8yr old house cat unsteady on legs / other probs!

Hi, my 8 yr old female house cat Mia started being ill in November.  We first noticed her suddenly going off her back legs and her head a wobble to it.  Her appetite was depleting too (we didn't realise to what extent until a vet check 1.5kg loss in 2 yrs).  She has a sister (both born to a feral mother) who until 3 weeks ago lived in the same house (she is the other end of the weight spectrum - 5kg). 

The vet checked her bloods, urine heart rate etc which was very high but this could have been to her being a stress cat when at the vets.  She had her teeth descaled in Dec (lots of tartar build up) and began eating more but not a great deal.  We noticed when she came round from the op, her tail was bent back along her back and hasn't rectified since.  we also think she is now deaf - absolutely NO response to noise.

January - we took her back to the vets after she hadn't been to the toilet for a week (the vet wasn't too concerned to begin with).  A few days later, we were so worried (no appetite, sleeping all day, hiding) we took her to see another vet who insisted she stayed in for a number of treatments - enema, hydration (she doesn't drink), xray on back legs, heart scan and thyroid test.  They cleared her out and dosed her up with pain relief.  Thyroid came back negative; heart scan fine - no thickening of the wall.  We were advised to separate the sisters as the vet felt the poorly cat was stressed with the other's dominance of territory and food.

Since Jan, she has been on Laxapet, Metcam and mirtazapine.  She eats a little more but no more than 2 wet pouches per day  She still doesn't drink so we mix water with food.    I'm still really worried that something has been missed.  She stumbles regularly, she won't jump up anymore and although she seems happier and less anxious, I'm sure she still isn't right. 

Does anyone advice or answers?  Should I be pushing for more help from the vet or is this just one of those age things?   Thanks.

I am wondering if she had a stroke. It does sound neurological. I don't think there is any test other than a very expensive scan that could detect it.

Hmm, the vet did mention that as a possibility.  I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do.  Other than regular medication reviews and weight checks, the vets haven't suggested any other plans.  I hate seeing her like this :-(   Thanks for your response.

hi and welcome to TCS!

i'm so sorry your girl is having these issues. 

may i ask for more details about her tail? am i understanding correctly that your girl's tail is basically laying up along her back? does she seem to experience any pain or discomfort with her tail -- like if you pet it or touch it? does she/can she move her tail?

one symptom of a tail injury can be issues with the back legs, balance, or walking. there are also varying degrees of severity with tail injuries.

Thanks for the welcome! 

The tail issue was only apparent after her teeth op.  I thought she's just been lying on it funny.  To begin with it was bent back along her back as in the question mark position.  Now she seems to prefer it to rest over the left side. No discomfort. It moves normally.

AnnaM4 said:

 
Thanks for the welcome! 

The tail issue was only apparent after her teeth op.  I thought she's just been lying on it funny.  To begin with it was bent back along her back as in the question mark position.  Now she seems to prefer it to rest over the left side. No discomfort. It moves normally.

Click to expand...

now, this may not be the same thing/medical issue as your girl is having, but might be something to discuss with your vet.

Dr. Kris is a vet and a while back he was a (guest) Expert here on The Cat Site. his cat, Zack, experienced similar issues as your girl. this video, at Dr. Kris' website, is about the diagnosis and treatments Zack received -- http://www.iwillhelpyourcat.com/videos/#/pain-management-stroke-back-pain-and-ataxia/

i also want to add that you can ask Dr. Kris a question about your cat's medical issue at his website, here -- http://www.iwillhelpyourcat.com/dr-kris-qa/

@AnnaM4 -- i just wanted to check on you and your Mia...

Thanks for the video link. That is so Mia, just not as unsteady in the legs. Video made me cry :-( She's had a terrible night. Gave her a 15mg tab of appetite stim and she's been waiting for 12 hours now. She seems so woozy, can't steady herself and heads is wobbling, back to the vets tonight :-( thank you for asking, I do appreciate it.

Update: wailing didn't stop all day. Couldn't walk without falling, Took her to the vets this evening who admitted they have advised the totally wrong dose of Mirtazapine. Far too much for a cat. They kindly offered to take her in for the night for monitoring free of charge - I wouldn't trust them with a doll, let alone an already poorly cat.

Oh No!! I'm so sorry your kitty was overdosed! Honestly, I can't believe they admitted it... Wow! How are you doing? Did you take her to another vet?

Omg. I just read this in horror. They should pay for any vet of your choice right now, if they have any ethics.

What is the normal dose and how much did she receive? Will she need a antidote? What if any long term damages from this stuff?

Save all your prescriptions; don't throw anything out.

Please update us. Are you bringing Mia to a different vet right away?

I've brought her home after an hour long consultation with yet another different vet with whom I talked about the history of Mia's problems.

It was me who suggested that the different type of mirtazapine tablet might have been the wrong dose. She phone the head vet at home to check the dosage of the original batch, which she wasn't sure as there were no records on file of dose, just number of tablets issued. After googling side effects and dosage, the head vet admitted they had not checked correct dose and yes, she was in overdose. Guidance states 1/8 of a 15mg tab for small cats. I was given 15mg every other day. The new vet that I saw was not aware of any antidote or any further information on possible long term side effects. to be honest, I don't think they know their arse from their elbow.

After monitoring her closely and keeping her out of harms way, she is quieter now but still appears drunk. I will be taking her to another vet asap.

Needless to say, I didnt pay for tonight's consultation and have taken copies of a complaints form, Mia's history and names of vets that have been dealing with her. I am so cross. She's already a very poorly cat and really could do without any extra complications.

Thanks for your support everybody X

oh no!!! no poor Mia, I can't believe how often this happens, I hope she recovers completely from this. Did they mention any possible long term side effects? This really makes me mad !!!!! 

Wow that is terrible!! I hope she's ok!! How is she doing?

(I have a Mia too)

WOW!  Talk about negligence!  I would think sub-q fluids would help flush it out of her system.  Poor baby!  Hope she's okay.

How is Mia doing?

Thinking of you, hope Mia is doing ok.

Update:

After vets / managers being less than helpful with a plan (and avoiding my calls and visits) I took Mia to a different local vets. Very quickly, he was able to summise that Mia has most probably had a haemorrhage or a thrombosis on the brain either from a fall or poss a stroke. He told me to stop metacam and appetite stimulants immediately. Gave a shot of steroids on Friday and since then I'm pleased to report that she is like a different cat - sleeping less, much more alert, seems much happier and... She's finally eating! She's even willing to have a little play!


I'm hoping for the best with this new plan of regular steroids and have every faith in the new vets practice (much more professional and so much cheaper thank goodness). I'm a little perplexed as to why none of the other 6 vets I have seen since November haven't even mentioned the diagnosis or treatment.

What a wonderful update. Thank heavens you finally found a vet who understood what was going on.  Fingers crossed that Mia keeps improving.