An Urgent Question for Sammycat1...

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

Thanks to your inspiration, I was able to care for my late aunt's cat, Murray, and learned to hydrate him at home. Murray HATES going to the vet - always has. The hydration has helped him considerably. His appetite is fine and he only throws up about once a month, if that often.

Everything had been going well until this morning. When he went to eat breakfast he suddenly went into violent convulsions - hitting his head against the wall. It lasted for about 20-30 seconds. I thought he was gone for good and called my son. I couldn't bear to see what happened. Well, he got up, dusted himself off and looked a little disoriented. Within a few minutes, he went back and ate all his breakfast, came upstairs and jumped on the bed to cuddle with our dog, McClane. He's purring, cleaned himself up, acting totally normally.

I'm turning to you, Sammycat, because through your experiences I feel you know how to nurture and care for a cat with kidney or other serious issues.

My first thought was to call the vet and have him put to sleep today so he will never have to have another episode again. But now he is acting totally normally, no balance problems, no lack of appetite, not sick to his stomach.

I have an appointment for 3:30 today for him to see the vet. But I'm not sure about putting him to sleep. He seems totally happy...purring and now following the dog around.

Sammycat - am I being selfish for wanting him to stay with us a while longer? Is this something he can live with? Of course I will ask the vet for guidance. He is on no medications, just fluids 3 times a week.

Your guidance would be appreciated...

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

Bumping up for anyone else who has had a cat with kidney problems...

lynne6was7 · ‎03-15-2010

It sounds like he had a seizure. I've had senior kitties with kidney issues, and those with thyroid issues requiring hydration, but none of them experienced seizures as a result. However, I had a kitty who developed seizures from an undiagnosed head injury. The seizures were scary to witness but he was "fine" after each episode. The vet recommended not to use anti-seizure meds because they are problematic in cats. I just had to be sure that he was safe during a seizure and couldn't tumble down the stairs. He later developed cancer and passed.

I guess I am saying that the seizures alone may not necessarily mean that you have to say goodbye now if he is doing well in other respects. The vet can better advise you regarding his condition and the appropriateness of any medication.

I've had many kitties that did not visit the vet well, so I will be thinking about you and Murray today. Bless you.

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

On 7/3/2014 lynne6was7 said:
It sounds like he had a seizure. I've had senior kitties with kidney issues, and those with thyroid issues requiring hydration, but none of them experienced seizures as a result. However, I had a kitty who developed seizures from an undiagnosed head injury. The seizures were scary to witness but he was "fine" after each episode. The vet recommended not to use anti-seizure meds because they are problematic in cats. I just had to be sure that he was safe during a seizure and couldn't tumble down the stairs. He later developed cancer and passed.

I guess I am saying that the seizures alone may not necessarily mean that you have to say goodbye now if he is doing well in other respects. The vet can better advise you regarding his condition and the appropriateness of any medication.

I've had many kitties that did not visit the vet well, so I will be thinking about you and Murray today. Bless you.

Thank you for your reply.

My late aunt loved Murray dearly...she had no children and Murray was her baby. She went to 3 shelters until she found the PERFECT cat.

We never thought that Murray would adjust to living with our dog. He used to hiss when we visited at his home. But after a week of staying under a sofa here, Murray came out and LOVES the dog. He follows him everywhere and plays catch with him too. It almost gave Murray a new lease on life. He's about 17 years old - I just found his old vet records.

He is our last living link to our beloved aunt - she passed away suddenly in her sleep almost 3 years ago... so he's extra special to us (if that is possible - ALL our animals are extra special!).

lynne6was7 · ‎03-15-2010

I'm sorry for the loss of your aunt. It's wonderful of you to have given Murray a good home and such dedicated care. How cute that he and your dog are now pals.

kittymomNC · ‎08-09-2012

Terrier, I know that must have been awful for you to witness, and I'm so sorry about your aunt. I just lost my favorite aunt about 2 months ago.

You may have read some of my posts about my 16-year old Baby Cat who has had kidney disease for three years and has been on fluids. She was very stable during that time, but it has now started to escalate. After a 3-month roller coaster ride of odd symptoms (spacey, confusion, anxious, etc., sometimes not eating), they diagnosed her with a kidney infection (got that under control with antibiotics), but now she has high blood pressure, which is common in cats with kidney disease. She's on a daily blood pressure med now, and is doing much better. A spike in her blood pressure apparently caused the last episode of spaciness, etc.--that's when they found it was high. In saying all this, I'm getting to the fact that kidney disease can cause all kinds of problems, but I've never heard of it causing seizures and my vets haven't mentioned it. My vet did not say that the high blood pressure, and/or the spike in blood pressure where it went way too high, could cause anything like that, but she did say it could cause total blindness if not brought down. So maybe it could cause a seizure? Checking blood pressure is not a usual thing for vets to do, but since Murray has kidney disease, it might not be a bad idea to ask your vet if they can check his.

I hope they can diagnose what is going on and treat it, so you can keep Murray for a while longer. I'm always so aware of "quality of life", as you apparently are, and I treasure every day I still have with my Baby Cat. Let us know what you find out about him at the vet's.

Sammycat1 · ‎03-09-2010

Hi Terrier3,

Sorry I'm just getting back to you -- of course I remember Murray! I just got home from work -- by now, you've seen your vet.

