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In the continued saga of Jonas, the magical mystery cat...
I think I wrote here before about an episode he had months ago where he didn't want to walk and seemed painful in his rear. At the time, the vet thought he had injured himself and perhaps flared some arthritis. He got pain killers and was put on bed rest, and recovered after a few weeks.
This past Sunday night he had another episode where he was moving gingerly, didn't want to go up or down stairs, and just wasn't his usual JJ self. I took him to the vet as an emergency and again the vet felt he had flared his arthritis. We went home with pain medication (Buprenorphine) and he seemed to do okay over the next few days. He was happy on the Bup, but when it started to wear off he was back to moving like he was sore, and he wasn't as active as usual.
Last night I gave him his nighttime dose of Bup at 11pm. When I went to move him from his bed on my desk to the proper bed, he collapsed. He could prop himself up on his front paws, but wasn't moving his back legs at all. Needless to say I had myself a good old-fashioned panic attack and rushed him to the nearest emergency hospital. They did bloodwork, which was normal except a small elevation of BUN (which scares me!). They think the problem could possibly be cardio or neuro, so he has appointments with both over the next week. Today he's moving only as far as it takes to get to the nearest soft spot...he hasn't moved off my bed all day.
I don't mind saying it...I am scared out of my mind. Outright terrified. I've had a lot of scares with him over the years, but this is the first one that really felt serious. Having to wait for answers is nerve wracking. And I HATE knowing he's hurting and not being able to fix it or even pinpoint the source.
That's very scary. And it feels terrible not to be able to help them, when they depend on us so much. I'm sending lots of positive thoughts your way, that it's something that can be dealt with easily. Wish I could do more. I'll be waiting for updates.
Thanks to both of you. The scariest part is the just not knowing...usually when he's sick and hurt I have a good idea of what's going on. Heck, I usually know all of the tests and treatment that will be suggested before I set foot in the vet's office. But this time...I don't even know if he's painful, too weak to stand, or having trouble controlling his limbs. In good news, he's eating very well. He's not quite as cuddly as usual (or as bratty), but I think that's because he's so tired. Earlier today he couldn't even get his hind foot up enough to scratch his face. I'm going to try to get some video if he has another episode of full collapse...maybe someone else has experienced something similiar.
We did a full x-ray series and the only thing found was arthritis in his lower spine. It wasn't extreme, so it's hard to know if that's causing such serious symptoms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ocngypz
I'm so sorry.
Are his back paws warm or cold to the touch?
Warm, thankfully! When he first went down in his hind legs my immediate thought was a blood clot, which is one of my worst nightmares (right up there with FIP.) However, his pulses are good in both hind legs.
Like you said OP, the worst part is not knowing what you're dealing with. If it was one of mine going through this, I'd be climbing the walls till I could her in.
This is total guesswork, but is it possible he might be having some sort of mini stroke that's causing partial/temporary paralysis? Is that even possible in a cat?
Wishing you a good outcome, & hope you can figure it out.
Good luck & hang in there.
Like you said OP, the worst part is not knowing what you're dealing with. If it was one of mine going through this, I'd be climbing the walls till I could her in.
This is total guesswork, but is it possible he might be having some sort of mini stroke that's causing partial/temporary paralysis? Is that even possible in a cat?
Wishing you a good outcome, & hope you can figure it out.
Good luck & hang in there.
It's certainly possible for a cat to have a stroke, though I've seen it far more often in dogs. To me, though, the more I watch him, the more sure I feel that the problem is pain related. He CAN walk, he just really doesn't want to. As he walks, he rattles just the very tip of his tail, which is usually a sign of pain. If you 'toe down' his hind legs, he can feel that they are positioned wrong and can correct them himself, so he has sensation in them. Unlike last time this happened, I KNOW he didn't take a fall or hurt himself beforehand (because he was in bed with me and I had direct line of sight on him for over twelve hours.) So if it is pain, it must be the arthritis? One good thing came out of all of this...I discovered there is a beautiful huge specialty center and emergency hospital about ten minutes from my house. All this time I've been driving him out of state for specialty appts. Weirdly, I actually did my internship at this hospital, and back then it was by far the worst hospital in the area. Tiny dirty building, with a doctor who didn't believe in pain control. Now it has a new owner and it's gorgeous.
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The scariest part is the just not knowing...usually when he's sick and hurt I have a good idea of what's going on. Heck, I usually know all of the tests and treatment that will be suggested before I set foot in the vet's office. But this time...I don't even know if he's painful, too weak to stand, or having trouble controlling his limbs. In good news, he's eating very well. He's not quite as cuddly as usual (or as bratty), but I think that's because he's so tired. Earlier today he couldn't even get his hind foot up enough to scratch his face. 
