Confusing condition

Hello all. Not sure how the search function works on here,so im just gonna post my question. Hope yas dont mind. So here goes nothing.

About a month ago,I woke up to my cat Sweetie in my moms room on the floor not moving very much,breathing heavily and crying. I had no clue what was wrong,whether he fell,was injured,or what. When he walked,or tried to it was very slowly and close to the ground. My sister and I took him to the e-vet as it was a sunday he was like this. The vet there thought he mightve hurt his back. She prescribed a pain med for him. We took him home,he was on his pain meds for a week,was a very good boy about it. After that week he seemed to be back to his normal self. Then about a week or so later,he was acting the same way. Not wanting to move much,crying,breathing heavily,etc. Off to a regular vet,my sisters work in fact. We got all the way there,vet checked him out,couldnt find anything wrong with him. He was acting fine by the time we got there. Baffled all of us for sure. That vet said maybe he just turned the wrong way and kinda made his back hurt for a bit.

So today which is a couple weeks later,he started acting funny again. All day he seemed fine,running around,playing,saying hi to me. All normal stuff. Mom and I went out for a bit. We came back and I noticed he was walking funny again. He went off to hide as cats do when somethings wrong. I followed him and was just watching him. He was having a hard time once again breathing,moving,all that. He was like that for about half an hour,then got up,ate,drank back to his normal self. Although the rest of the night he stayed under my feet at my computer desk which he rarely does.

All this time he is eating and drinking normally,going potty. We do have another cat so it can be hard to tell who did what in the litter box. Also not really possible to keep him locked up, as he absolutely hates it. So just wondering if anyone would have a clue as to what is going on with him. I will be calling my other vet,who sees my bunnys and guinea pigs,she sees cats & dogs too,so maybe she can figure something out. It just seems odd that this keeps happening,three seperate times now,then goes away. I tried looking it up online but havent come up with much. Only thing i could really find was a potassium defiency. Hopefully this other vet can figure something out,but I dont know since he rarely shows his symptoms by the time we get there. Very confusing and worrysome.

One more thing he did today,that i didnt really notice before. When he was laying down,while still feeling off,he was doing this head sway thing.Like he was moving his head back and forth but very slowly. I dont know if that could be something else,or something all together. Maybe some neurological?
I realize nobody here is a vet and cant really diagnose him but hoping someone has an idea.

Definitely sounds like he needs a full work up, including blood work.

Does he go outside? Considering your area, I do wonder about Lyme disease...

We dont let him outside,but every now and again (has been awhile) he manages to run out on us. He is up to date on shots too.

How old is Sweetie?

Were any xrays of the spine done? (you'd think that would be the first thing a Vet would do, if a spinal injury was suspected, sheesh!) I'd recommend these be done.

I don't know if cats ever have issues with the discs in their spines like humans do, but the symptoms you described, when he has these episodes, made me think of that - maybe he was having a major muscle spasm in his back? I know when I've had them, the pain impacts my breathing, that's for sure!

If these episodes occur in the future, is it possible to videotape them? Do you have access to a digital camera that has a video function on it? That way you could at least "show" a Vet what kitty looks like when this happens.

Doesn't sound like symptoms of a potassium deficiency - and if that was the case, kitty wouldn't have sporadic episodes.......they'd be there all the time (and usually the sign of low potassium is profound hindleg weakness, lethargy, lack of appetite, generalized weakness)

Oh okay thanks food lady. Nope nobody did xrays,the e-vet suggested it but said to take him to the regular vet for that. The one i went to couldnt find anything wrong by the time we got there,so he didnt see a need for it. Hmm thats a good idea! Yes i have a digital camera I could use. I never know when he is going to have another episode,its been awhile since his last one,but ill keep that camera in mind for next time. Even though I hope it doesnt happen again. So yup I will ask the vet to do xrays,plus since this has happened several times now,still cant be nothing wrong,right?

Well without "seeing it" it certainly doesn't sound usual or normal, no.

Have you buy any chance used any kind of store-bought flea or worm medications prior to the time this started? - like flea spray, flea bath shampoo, flea collar, any kind of stuff like this?

Nope no flea or worm stuff. He got his shots back in july i believe. Other than that,nothing i can think of. Oh as for his age,he will be 4 soon. Sorry i forgot to answer that before.

Just a thought...do you have any toxic house plants he could have gotten into? A suprising number of run-of-the-mill house plants are toxic to kitties.

http://198.60.22.4/~emailbox/plants.htm

Nah no plants inside. None outside either since winter is almost here. Most he has ever eaten from the outside is a leaf but he normally throws that right up cause i guess they arent that tasty after all. Other than that he does nibble on my rabbits hay,but i dont see that causing a problem,should be good for him its fiber after all!

well he has an appointment at 345 so lets hope they can figure something out. This morning he went to the litterbox but didnt go in it,peed on the floor and cried while doing so. So another problem now? Ugh.

