even move today), and nothing worked.  Her eyes were dilated,  and she just was not moving.

All this time, I am trying to dress to go to the ER vet, and then suddenly, she just came out of it, and was totally fine.

Other info if needed - she's an orange tabby, 6 lbs (always been small), still very active - runs and plays with her son (my other cat, 10 years old), plays with my hair, string, paper, etc.  Has a wonderful appetite.

I am taking her to the vet tomorrow, but was wondering what you all think in the meantime.  

Thanks in advance!

Aj

[zodiacqueen]

Hi, I'm not really sure what the symptoms could be, but I honestly don't think it's seizures or a stroke.  Seizures you would've noticed twitching and loss of bowel or urinary control.  A stroke would've affected one side of the body only, and she wouldn't have recovered so quickly.  

This could be a thyroid problem, or diabetes.  You can try taking her food away for 6-8 hrs so she'll be ready to get tested for diabetes as soon as you get to the vet's office.  They will want her fasted for that test, just like people.  I'd ask for a kidney function test(blood) and get her potassium levels checked, which can cause some weirdness with the muscles(when low).

Please let us know how the vet visit goes!!  Good luck!

[auntiejessi]

Oh awesome suggestion about the food.  I hadn't even thought of that, but what a smart idea.

During the episode, for lack of a better word, I did think stroke, but I keep going back to the recovery being so fast.

Thanks for the suggestions, and I will certainly let you know.

AJ

[auntiejessi]

Just got back from the vet.

She thinks Mama is passing out, not a seizure or stroke.  She heard a heart murmur (which is new), and thinks she has high blood pressure, maybe kidney and thyroid issues.  She's slightly dehydrated, which could mean something with her kidneys, as she gets lots of water and canned food.

She also noticed that her retinas are degenerating, and that her pupils aren't dilating nearly as much as they should (also new).

Anyway, the vet was quite pleased that she would get fasting results, so thanks for that suggestion.  I appreciate it.

Results will be trickling in (her words) over the next couple of days, so now its a wait and see.

Thanks for all the help,
Aj

[zodiacqueen]

Thanks for the update!!  Now, it's the waiting game.....UUGGHHHH!!  Not fun at all, but we've ALL been there.

Did the vet check for diabetes?  Otherwise, I will feel bad about suggesting that you fast your kitty.  I can't even tell you how much it bothers me to fast my cats.  So, I hope to God that your kitty was not too stressed with it!  :D

Just try to be patient and hope for the best.  A lot of the conditions that your vet is looking for are very treatable.  That's a good thing!

Hugs and Peace

[auntiejessi]

Yes, diabetes is one of the tests - there's about 20 tests that she is running.

My kitty was totally fine with the fasting - didn't even act hungry, nor did my other cat who also had to fast.  I gave them canned food last night, and since I didn't get to vet until 12:30, it was fine.

As soon as I put the food back down though - they ate like it had been 3 days lol.

Thanks for the help and support - I really, really appreciate it.

[zodiacqueen]

Glad to help!!  I love cats dearly, so I'm more than willing to help.

I'm surprised that they didn't have an in-office test for diabetes.  I'd be shocked if they had to send that out to another lab!  At my vet's office, there is one blood sugar test that can be tested at the office and a more specialized test that has to be sent out!  Also, the blood work is unbelievably expensive.  The metabolic panel is like $180-for ONE test.  I hope they're less expensive where you are!  :D

[auntiejessi]

Oh yeah - I was floored with the blood test cost.  They are doing a panel of a bunch of things, and its $143 just for the blood tests.

When I got upset about that (I'm on unemployment now - another casualty of this lovely economy), they said there were some tests included in there they didn't need, so they broke it down, and to do just the most pertinent ones, and do it in house, I would save $13.  Big whoop.  But yes, diabetes is in there, or is supposed to be.

So either you are paying way too much, or my tests aren't including what they are supposed to.  I'll let ya know.

Jess

[zodiacqueen]

Hey, if they're doing the tests IN-house, then why in the world is it going to take more than a day?  That's crazy!

