Help!!! My cat is faltering

Discussion in 'Animals & Pets' started by FatBack, Jul 11, 2020.

  1. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    My outdoor tom cat came home for one of his rare visits. Yall remember the videos of panthers displaying signs of some neurological symptoms? Well, it looks like that, unsteady gait, hips low to the ground and wobbly. Anyone have any idea what this is or have you seen this? He is about 4 years old ???? Worried about my boy. He has been in the house since 2 pm, no changes, he is eating. He just tried to jump in my lap and near fell over. If any sick bastard is intentionally poisoning cats, GOD help that person, if I find out.


     
  2. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    I'm afraid we have enough $ to have him put down and that's about it, not enough to diagnose. I will take video and see what my vet thinks. I'm flummoxed at how he got over our 6 ft fence if he could not even hop in my lap (see fence in my avatar).
     
  3. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    He did manage to hop on the couch but it was ungainly. After some research it looks like feline ataxia.
     
  4. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    Just took him outside and he peed. Going to leave him inside tonight. I hope two things, A. he recovers or B. he simply lives.

    If this condition does not improve, I will get a litterbox and he will have to adjust to indoor life. He has been an outdoor Tomcat, his entire life but if this does not get better, he would be a sitting duck, outside. I love my kitty! IMG_20200711_040211.jpg
     
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  5. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    He's a battle scarred scrapper. He once chased a bigger tom up an oak tree and ran his ass out on a limb and made him jump from 15 ft after he whooped dat ass up in the tree. Good kitty! Defend your home. Whatever is wrong with him, is sad to see.
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2020
  6. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    If you are a cat hater, I have to wonder about you. Never trust a cat (or animals in general) hater.
     
  7. FreshAir

    FreshAir Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I had one of my cats with similar symptoms, the vet said either a blood clot or a tumor, they said sometimes they recover, mine was not so lucky (almost 20 years old though), good luck with yours, hope he pulls through
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2020
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  8. Grau

    Grau Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I'm sorry to hear about your boy and suspect that you've already Googled his symptoms.
    We've got 3 cats and 2 dogs but I'm unfamiliar with the symptoms you've described.

    Without knowing more information, my guess may be that since your boy is outdoors so much, it may be dehydration, low sodium or something as simple as that.
    You already mentioned that your boy is eating well but is your boy getting plenty of water?
    If it's not something as simple as dehydration and goes on for a few days, I'm afraid that the only option is a visit to the Vet to have lab work done.
    Good luck and please keep me posted.
     
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  9. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    I let him out to use the potty and he ran under the shed and wont come out, I crawled under there (to the degree I could) and saw him with my flashlight. He would not come out, looked again an hour later and he was no longer visible, but I cant see all under there. I doubt he can hop the 6 ft wooden fence in his condition. I'll see him again or I wont. If I find a bastard poisoning animals, God help him/her
     
  10. Grau

    Grau Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Re:
    So....how did your cat get your flashlight?

    Sorry, just kidding.

    Has your boy returned and how is he doing today?

    The reason I mentioned dehydration is because I've had cats with similar conditions and it's sometimes because they get too busy and forget to drink enough water during the hot summer months.
    I wouldn't immediately assume that your boy has been poisoned but without knowing more, I would suspect some sort of heat stress/dehydration as the cause of his unusual behavior.
    Please keep me posted & good luck.
     
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  11. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    He seems to be improving slowly. Still keeping him inside.
     
  12. James California

    James California Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    ~ I would keep kitty inside for a week. Make sure he gets a lot of water. If possible give him water with an eyedropper. ( cats do not drink enough water ) . Feed only wet food - not dry.
    He may be dehydrated. If so he should start to improve.
     
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  13. CKW

    CKW Well-Known Member

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    Is it possible he got hit by a car? Sometimes wounds arent easy to see.

    I wouldn't think hed be poisoned but he could have eaten a poisoned mouse.

    If you dont see improvement see if you can work out payment arrangements with vet. It would drive me crazy to not to know....
     
