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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / February 2006Some kind of attack
Our cat, now about fourteen years old, has recently started having some sort of fit, or attack. Her legs give way, then she rolls about threshing and squealing in agony. This lasts for a few seconds, but then it seems to be over and she gets up and carries on as normal. These fits are now occurring about once every two to four days. When it first happened I suspected heart attack, but if it were that I don't think she would be able to scream. It didn't look like an epileptic fit to me and a stroke should leave her debilitated in some way. I'm guessing! I should take her to the vet but there is nothing visible to show him. She is otherwise quite healthy. She eats, drinks and 'goes' normally, as far as I can tell. We buy her ordinary supermarket cat food. She sleeps indoors. Anyone know what's happening?  Signaturealtheim > I should take her to the vet but there is nothing visible to show > him. She is otherwise quite healthy. You SHOULD take her to the vet NOW Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs > Our cat, now about fourteen years old, has recently started > having some sort of fit, or attack. Her legs give way, then she [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Anyone know what's happening? Make a vet appointment. If it's a seizure then you need to find out why she's having them. The vet would know what tests need to be done to find out if there is an underlying problem causing this symptom. If you just let it go it could get worse. W altheim <altheim@freeuk.com> wrote in rec.pets.cats.health+behav: > Our cat, now about fourteen years old, has recently started > having some sort of fit, or attack. Her legs give way, then she [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Anyone know what's happening? Just because YOU can't see anything doesn't mean a vet can't. Take her now, don't wait. SignatureMargarita Salt "...practically no one in the world is entirely bad or entirely good... motives are often more important than actions." -- Eleanore Roosevelt Yes what is happening is that you need to take the cat to a vet NOW. What you just described can be an epileptic episode or a mini stroke. You may not be able to see anything; poor excuse but blood work shows a lot On of my cats is epileptic the blood work showed it after I witness a episode > Yes what is happening is that you need to take the cat to a vet NOW. What > you just described can be an epileptic episode or a mini stroke. You may > not be able to see anything; poor excuse but blood work shows a lot > > On of my cats is epileptic the blood work showed it after I witness a > episode My cat had mild seizure-like episodes and we put her on a beta-blocker, assuming it was heart related. She has never had another as long as we keep her on the medicine. The idea that there is no point in taking a cat to the vet since she will not be seizing while at the vet is one of the most insidious rationales I have seen for not taking a cat to the vet. Ugh. She needs some tests done at the vet -- blood tests at the very least. One thing could be that if she is diabetic, which is not uncommon in older cats, she can have seizures if her blood sugar gets too low. Think of any other symptoms you might have noticed from what she's taking in to what is coming out, and if she's been more tired lately, etc. Hope the vet can find out what's going on. Rhonda > Our cat, now about fourteen years old, has recently started > having some sort of fit, or attack. Her legs give way, then she > rolls about threshing and squealing in agony. This lasts for a > few seconds, but then it seems to be over and she gets up and > carries on as normal. These fits are now occurring about once > every two to four days. > She needs some tests done at the vet -- blood tests at the very least. > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Rhonda Thanks Rhonda - folks - of course I will take her to the vet. I just thought the expertise in this group would have a clue. Signaturealtheim >> Our cat, now about fourteen years old, has recently started >> having some sort of fit, or attack. Her legs give way, then she >> rolls about threshing and squealing in agony. This lasts for a >> few seconds, but then it seems to be over and she gets up and >> carries on as normal. These fits are now occurring about once >> every two to four days. > > She needs some tests done at the vet -- blood tests at the very least. > > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > I just thought the expertise in this group would have a clue. Yeah. The clue is, you should have taken her right to the vet. a.shole. > Our cat, now about fourteen years old, has recently started > having some sort of fit, or attack. Her legs give way, then she [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > I should take her to the vet WTF is wrong with you? Jesus. Did you say "squealing in agony?" You did, didn't you? Miserable piece of sh.t. >> Our cat, now about fourteen years old, has recently started >> having some sort of fit, or attack. Her legs give way, then she [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Miserable piece of sh.t. Stupid answer. get lost. Signaturealtheim > Our cat, now about fourteen years old, has recently started > having some sort of fit, or attack. Her legs give way, then she [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > I'm guessing! Sounds like a seizure. Often cats will vocalize during them. Get her to the vet