[CatCaretakerInHouston]

Hello Cat Forumers,

I had a traumatic experience with one of our cats today and am hoping someone here can provide some advice. Our kitty, Pinky, who is a one-year-old adopted barn cat, came into our bedroom this morning, yelped twice, and squatted down as if she was getting ready to cough up a hairball (which she has never done, being a shorthair). She then urinated a little on the floor, which she never does either. I went to touch her and she seemed paralyzed and was unresponsive. She wasn't spasming or anything, and I didn't notice her breathing hard. I ran to throw on clothes so I could get her to the emergency vet and by the time I got back, she was under the bed. I dragged her out, and she still seemed unresponsive. By the time I got her in the cat carrier and in the car, she seemed more normal. She was scared and was crying, which is normal for any visit to the vet. She did drool a little on the way to the vet - just a drop or two. The vet didn't think it was a seizure because Pinky didn't fall on her side during the event. His only guess was that it could be a urinary tract infection, but we haven't noticed her urinating in small amounts or in various locations around the house. He said just to watch her and take her to our regular vet. For the rest of the day (12 hours now), Pinky hasn't eaten or drank anything and has not used the bathroom. She spent the whole day sleeping, most of the time under the couch - sometimes avoiding our hands when we try to pat her. Also, she has been breathing hard all day and still is. At first I thought these symptoms were just from visiting the vet, but it's been 12 hours now, and she's still not acting like her normal self.

I guess my main question for the forum is: does this sound like a seizure or a urinary tract infection or something else? I'm taking her to see the regular vet tomorrow, but I'd love to see what you all think...

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Ed

PS - Pinky was spayed about 5 months ago and has always gotten a clean bill of health from the vet. She's up to date on all her shots and everything...

 

[Ianthe]

Hello. I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. She sounds extremely sick, and I really think you should find an Emergency Vet Clinic to take her to tonight........I think she sounds too sick to wait until tomorrow. Keep us posted, and I will be praying for you both. On a side note, I have a soft spot for ANYONE (cats included) that has a seizure, as I suffer from them. Anyway, good luck.

 

[BoscosMum]

The fact that she stiffened up is alarming...
I have never heard of a cat doing that with a urine infection.

Definatly get a full blood work up....that would include everything!

 

[sunshine9]

She sounds very sick.
Did the vet run a urinalysis to deterimine if she had a urinarty tract infection?? Did they give you any antibiotics?
I would get her into another vet today.

Please let us know how Pinky does.

 

[CatCaretakerInHouston]

Just got back from the vet. The doctor suspected lung problems because Pinky was breathing so fast. They did an X-ray and sure enough - she has inflammed lungs, probably caused by an allergic reaction to something in the house. Pinky got a cortizone shot to reduce the inflammation and make her less susceptible to any allergens. She's also on antibiotics now, just in case there's something else contributing to the breathing problems. When she got home, she started chowing down finally! YAY! I guess yesterday she was having a hard time breathing and she began to panic. The vet said to bring her back if she's isn't most of the way back to normal by tomorrow. So, it sounds like it wasn't a seizure after all...

Thanks for the kind words of advice - I'll followup in a few days!

Ed

 

[LucyB]

I have, unfortunately, had experience with 2 cats (and two dogs) with seizures. With both cats, the seizures were pretty classic tonic/clonic seizures (GM)--stiffening, followed by paddling, jerking, lots of drool and often involuntary urination and/or defication.

It sounds as if your cat may have had a tonic seizure--the rigidity without the subsequent paddling. Definitely worth a vet visit, I think.

If you and your vet feel that your cat did have a seizure, you might want to consider joining a list for owners of epileptic cats. I belong to the "parent" list, Epi-K9 for those with epi dogs. The round about directions to this reasource are as follows: go to www.canine-epilepsy.com and click on the picture of a globe with running dogs on it (this takes you to a list of resource links). Part way down that resource page you'll see links to an article and to the epi-kitty list. Marion Mitchell is one of the Epi-K9 list owners and also has an epi kitty, so she stared a new list for cat owners.

Watching a beloved animal in the throes of a seizure can be terrifying--my grehound had a nasty seizure this morning so I can identify with you ona very immediate level. You can't stop the seizure but you can make sure your cat doesn't hurt itself by falling or hitting something and you can make sure that your comforting, reassuring voice is there as he begins to recover. Best wishes and heartfelt commiserations

 

[CatCaretakerInHouston]

THANKS!

I just wanted to again say a big thank you again to the people who replied. Our cat, Pinky, is completely back to normal - bossing the other bigger cats around and eating more than her share.

One follow-up question: is there any 'normal' breathing rate for cats? I found one place online that gave a range of 20-30 breaths/minute, but I didn't know if that should apply to all sizes and ages... Any thoughts?