What a good example of a pet owner you are!!!!  :D  A good pet owner that takes responsibility for the animals welfare, like they're part of the family.  I wish everyone on this forum were more willing to do the right thing.  Some of these posts upset me big time.  SOOOO, you have really made my day!

Yeah, my vet's lab work is lots of money!  It's because of the lab they have to send the bloodwork to.  They increased their price and so did our vet.  My 15 yr old girl, Skunkie, is due for some bloodwork, too.  She's got very low potassium levels-been that way for about 7 yrs.  I have to give her potassium pills every day!  She gets human potassium pills, instead of the potass. supplements for pets.  It's a lot less expensive and is working according to her bloodwork.  Sometimes, we can get away with using human supplements on our cats.

Well, as soon as you hear something, please post!

[auntiejessi]

We got some of the results in today.

All are within normal levels except her amylase and cholesterol, and those aren't really all that high.  We need to wait until the last thyroid comes in, and that's a 24 hour test, so I won't get those till tomorrow.

At this point, the amylase and cholesterol results, hypertension, dehydration, etc., all point to kidney stuff, but I won't know for sure till tomorrow.

My cats are my family.  I'm 40, single at the moment, and have no kids.  My kitties are my babies.  :)  I swear I'm going to be the crazy old cat lady at the end of the street someday.

Jess

[zodiacqueen]

Yeah, I hear ya-I'm 36 yrs old never been married had 3 cats and have only one left, and no kids.  I think I'm gonna wind up being the grumpy old spinster cat lady, too.  Shall we take up knitting????  LOL

Well, if your kitty's got kidney issues you WILL be able to treat it for a while!  Have they told you how the BUN and Creatinine levels are-also, blood work?  Depending on where your levels are with those, your kitty's got some yrs left!  :D

Here's a great web site on Kidney disease!  I found it for someone else a while back.  This site covers just about anything and everything you can think of regarding kidney disease.  Check it out!

http://www.felinecrf.com/

[auntiejessi]

Well, here's an update, and I am just sooooo irritated.

Everything is back except her CBC.  The only things of concern are the things I mentioned before - all of the thyroids are right in the middle of the range.

The CBC should have been one of the first ones back, but it isn't.  I have a friend who works at the lab and found out on the sly that the reason it isn't back is because the tube they used was wrong.  I called the vet this morning, and my vet doesn't WORK on Thursdays.  Nice.  Did she return my call yesterday?  NO.

So the tech I talked to today says, in this really annoying sing-songy voice, "Oh I just don't know why we don't have the CBC back yet, as its usually the first one back.  That is just strange."  So I said, in a so not sing-songy voice lol, "Well, then, don't you think its time someone contacted the lab and ASKED?"  She said she would check it out.  

Now, I know, again on the sly, that the vet is sent a fax whenever a test can't be run, so apparently, that fax didn't make it into the chart.  They can also check things out via the computer, and it seems that my vet doesn't use that.

I am very limited in what I can say to them, because I don't want to get my friend in trouble, but I am ANNOYED.

The vet left a note for herself to call me tomorrow, and I asked to have them call me in the morning, as I have my first mammogram tomorrow afternoon.  How much do you wanna bet that she'll call in the afternoon?  

UGH.

Thanks for reading my vent.  :)

Jess

[zodiacqueen]

Wow, how annoying is that!!!  Honestly, I am  surprised that your vet doesn't do CBC's in-house, and he's got to send them out.  It is very annoying to have to wait for the results when they do send them out!!

Did you have a chance to check out the link?

[auntiejessi]

Oh I hadn't, but just looked at it.  That one was one of the sites I found when I was looking up elevated amylase results.

Thanks for reminding me - I've got it bookmarked now.

When I talked with her about the price, and in house vs out, she said that it would be back in faster if they did it out of house.  Riiiiggght.

[zodiacqueen]

NOW, that's crazy!!  I'd be questioning a vet's abilities if they told me that!  Are they any good?