asap. -L. There are a number of things that could be happening to your cat. Why on earth would you spend time posting on a message board when you should actually be going to a Veterinarian to get professional medical advise. There are a number of things that could be happening to your cat. Why on earth would you spend time posting on a message board when you should actually be going to a Veterinarian to get professional medical advise. > Our cat, now about fourteen years old, has recently started > having some sort of fit, or attack. Her legs give way, then she [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Anyone know what's happening? Nope, but as others have said, it's definitely vet time. One of my cats had seizures, which I did not recognize as such. But when I described the symptoms to my vet, she said, "I'm quite sure she was having a seizure." And, one of the times I had that particular cat at the vet, she exhibited the symptoms in the examining room. Vet therefore witnessed it & confirmed "Seizure." So... even if your cat acts perfectly normally while at the vet appt., it most likely won't be in vain. Cathy > Nope, but as others have said, it's definitely vet time. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > at the vet, she exhibited the symptoms in the examining room. Vet > therefore witnessed it & confirmed "Seizure." Just out of curiousity, what were her symptoms? I have seen some weird seizure symptoms... -L. >> Nope, but as others have said, it's definitely vet time. >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Just out of curiousity, what were her symptoms? I have seen some weird > seizure symptoms... I'm not quite sure what is meant by 'seizure'. It could mean anything, yet the Op above, writes it 'Seizure' - in uppercase - like it means something specific. I'd be sceptical of any vet who said that. I'd want an explanation. Anyway, the symptom that stands out in my mind is that her legs seem to give way - she falls over - and that is when she begins howling. I wonder if it could be fear rather than pain? There's no frothing at the mouth, no sign of breathlessness or anything like that, and it only lasts a few seconds. Signaturealtheim > >> Nope, but as others have said, it's definitely vet time. > >> [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > -- > altheim You need to read up on seizures. They come in all sizes and styles. You are confusing grand mal with petit mal seizures or what you see on the idiot tube as seizures. Many seizures do not have frothing at the mouth. And there is not breathlessness either. Where do you get these ideas? From TV? Please take the time to read up any basic level text on seizures. I had a cat with seizures and there was never ever any frothing or breathlessness --- and the treatment is dirt cheap, usually phenobarbital for cats, not Dilantin which is for dogs, but phenobarbital. There are more modern medicines but these will do. You need to remind the vets of this - most vets in my experience do not know much at all about cats and brains. But it helps to uncover the cause of seizures, or spells or whatever your cat is undergoing. And this will take work on your part. Asking in a newsgroup at this point is sad. But most vets won't have a clue either. So I feel badly for all concerned. If you can afford it, an x-ray of the skull is usually the place to start. An MRI is better but? You are looking for an injury as a start. If not injury, then I don't know what would be the cause, maybe a tumor? You will need an extremely intelligent vet. There are vets who specialize in neurology, usually in vet schools. But even the best vet schools may not have a neurology professor vet. So ask. Do you have the interest and money to check this out? Sometimes they will take in the feline and treat for a reduced cost to show the young and quite inexperienced and clueless student vets. This is painful to watch but part of the process. >> >> Nope, but as others have said, it's definitely vet time. >> >> [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > inexperienced and clueless student vets. This is painful to watch but > part of the process. This was a helpful reply. Thanks. Signaturealtheim > >> Nope, but as others have said, it's definitely vet time. > >> [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > like it means something specific. I'd be sceptical of any vet > who said that. I'd want an explanation. I wrote it with an upper-case "S", simply because of writing mechanics. IOW, if someone asked, "Would you like a glass of water?", the answer could be "Yes." The "S" was like the "Y" of "Yes". Cathy > Anyway, the symptom that stands out in my mind is that > her legs seem to give way - she falls over - and that is > when she begins howling. I wonder if it could be fear > rather than pain? There's no frothing at the mouth, no sign > of breathlessness or anything like that, and it only lasts a > few seconds. > > Nope, but as others have said, it's definitely vet time. > > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > seizure symptoms... > -L. She'd crouch down low, & frantically (*very* frantically) rub the bottom of her chin back & forth against the floor - or whatever surface she was on. This was a good dozen years ago or so... trying to remember if she vocalized immediately before or during each episode, but not sure anymore. Cathy > I should take her to the vet but there is nothing visible to show > him. She is otherwise quite healthy. She eats, drinks and 'goes' > normally, as far as I can tell. We buy her ordinary supermarket > cat food. She sleeps indoors. Not only can the vet see stuff we don't, they know the right questions to ask to find out the stuff you saw but didn't realize it. For example, 8 years ago, I adopted a rescued dog. She had been abused and was severely messed up. A few months into, I was moving her, and she yelped. All I had done was put my hands around her middle and try to move her sideways. A nromal dog would not have yelped. Knowing she had been abused (and kicked), I figured sh ehad been kicked hard, and maybe had suffered a broken rib. If so, it had to have healed, even if poorly, and there wouldn't be anything to do about it now. But I figured I should get an x-ray and find out, so that I would know exactly where she was sore and not push there. The vet knew otherwise. He listened to what I said, and did his own exam hands on. He noticed that her front leg was stiff on one side (a symptom), and he hasked me questions. Has she coughed much? Yes. Sounds like she has a hairball, but she never coughed anything up. (another symptom). He did the x-ray, but the results were no surprised to him, only to me. She had an enlarged heart. Something more common in smaller dogs as breeders breed down for a smaller version of the breed. Jenny us an undersized sheltie, and her heart is healthy, but a bit too big for her body. Because of this, her heart pushes on her windpipe on a daily basis, causing her to cough if she exercises too much. Especially if she gains weight (which she did when I got her). Then teh fat takes up room,and there is even less room for her organs, so a simple squeeze to move her over is enough to cause her pain. We put her on a special diet keep her weight ideal, and she rarely ever coughs. If she does, I know to check her weight and adjust her diet. I also have to limit her exercise and stop her when she plays to hard. And we all know not to squeeze her. No grabbing her body and moving her over or trying to pull her toward us. And we use a different technique to pick her up so that she is more comfortable. I went to the vet that day, thinking it was an old injury with no treatment. I just wanted to know what it was. I came away knowing my dog had a serious condition that could be controlled easily, but *needed* to be controlled, or it could kill her. Your vet knows a ton more than you do, that's why they studied all this stuff. They will know what to look for, what to check, and what to ask. >> I should take her to the vet but there is nothing visible to show >> him. She is otherwise quite healthy. She eats, drinks and 'goes' [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Not only can the vet see stuff we don't, they know the right questions > to ask to find out the stuff you saw but didn't realize it. [snip for brevity] > I went to the vet that day, thinking it was an old injury with no > treatment. I just wanted to know what it was. I came away knowing my [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Your vet knows a ton more than you do, that's why they studied all this > stuff. They will know what to look for, what to check, and what to ask. This isn't in dispute. I coulda just taken the cat to the vet and not bothered with you guys. What is this group for if not to talk about cats health and behaviour? I think I was deeply mistaken about the 'expertise' here. Signaturealtheim > I think I was deeply mistaken about the 'expertise' here. Read my above post. The treatment is 1/8th grain phenobarbitol twice a day for idiopathic seizures for cats. Make sure you are trained how to give a tiny pill to a cat. I found it not difficult but not that simple either. I just place the pill on the back of her tongue. The cat did not ever bite or scratch me either which I found surprising. But maybe she knew I was helping her. Maybe you can put it in food. The pill is extremely small so easy to deal with. Before you cast aspersions, you should do some basic reading. From your comments, you do not know anything about seizures and appear to be going by what you see in the movies or television. There is expertise in this newsgroup but you have to bring something to the plate or table. Just to bring vague and very wrong suppositions will not be good for your cat or your responses from the newsgroup. If you can up your knowledge, the responses will increase too. Most vets won't have the expertise to solve this problem. So fine. I have given you the cure which is extraordinarily cheap. It won't cure cure, but if it's a seizure it will stop the cat from having these terrifying spells, as they used to be called in a different time and place. Again, 1/8th grain phenobarbitol, B.I.D., got it? That's the prescription. An old drug that you can buy a year's supply for a few dollars. But you will need to tell the vet's that. If they look it up in their textbooks, then can verify what I have posted here. >> I think I was deeply mistaken about the 'expertise' here. > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > for your cat or your responses from the newsgroup. If you can up your > knowledge, the responses will increase too. <ahem> That is precisely why I joined this group, but if you read back through the first half dozen replies you won't see much willingness to edify me, beyond instructing me to go to the vet (which I already knew, dammit). Forgive me if I interpreted that as an *inability* to edify me. > Most vets won't have the expertise to solve this problem. So fine. I > have given you the cure which is extraordinarily cheap. It won't cure [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > But you will need to tell the vet's that. If they look it up in their > textbooks, then can verify what I have posted here. Thanks again. Signaturealtheim > > Most vets won't have the expertise to solve this problem. So fine. I > > have given you the cure which is extraordinarily cheap. It won't cure [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > -- > altheim Okay but, ahem, you need to post particulars, basics, like what is the gender and weight of the cat? Is the cat fat? If so, then one has to think of diabetes and what you are seeing is an attack from spikes or dips in the blood sugar. If blood sugar, then post the lab results, so can tell from the glucose levels. IOW, post whatever info you have. From the info or lack of it, one can guess if the vets are careful or just winging it. But weight, gender, and previous history, blood tests, are a start. If it's a seizure, then phenobarbitol for cats. If not a seizure, then diabetes, as someone suggested. Dips in blood sugar caused disorientation and are scary, very scary. And first come the dips, then later the full spikes, so hypoglycemia then hyperglycemia. Think of it this way, your cat is fainting. That's a big sign something is wrong. Heart problems can start with fainting since the heart controls the oxygenated flow of blood to the brain. If a human had this problem, all sorts of questions would be asked. But your cat can't answer. So it's up to you to speak for your cat, which means, all the details you can muster at your disposal, starting with gender, weight, and previous tests. 1. Seizures. 2. Blood sugar drops. 3. Heart irregularities. Just for a start. All the above will cause swoons in mammals. It's a shame that you got attacked in this forum. I can tell you really love your cat. I agree that there can be many causes for seizures. There can also be other things going on, and this may NOT be a seizure. Only a vet can tell you everything. Let us know what the results and vet recommendations are, OK? Morgen >>> I should take her to the vet but there is nothing visible to show >>> him. She is otherwise quite healthy. She eats, drinks and 'goes' [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > I think I was deeply mistaken about the 'expertise' here. If you had posted the vet did tests and here are the results you would have gotten more specific answers. All you posted is that the cat acted strangely, you suspect maybe it's a seizure but OTOH could be something else, that it might just be pain and expect someone to diagnose your cat's problem. The consensus is to take the cat to a vet, explain the symptoms and let the vet run some basic tests to start. Someone mentioned that diabetes can cause seizures as well as injuries or neurological disorders. With a 14 yr. old cat some other health problem could be developing that could cause the symptom you describe. Even if there were a vet posting here regularly, which there isn't, I don't know any who would diagnose the animal from just the information you gave. So have you made the vet appointment yet? W > >> I should take her to the vet but there is nothing visible to show > >> him. She is otherwise quite healthy. She eats, drinks and 'goes' [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > not bothered with you guys. What is this group for if not to > talk about cats health and behaviour? Oh, will you please just PISS off and take your cat to the vet? Jesus. > This isn't in dispute. I coulda just taken the cat to the vet and > not bothered with you guys. In a case as severe as what you have described, the cat should have been taken in to a vet asap. Your cat is having seizures or possibly has a bloot clot or other serious problem. >What is this group for if not to > talk about cats health and behaviour? This group should never be considered a substitute for a vet visit! Yes, you can gain knowledge here, but it is not wise to post here *instead* of seeking medical advice from your vet when your cat is having such problems! > I think I was deeply mistaken about the 'expertise' here. I think you need to learn what constitutes a serious medical problem for your cat! -L. (either that or we have just been trolled...) > I think you need to learn what constitutes a serious medical problem > for your cat! I am trying to get my mind around *anyone* who would watch their cat "writhing in agony" and not drop everything and get it to the vet. Hi, For some reason there are some very vicious heartless lame creeps in this group. But the ones that care TRULY out number the few a.ses that post repeatedly. I just delete them. It is sad so many have nothing else to do in their lives than to try and hurt others. I dont understand why the moderator puts up with it. If this was my group they would be LONG gone! I hope the vet finds out what is going on with kitty. Prayers to you and yours- Sarah > I dont understand why the moderator puts up with it. If this was my > group they would be LONG gone! This is an unmoderated Usenet group. No one owns it or moderates it. SignatureWeb site: http://www.slywy.com/ Message board: http://www.slywy.com/phpBB2/ Journal: http://slywy.blogspot.com/ Thanks for the info--makes sense now! Sarah > Thanks for the info--makes sense now! > Sarah http://www.dickalba.demon.co.uk/usenet/guide/faq_topp.html > > I dont understand why the moderator puts up with it. If this was my > > group they would be LONG gone! > > This is an unmoderated Usenet group. No one owns it or moderates it. Oh, man, didn't you know? I am the moderator. |
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