You are NOT selfish; you're a wonderful cat mom who wants what's best for Murray. And I'm sure the vet can get to the bottom of what's wrong. A good question when you're in doubt about serious illness is (to the vet): "What would you do if he were yours?" and my follow-up: "Is there any medical hope for him to have a good quality of life?"

Cats with kidney issues often develop high BP, which can trigger seizures. High blood pressure can arise from failing kidneys as well as the cardiac system. My cat Schmoo was placed on blood pressure medicine for his heart problems -- but that also alleviated any potential problems via the kidneys too, as he also had kidney failure.

Schmoo had his BP measured with a digital "mini" cuff placed on his back leg -- this was done every other month to make sure his dosing was correct. Vets can measure this but don't often attempt to do it because many cats fight it (it's not painful; they just don't like it). Ask for it to be attempted -- it can save your cat's life. We live in a rural area, and our vet had a mini-cuff that was state-of-the-art---so they DO have the capability.

The other possibility is that Murray's potassium bottomed out. Cats with kidney failure are susceptible to potassium dropping....in many cases, it can look normal on bloodwork, but because potassium is stored in the cells, when a cat's body runs low due to kidney failure, it pulls the "reserve" potassium from the cells...and thus makes the blood counts look normal! Our vet was on top of this and gave Schmoo potassium supplements that equalized his body.

I'm sure your vet has many options for getting to the bottom of this scary episode for Murray, and treating him (likely with medication aimed at the root cause). I'm hoping that tonight Murray is still with you and your vet has arrived at a solution for him.

Please let us know how he is doing -- you are doing a fantastic job with him!

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

Thanks everyone for your help. It was a false alarm!

I told the vet what happened. How he appeared to be getting electrocuted and then stood up, ate breakfast and was fine.

She ran all the tests - he lost one OUNCE in the last 6 months - he's 9 pounds, 6 oz. - good sign! He wasn't dehydrated - I guess I'm doing a good job. No stroke, blood pressure bordering on high - another good sign since she expected it would be low. Heart - good.

Her theory was that he was hungry and after running up and down the stairs several times, he crashed.

She said to up his hydration to 200cc 3 times a week (from 100cc). Check back if he loses his appetite or his stools change (all normal so far). They gave him another 100 cc and we went on our way.

Unlike the last vet, she didn't suggest more tests. She said we'll review things when he loses his appetite or gets sick to him stomach.

I am SO glad my son was here. He shot a commercial in town yesterday and was editing it. I wasn't alone. He calmed me down a lot.

Cross our fingers...Murray is still enjoying life!

kittymomNC · ‎08-09-2012

On 7/3/2014 Sammycat1 said:
Hi Terrier3,

Sorry I'm just getting back to you -- of course I remember Murray! I just got home from work -- by now, you've seen your vet.

Cats with kidney issues often develop high BP, which can trigger seizures. High blood pressure can arise from failing kidneys as well as the cardiac system. My cat Schmoo was placed on blood pressure medicine for his heart problems -- but that also alleviated any potential problems via the kidneys too, as he also had kidney failure.

Schmoo had his BP measured with a digital "mini" cuff placed on his back leg -- this was done every other month to make sure his dosing was correct. Vets can measure this but don't often attempt to do it because many cats fight it (it's not painful; they just don't like it). Ask for it to be attempted -- it can save your cat's life. We live in a rural area, and our vet had a mini-cuff that was state-of-the-art---so they DO have the capability.

The other possibility is that Murray's potassium bottomed out. Cats with kidney failure are susceptible to potassium dropping....in many cases, it can look normal on bloodwork, but because potassium is stored in the cells, when a cat's body runs low due to kidney failure, it pulls the "reserve" potassium from the cells...and thus makes the blood counts look normal! Our vet was on top of this and gave Schmoo potassium supplements that equalized his body.

I'm sure your vet has many options for getting to the bottom of this scary episode for Murray, and treating him (likely with medication aimed at the root cause). I'm hoping that tonight Murray is still with you and your vet has arrived at a solution for him.

Please let us know how he is doing -- you are doing a fantastic job with him!

Terrier3, I hope you've had some good news from the vet by now about Murray--please let us know.

Sammycat, I have posted on your thread about my Baby Cat's kidney disease, and I also have a question for you. Can you tell me of any symptoms associated with low potassium so that I might know what to be on the lookout for? I did not know that could be a problem. As I mentioned above, we have been on a real roller coaster ride these last 3 months, including two trips to the emergency vet. I haven't posted on your thread in a while, because I can't resist reading all the posts and especially about Schmoo, and I get so awfully emotional. My emotions and my nerves have been so on edge that I've tried to keep myself as calm as possible (which sometimes is really hard to do). Baby Cat is doing much better since they discovered her high blood pressure and put her on daily medication, and she is getting fluids 3X weekly now. But I'm always on the lookout for any unusual symptoms, so if you could let me know anything you can think of, especially about the potassium, I would so appreciate it. (BTW, my vet uses the small cuff and takes her blood pressure on her tail, about 2 inches from where it connects to her body--I had never heard of that before!) I hope you're doing well, and I really want to get back to reading Schmoo's story (maybe when I have a few minutes when I can let the tears flow........) Thanks for anything you can tell me!