[auntiejessi]

I've been taking both my cats there for about 5 years, and other than one vet who, after claiming to not want to do anything invasive with my other cat, wanted to go into his bladder surgically to get a urine sample.  She didn't last long, and I made sure to never get her again (there are 4 in the practice).

She also said that she couldn't get blood from Mama Kitty, who weighs all of 6 lbs, because she growled at her.  Whatever.

If they don't admit they made a mistake, I am finding a new vet, though.  I get that people make mistakes - but this is getting silly.

Aj

[zodiacqueen]

I don't blame you!  I'd forgive someone if they could actually admit that they made a mistake.  I don't like when people pull that covering-up BS.  I don't stand for that.

I'll be honest, I've had vets in the past get a urine sample by injecting a needle through the bladder.  They can get to the bladder with the needle and syringe through the outside of the body.  That's not considered surgical, though!  :D

I hope that your vet does the right moral thing and admits that he screwed up.

[auntiejessi]

I'm not even sure I care about the moral thing any longer.  At this point, the longer they take to admit this, the longer it is till we figure out what's wrong with her.

She is absolutely fine until she furballs, and she does that about once a week or every other week, and now I am dreading the next time she does it.

Aj

[zodiacqueen]

Yeah, I hear ya.  It's taking longer than it should for that test.  I wouldn't be a thrilled camper either.  I really, really hope that they did a general blood panel to see how her potassium levels are.  I'm telling ya, my 15 yr old (also 6 lbs!) has low levels, and before she started taking supplements she'd also have those weird episodes where she gets all limp and doesn't move.  It's important that they look at those levels!  A lot of vets will overlook it, because it's not that common for those levels to be low.

[auntiejessi]

So the vet called this morning, finally. She also sounds pretty sick, so that might have been why she was out yesterday, so I can forgive that.

Anyway, she pretty much told me what I already knew but wasn't supposed to know. She's pretty convinced Mama is hypertensive, but they couldn't get an accurate bp because they didn't do it before the blood draw (poor planning, if you ask me lol).

All of her levels, except the amylase and cholesterol, are perfectly normal.  They are all pretty much right in the middle of where they should be - potassium, creatinine, BUN, etc.  She said that the amylase can be elevated because of pancreas issues, but also can be slightly elevated with GI upset, and Mama certainly had that.  Since it was only slightly higher than normal, right now, we'll go with the GI upset.  The cholesterol is just barely high, and that might be due to her age.

She said that she thinks this is a cardiac event, and we are going to try pepcid to reduce the stomach acid, so hopefully she won't vomit, and if that doesn't work, then we are going to heart meds.

And I got a whopping $5 credit for them not being able to do the CBC.

Thanks so much for all your help!!

Aj

[zodiacqueen]

Well, HEY, that sounds like some good news!!  =D  Did they check her thyroid levels??  That could cause her to be hypertensive and could cause a heart murmur.  I don't think you mentioned that test, or if you got her tested for it.

Ya know, if you decide to put her on some blood pressure lowering drugs, it might ease the heart murmur, too.  My baby has been on enalapril to lower blood pressure for years and she does fine on it.  

Okay, thanks for keeping me posted!  Good luck to you and kitty!  Got any pics of her or your other children posted???

[auntiejessi]

Hi there -

They did test her thyroid, and she was right smack in the middle of the good range.  That's totally fine.

If the pepcid doesn't help, then we are putting her on enalapril.  We are talking next week.

I know how to post pics to my profile, but how do I get a pic in the slide show?

Thanks for your help.

AJ

[zodiacqueen]

Did they ever get the blood cell counts done?  That's definitely great news that the thyroid is normal, and the kidney values are normal.  Something you should be very happy about!  :D

I'll be looking for the pics!!  If you want your babies in the slideshow, contact our community leaders either Savas or Mrs Savas

[auntiejessi]

No, they didn't get it done.  I got a (get ready) $5 credit.

Thanks, I'll get in touch with one of them.

Aj