Ask Your Cat Question. Cat Experts Answer You ASAP.

(Not a Cat Question?)

Our cat has been "out of it" for about a week and ...

Sent to Cat Experts July 21 2006 at 6:29 PM
   

Our cat has been "out of it" for about a week and a half now. She was fine one night, then the next day her eyes were rolled in the back of her head, she had nasal discharge, and she could hardly walk. The vet said she had a viral infection. He didn't run any test, prescribed some antibiotics, eye cream and nose drops. The next day she was worse, but has since come around. She appears to be "legally blind". She walks slowly and turns when her wiskers touch something. If you put her on the couch, she'll walk off the edge and fall. We still have to give her water with an eye dropper, but she will eat only if you hold it right under her nose. She hasn't used the litter box and sometimes pees all over herself. She tried to have a bowel movement yesterday, and fell over while doing so. Her right side seems to be more dominant than the left and she's much more aggressive. I'm taking her back to the vet on Monday because something obviously is not right. I think she may have had a stroke. I'd like to know if it's going to be possible for her to bounce back from this. Any ideas what may have happened to our cat?

 

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $15
Answer
July 21 2006 at 6:30 PM (1 minute and 38 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark

I think that you need to go ahead and see your vet tonight.

There are a lot of conditions that can cause retinal swelling and finally detatchment (the most common cause of sudden blindness). These include but are not limited to thyroid disorders, diabetes, liver and renal failure and a lot of other conditions, most of which are treatable. All of these are concerns in an older cat.

I know you're not going to like my answer because I can't recommend that you try to treat this at home.

I would go ahead and see the vet for an exam and to get bloodwork. At this visit, you can confirm the diagnosis or get a new one and then go from there.

You need to do this quickly because, if you wait, the retinas can detatch and then sight will be permanently lost.

If finances are a problem for you, you might want to look into www.carecredit.com. They offer financing for large and small vet bills.

Let me know if you want to discuss this more.

Tammy F. -- Cat Care Expert -- 99% Positive Feedback on 813 Cat Accepts
15+ years-Cat care, Veterinary shelter medicine/infectious disease, feral colony mgmt, cat rescue
Reply
July 21 2006 at 6:41 PM (11 minutes and 21 seconds later)
         
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: What about the other things I mentioned? Don't send me another standard response you send to everybody.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
July 21 2006 at 6:45 PM (3 minutes and 38 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark

When the eyes were rolling around, did it look like she was watching a tennis match?

Tammy F. -- Cat Care Expert -- 99% Positive Feedback on 813 Cat Accepts
15+ years-Cat care, Veterinary shelter medicine/infectious disease, feral colony mgmt, cat rescue
Reply
July 21 2006 at 6:47 PM (1 minute and 35 seconds later)
         
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: No, they were just looking up and out.

She wonders around aimless. If you touch her on the right side she will try to bite you or scratch you. If you touch her on the left, she does nothing. When I give her medicine, she fights me with her right side paws, but not her left.

Edited by Customer (name blocked for privacy) on July 21 2006 at 6:52 PM
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
July 21 2006 at 6:56 PM (8 minutes and 58 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark

It sounds like you are dealing with more than one problem. The one sided weakness, peeing on herself and stumbling sounds more like vestibular disease, a disease of the inner ear. It can even cause stroke-like symptoms.

I think that is totally SEPARATE from the issues with the blindness though. The advice I gave you above about the site issues still stands. But I think that you are dealing with more than just that.

I want you to take a look at this site which describes vestibular disease, the causes and symptoms:

http://marvistavet.net/html/body_vestibular_disease.html

Then this site, which explains renal failure ( a common cause of sudden blindness ):

http://marvistavet.net/html/body_chronic_renal_failure.html

Then let me know if you have more questions.

Of course, you're not going to get a definitive answer over the net but I hope this helps some.

Tammy F. -- Cat Care Expert -- 99% Positive Feedback on 813 Cat Accepts
15+ years-Cat care, Veterinary shelter medicine/infectious disease, feral colony mgmt, cat rescue
Think you can answer this question?
Login or Become an Expert

Related Answers

 

DISCLAIMER: You acknowledge that any information you may obtain from individuals you contact through use of the JustAnswer service comes from those individuals, not from JustAnswer, and that JustAnswer is not in any way responsible for any of the information these third parties may supply. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty and no representations are made regarding the qualification of an Expert. Responses and comments on JustAnswer are for general information and are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (such as medical, legal, investment or accounting) and do not establish a professional-client relationship. JustAnswer is not intended or designed to address EMERGENCY QUESTIONS which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals. Please carefully read the Terms of Service.

JustAnswer > Cat Breed Info and Feline Health Care