Stroke - any experiences?

[bwill1983]

Hi everyone,

Doctors think our seven y/o cat, Dora, had a stroke over the weekend. We took her to the emergency vet for panting and what seemed like constipation. She was sedated and given an enema and then was unable to walk when we brought her home and after sedation wore off.

Since then, 3.5 days ago, she's improved with walking but is still very unsteady, can use the litter box, is eating and drinking, but she is blind. I'm lucky enough to have wonderful, retired parents that are able to rehad her at their home.

Does anyone have any experiences they can share? This is hard...

[opus88]

I'm so glad you have great parents who are looking after little Dora so well...it will take her awhile to learn to navigate safely and be familiar with surroundings now that she is blind(hopefully temporary)
but sounds like she is doing amazingly well for such a short time..she will continue to do well she has age on her side.
keep us updated we are all pulling for her...I do hope her sight returns, but if not she will learn to deal with that too..cats are very resilient. ♥

[bwill1983]

Hi everyone, thank you for concern and support :) . The neurologist confirms that she has a neural issue, probably in the front part of her brain. She has lost her sight and all four limbs are affected...though her walking is improving every day. He said it could be an infection, immune disease, tumor, or was indeed a stroke. They are running her blood for infectious agents and a more detailed blood panel. They suggested an MRI, but since she would have had to go under and there was a good chance they would either confirm a stroke or not find anything, we opted out for now. I think she had a stroke either right before or during her trip to the vet for constipation.

She's still living with my parents for now (we have another cat and want to keep separate for her safety) who are taking great care of her as she learns to navigate around without hurting herself. She's eating, drinking, and using the litter box (though she sometimes falls over in it). She gets very frustrated when she falls while walking but that's happening less and less. I think the chance of a near recovery is probably good...I just hope she can get her eyesight back. I'll keep you all posted and if anyone has experiences to share, do tell. Thanks everyone!

[opus88]

just wondering how Dora made out at the neurologist? I too am hoping she got some good news...update us when you can♥

[Piparskeggr]

Our cat Calamity Jane had a stroke at age 21...she responded well to an enzyme treatment the vet had to help the brain heal.

Unfortunately, her advanced age was against her and she had another, much more severe stroke.

Dora has youth in her favor.  There are good treatments available, and having loving people bodes well for her, too.

[bwill1983]

Thank you for your kind words :) I will follow news on the other kitty and check out the links on the post. Dora has a neurologist appt this morning. I'm hoping to hear some good news. Thank you!

[opus88]

hi..I'm so sorry to hear of Dora's troubles...poor little girl. I am happy to hear tho that she has someone to help her along thru all this trauma...bless you all.
I will send you a link to a recent posting on another kitty that recently suffered a head injury which gives the same outcomes as a stroke...read thru it all and follow the links for even more info...one also leads to a site that talks abt how to deal with a disabled or blind kitty. I wish Dora and everyone all my prayers...don't give up, healing will be slow..but she is showing good signs already by eating/drinking/eliminating on her own, yes it is hard.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Cats/Cat-head-trauma--What-are-his-chances/show/1912781#post_8924054