Our poor little man

[alwaysscared]

Our poor ginger boy is 10 years old. He has always been in great health, small and athletic.

On weds night I was outside and at about 10pm he started howling like I've never heard him before. It was so strange, he was pacing around the garden and just howling. He calmed down eventually and was absolutely fine the next day.

Over the next couple of days he would randomly do these howls but be fine, checked him to see if it was pain, was eating, drinking and purring.

Come 2am Sunday morning and he had a full on (what we think) seizure, it was very distressing to watch. We phoned the out hrs but by that time he had settled down and was asleep so we didn't want to disturb him.
We took him straight to our vet on Sunday. They took bloods and sent him home.

Last night, in the middle of the night, he had another episode but not so bad and not so long. He was very lethargic today and at about 1pm he had another massive fit/episode and we rushed him to the vet and he is still there.

They are very weird episodes, he starts darting around uncontrollably, banging himself into things, panting, shaking. Today he bit his own leg and then when he was coming round he just kept falling over.

The bloods came back normal so the vets don't know what it is. We are, unfortunately, uninsured so can't afford an MRI (£4000), and obviously feel awful about that.

Has anyone had experience with this? We are so concerned about it happening over and over as it seems it is clustering. We have a 7 year old who is being assessed for Autism and is finding all this very distressing.

Any advice would be really appreciated.

I'd suspect some sort of saddle thrombus with those symptoms. Hope they get to the bottom of what's going on with him.

Here's a list of symptoms of saddle clots ,Clinical signs of saddle thrombus reflect loss of blood supply to one or both hind limbs and usually come on suddenly/acutely and severely. Often the most striking clinical sign is vocalization. This condition is very painful, usually causing the cats to cry excessively. Affected cats usually have no use of one or both hind limbs and may drag themselves by the fore limbs. The hind limbs are usually cool to the touch and the foot pads may be noticeably pale. Some cats show signs of respiratory distress.
Vocalusation is also a thing with epilepsy, so may be worth watching for?

Thanks. He hasn't had issues with his hind limbs at all, after his 'fit' today he was staggering around and falling sideways.

My husband has just gone to collect him. They are giving us a course of sedatives to see if that stops them but due to them happening so suddenly and frequently they are thinking it could be a brain disease

Was going to suggest videoing on your phone to show the vet if it happens again. We have a dog with epilepsy who hasn't had another fit since starting meds, so hopefully a similar outcome for your lad.

Thanks again, yes the vet asked us to try and film it. Hopefully the meds will work 🤞

Oh bless him, fingers crossed the sedatives work for him.

Our tabby had that problem a few years ago (seizures, loss of bladder control, manic sprints, etc). He would literally bite himself on his booty to the point that he had a bald butt for a few months. We never figured out the cause, but the vet in our home country put him on a baby dose of Valium (yes, Valium) on lower amounts each month for about 6 months, and gradually he got better. He's still with us age 13 and as much of a diva as ever, so it does get better! MRIs weren't as expensive where I'm from tbf, so we were able to rule out anything more serious.

Whatever the outcome, lots of good wishes for you and your ginger man. When our fur children go through something like this, it's heartbreaking not to know how to help them.

My DSis had a cat with epilepsy, and it sounds similar. Agree with Stickytreacle that videoing an episode to show the vet is a good idea.

Thanks everyone
@CityGirlintheCountry it sounds very similar to what we are going through, glad the meds worked and I guess the sedative will be a similar thing
They do like to scare us!!
@Stickytreacle @Allergictoironing I will definitely try and film it if he has another. Thanks again everyone

Would you consider signing him over to a rescue centre? He needs proper investigation and treatment, unfortunately this costs money. The seizures and fits sound hugely distressing for him. If you get another pet, please see insurance as essential. As soon as you need specialist input, the bills will always run in to the thousands.

@CausingChaos2 of course we would do what is best for him.
We had insurance for a long time and then the company changed and we never redid it, just something we didn't think about as he has always been so healthy.
We feel so awful about it.
He is a very much loved part of our family

Sign him over to a rescue? Seriously?
MRIs are expensive and not all insurance policies would cover £4000, plus for an older animal exclusions and excesses can make it unviable anyway.
A rescue would probably have a wait and see approach or euthanise anyway, they are there to help animals in desperate need, not be dumped on because of expensive bills, or they would be unable to function, especially with an older animal that is aleeady in a loving home.
Insurance is good to have, if you cant afford expensive treatment, but doesn't always change the outcome. The vet will work with the owner to treat the animal as well as possible ubder the circumstances, so dont feel too bad op, sometimes I think we put our animals through too many invasive tests and treatments because of insurance anyway.

I’ve just had an MRI done on my dog and it cost a smidge over £2k including a consultation with a neurologist, plus a few nights of hospital care. Near London. Perhaps it would be worth shopping around OP. Some places will offer you a payment plan.

I’ve been involved in rescue all of my adult life sticky and if an MRI had been indicated it would be done. We wouldn’t write off a 10 y/o cat. An MRI isn’t an invasive test. I don’t know of any insurance companies refusing to pay out for one, providing the policy covers that amount. Insurance is essential unless you have very deep pockets. There’s a good reason that all reputable charities recommend and rehome their animals with complimentary insurance in place.

In this case the cat is still receiving medical care, I wouldn't be happy in donating to a charity taking in animals to cover vet tests when there are animals in dire need, that money could help dozens of needy animals.
An MRI will only show epilepsy caused by brain disease, treating and monitoring initially would be an option anyway, even if it isn't the gold standard.

Unfortunately even with strong meds he has 5 more seizures in the night. 3 small and 2 really big ones.
He is off to the vets this morning and I don't think it will be good news

An MRI will only show epilepsy caused by brain disease

If epilepsy is the cause yes. Which seems unclear. From the OPs post:

The bloods came back normal so the vets don't know what it is

Anyway, I’m not going to enter into a derailment of the OPs thread. I hope her cat is diagnosed quickly and able to recover.

Our lovely cat has passed away this morning
We are devastated

So sorry @alwaysscared xx

I’m so sorry to hear that. At least he’s not in distress anymore.

I’m so sorry to hear that your cat passed away @alwaysscared. It sounds like he was a much loved cat.

Thank you all

Very sorry to hear he hasn’t made it

Sorry to hear this. Glad he is at peace as it sounded very stressful for him and you all as well 😔

Sorry for your loss.

Been following your thread OP.
Very sorry he didn't make it