Aww, poor kitty. So glad you've got a vet appt for this afternoon. Sounds like he could have a urinary tract infection, or perhaps crystals in his urine. Keep us posted!

If your vet can't find the problem, I'd suggest going to a second vet (maybe at a veterinary school). It really does sound like something medically wrong, not behavioral. It might be something with the heart, lungs, diabetes, neurological, injury... but really only a vet and proper testing could determine what.

I have to say that I'm shocked the e-vet wouldn't do an x-ray? I always think of e-vets as having some of the best technology and the best trained vets, but maybe that is just because the e-vet in my area is also the specialty referal vet. I have no idea what it could be, but I'm glad your taking him to the vet. I hope it's nothing too serious.

Has your vet checked for inner-ear problems? This is kind of how one of my cats acted when she had an Inner ear infection. Even after the infection was cleared she would shake her head from time to time. She walked funny because of the pain and co-ordination problems. Breathing hard can also be from pain. Have seizures been ruled out also?

I can't suggest what may be wrong, I sure hope they find out and get it cured.

I want to say how pleased I am to see that you took the responsible route and took your kitty to the Vet as soon as possible. That is so wise!

Do keep us posted.

My Vet did say that a cat can rupture or hurt a disc in their spine. My Phoebe is only 12, but has been slightly incapacitated for a few years now due to some sort of back ailment. It's not so bad that she can't get around, but she sure isn't as spry as she should be for her age. Other than that..she eats well, gives the kittens 'heck' when they deserve it, goes up and down stairs, uses the litter box, etc. It isn't a death sentence.

Let's hope that your kitty has many more healthy years ahead of him!!

Originally Posted by Lovemypets81

well he has an appointment at 345 so lets hope they can figure something out. This morning he went to the litterbox but didnt go in it,peed on the floor and cried while doing so. So another problem now? Ugh.

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Perhaps it's been a urinary problem all along. If he has crystals moving around in his bladder, kidneys, ureters and urethra, they could cause pain that would spontaneously resolve as the crystal moved. Crystals would also explain why he's crying when he tries to pee.

Good luck at the vet!

My cat who gets blocked from crystals in his urine often will walk very funny when he is in pain. While you are at the vet, they can do a bladder ultrasound to see if he has a problem with that.

Keep us posted on what you find out this afternoon?

hmm thanks everyone! Yeah the evet suggested an xray but didnt do it. She said if it happens again bring him to my regular vet. She just gave me pain meds,and said down below did look irritated,possible infection starting but didnt give me anything for that. So I dont know if maybe it is crystals all along,or a combination of things or what.

Yah I always keep an eye on my pets and i know when something is not right,so I do what i have to for them. I have other animals other than cats,so I dont play around when something is wrong with one of them. They are such delicate creatures and someone has to help them.

This is the third vet he is going to,counting the evet. Second vet didnt do anything other than check his bladder and do a physical exam. Said he saw nothing wrong and cant really do anything if he cant see what he does in these episodes.

So yes i will be back later to let you know what they find or dont find. Im going to take the paperwork from the evet visit,so i have proof of his back issues and what took for it. Thanks again!

I am so sorry that Sweetie is going through this.....
you are doing the right thing by being assertive,
this is a problem that needs to be diagnosed and treated.

I hope that you get some answers today.

Sending healing vibes to Sweetie.

Thanks xocats. Well I went and they are keeping him overnight. I told her everything thats been happening up to date. She is a really good vet,she takes good care of my rabbits so I decided to go to her with my cats. She needs to get a urine sample but there was nothing in there. So there is no bladder problem but she is gonna keep him so she can get some urine and have it tested. She did the physical exam,and found the spot that hurts him. It so happens that its where his kidneys are sitting. So therefor she thinks it might be kidney stones. We shall see what they find tomorrow. Im working,so my mom and dad have to pick him up. He gonna be one unhappy kitty for sure! But they will keep him in a nice comfy cage,its a big one like for doggies. So he wont be cramped.

Yah,I figured I had to be like that cause i knew something was wrong and was tired of vets telling me oh its just a back issue or theres nothing. Cause i know my kitty and i know when hes not feeling good. To see him the way he was in those episodes or whatever you want to call them,was very scary and heartbreaking. How could one just let their pets suffer like that? Thats just cruel. So anywho. Ill let ya know when i get him back and whats gonna happen. Thanks again everyone,you guys are great!!!