Sudden symptoms: Likely medical emergency

My 18 year old cat, in great shape for her age and non-symptomatic except vomiting every now and then, was sleeping on my lap today and asking for food. Then all of a sudden she jumped away (or rather fell) as if she had been stung or had a hairball, then she crouched very low (never seen it before) and quickly over the ground away from me and anxiously as if I had done something to her. Then she urinated what seemed uncontrollably; after which she started panting heavily with her mouth open (not good!). She was totally irresponsive to me, never had that before. I tried to reach out to her to take her to the vet immediately but she managed to run away to the neighbours. I saw her sitting there with the same symptoms as I walked towards her but then she went out of reach for me. It is night right now, I couldn't find her because she went to other gardens and there are a lot of bushes. Last I saw is that she jumped a wall. I am very concerned because of these symptoms as they certainly are a medical emergency, I will have to wait until sunrise to look for her but am afraid that I will find out that she has died. I really hate the fact that she was suffering so much. In the meantime I am trying to find out what might have caused these symptoms. As it is so sudden, what I read is that it can be heart failure or poisoning?

I don't know what this could be, but I am really sorry this is happening. Best of luck.

I hope you're able to find her quickly.  Sounds very scary.  Definitely need to get her to the vet ASAP when you find her.

Just to let you know, for people with cats and similar symptoms, I found her later tonight in our garden and she is a lot better as if nothing has happened. The symptoms she had were very serious and certainly seemed life-threatening. She was breathing very rapidly and shallow with her mouth open and saliva dripping, and she was totally irresponsive like I said. The symptoms must also have persisted for a long time as she came back 6 hours later which never happened before. I am going to have her checked out by a vet, it might be heart related or an allergic reaction but she is otherwise very healthy and athletic for her age.

Please let us know what the vet says! I'm very glad you found her.

I would ask for ultrasound of heart-it almost sounded like a seizure. the drooling sometimes could be heart attack. if they have ultrasound-get it done. I firmly believe in every cat getting one done as a baseline-Heart disease is not detected by xray or listening to it. This will show the inner structure of the heart and make sure its working well.

Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for seizures. Having the vet look the cat over is the smartest thing you can do but remember oftentimes with blood work done some things have no explanation. Keep us posted!

Dear all, it's been about a month since I posted here and I would like to give you an update in case other people experience similar symptoms in their cat.

So my cat returned at the time and she was okay. Then gradually over the last couple of weeks she started deteriorating rapidly in the sense that she lost vision and hearing. Her behaviour was quite normal but she started to bump into things (obviously) and became a bit lethargic. I also noticed some changes in her personality. Eating and drinking was still fine however, she asked for food as she usually did.

Since two days she has unfortunately become completely unresponsive; staring at the wall and sitting in corners (for hours), walking in circles, vomiting, not eating or drinking unless I put it right there in front of her (she eats/drinks, but only a little bit). Overall, it feels as if she is no longer in this world; her pupils are completely dilated as well. She does pur when sitting on my lap and she seems to find comfort in it and sleeps, but it could be interpreted in various ways. She does not seem to be in any pain and her breathing and heart rate are normal. She also still has quite a lot of power in her muscles, and can walk like any cat.

Now, given the developments I think that it is very likely that she had a stroke several weeks ago when I first posted here, causing her deterioration over the weeks; and likely she had another one two days ago. I have discussed the situation with the vet who concurs. She said retinal detachment is a possibility as well but given all of her symptoms and seeing videos of cats with strokes the symptoms are completely identical. It is not that common but does occur, especially in older cats and for some reason more often during summertime.

I have to say that it is a very stressful and anxious experience for me right now to see her like this, having lived with her for such a long time and loving her so much. I try to feed her and I do read that some cats show signs of recovery after some weeks and learn to live with the situation, but the blindness and deafness are absolutely permanent. It's a dilemma for me whether I should put her down or wait and see if there is any progress; I feel as if the first option is the right decision to make given the prognosis, but I do not want to be left with a feeling of guilt; just trying to find out what is best for her.

I am so sorry this has happened to your beloved kitty. You will make the best decision for her, whichever way you go. Hugs to you.

Sadly, I had her put down today at home; her condition seemed to worsen and it felt as if she no longer had the will to live. I feel absolutely horrible right now, mentally and physically devastated, it will be hard to get over this. I knew her so well and just loved her so much, she helped me get through difficult times and brought a lot of happiness in my life. Instead of focusing on the last few days, I feel like the best thing to do right now is to remember the great moments we shared in these past 18 years, we were inseparable. She lived a very happy and healthy 18 years, it couldn't get any better than that. Will miss her forever, RIP.

I am so sorry you lost her. Allow yourself to grieve - 18 years is a long time to spend with a best friend. Bless you. She is no longer suffering.

I am so so so sorry for your loss. (((hugs)))).