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  14. Grau

    Grau Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I'm glad to hear that your boy is improving and keeping him inside would be a good idea too.

    @James California had excellent additional advice since animals can get heat stress too.

    Please keep me posted.

    Thanks,
     
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  15. Grau

    Grau Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    How's your cat doing?

    We've got 3 cats and 2 dogs; all rescued or adopted.
    One of our cats had to have his left ear removed because of cancer on the ear. It healed nicely for a while but it seems like the cancer is back and he's just got a bloody sore where his ear was that he kept scratching until we finally made him wear a cone on his neck.

    He's an affectionate old fellow and has adjusted pretty well to wearing the cone which is a pain to take off & put on at mealtime etc.

    Since there's not much left of his ear to remove and the cancer will continue to grow, my wife & I are starting to consider his overall quality of life while wearing a cone on most of the time. Mercury (the cat) is otherwise very affectionate, in good spirits and eating very well which makes those "quality of life" decisions even harder.

    Historically, I've been terrible about deciding when it's time to have an old companion euthanized and because Mercury is doing reasonably well otherwise, this is an especially difficult decision.

    I hope your cat is doing well now. I hope that his difficulties were simple and easily treated. Please let me know.

    Many thanks & best wishes,
     
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  16. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    He is taking to indoor life and using a litter box. He is still wobbly to a degree (especially when trying to jump) Last night he put his front feet on the side of my chair as though he was going to jump, I had to reach down and catch him or he would of fallen over on his side. He sleeps at the foot of my bed, he gets up pretty easy as it's just a mattress and box spring on the floor itself. He pretty much walks ok, for the most part, and eating well.
     
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  17. Collateral Damage

    Collateral Damage Well-Known Member

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    After what I went through last year with Einstein, I forget the formal name for it, but he had a severe reoccurring bacterial infection of his gums. The vet said it wasn't common, but they had been seeing more cases of it.

    It first presented how you described, which was actually massive dehydration due to the pain in his mouth and him just wanting to sleep and it snowballed from there to weakness from dehydration escalating the infection. We went rounders for over a year with massive antibiotics, teeth cleaning, he'd improve, then slide back to the infections, each cycle was closer together.

    Eventually the infection affected other organs, and fortunately before he had renal failure, his heart gave out once night.

    Bottom line, make sure his gums are inspected, and no bacterial infections. Cats are notorious for not telling us humans there is a problem, until it's a huge problem.

    Hugs to the cat.
     
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  18. Hotdogr

    Hotdogr Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Just a stab... do you, perchance, use sevin dust on your landscaping?
    [​IMG]

    I had a dog, a long while ago, who became paralyzed in his hind legs. We thought it was some kind of tumor, or neurological problem. Turns out, it was exposure to sevin dust we had used to control bugs on a row of rose bushes that was adjacent to his dog kennel..
     
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  19. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    Nope, but he was an outdoor tom who was prone to wander so who knows what he may have gotten into?
     
  20. Pants

    Pants Well-Known Member

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    It sounds a little like severe dehydration. I see that this thread is a few days old now - I hope he's on the mend. Just make sure there's plenty of water available for him.
     
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  21. Hotdogr

    Hotdogr Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I forgot to add, once we removed him from exposure to sevin dust, after a few days. he regained full use of his legs, and was just like new.
     
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  22. Grau

    Grau Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I can't imagine what is wrong with your boy beyond some of possibilities mentioned by others on this thread.
    If he's simply dehydrated which was my first guess then wet / canned cat food should help. If he's gotten into something, I hope it passes through his system harmlessly & quickly.
    Taking care of a pet is especially saddening because they can't tell you what hurts or where it hurts.

    Meanwhile, I'm taking my poor, old, one eared boy to the Vet. tomorrow.

    Good luck,
     
  23. James California

    James California Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    ~ Remember cats can live just fine with no teeth - should that become necessary .
     
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  24. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Maybe malnutrition? Most cat food need suppliments even when they don't say it. I give my cat bits of actual meat sometimes, at least when I havn't found small animals that have been eaten recently.
     
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