Did my cat have a stroke? help.

harhardf

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Last night my cat exhibited some very strange behaviour and its worrying me sick.  She was acting normal, running and playing with the other cat.  When i went into the kitchen she came with me like always, and jumped to the top of the fridge.  When i walked back into the kitchen a few minutes later, she had her left paw extended in the air(think hitler salute) and frozen with this very strange look in her eyes--pupils fully dilated.  i went to her and she dropped the paw.  Then she switched paws, picking up the left and holding it like it was hurt.  She tried walking but would not bear weight on the left paw.  I picked her up off the top of the fridge and took her into the bathroom where there was a soft rug to examine her paws.  My first thought was that she got a sliver of glass stuck inside and when i examined it, i couldnt see anything.

A few minutes later she got up and walked out like nothing.  She walked cautiously but came into the kitchen and ate a plate of food and then joined me on the couch, and later in bed.  This morning she woke up, vomited a small hair ball (no bile or anything else), went and ate two big plates for breakfast and went to the bathroom twice.  She is jumping and walking normally.  

I should mention she is in the middle of a massive herpes outbreak in her eyes, so she is receiving 1000-1500 mg of lysine daily.  We went on honeymoon 6 weeks and when we came back, it appears that the paid help didnt feed her well enough to get the lysine up to a sufficient level to prevent outbreak.

Any ideas on what this was?  I talked to the vet, they said "keep observing her".   help!!!!
 

margd

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 If your kitty had had a stroke, I don't think she would have had her paw extended into the air while it was happening.  I don't think she'd have the muscle strength to keep it in the air.  I'm saying this based on what happened when my cat Wesley had two strokes.  In both cases, his legs just collapsed. The first time he recovered but not the second.  I am not a vet or a medical professional so this is just a guess on my part.  You definitely do want to keep an eye out for anything else out of the ordinary.

Even if it wasn't a stroke, what you described does sound very strange. However,  it's not unusual for cats to stop, freeze and stare intently at something we don't see.  I'm wondering if what happened to your cat wasn't a form of that.  It can be very disconcerting when it happens but as far as I know, it's nothing to worry about.  That doesn't explain the sore paw, however.  Perhaps she had a bad landing when she landed on top of the refrigerator?   That would explain the brief period of limping and quick recovery. 

Of course, all these are just guesses.  I do wonder how old your girl is and if she has any other medical issues besides the herpes outbreak?   My Wesley was 19 at the time of his stroke and suffering from kidney disease but if your girl is young and healthy, that is another argument against the likelihood of it being a stroke.

 I really don't know if high amounts of lysine can cause these symptoms - hopefully, someone who is more experienced in the use of lysine will chime in.
 
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harhardf

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Thank you for your reply. Sorry to hear about Wesley.  Paloma is only 4 years now.  Very bad immune system, but no FIV or leukemia (has had all the tests under the sun from eyeball ultrasounds to biometrics).  Herpes is controlled with a small sprinkling of lysine every day, but I am wondering if I caused this by giving her too much lately.  We got back from honeymoon and her eye was so gunked up ( no cloudiness or uveitis thankfully) that I upped her lysine to a pretty heavy dose.   She has such a sensitive system, i may have overloaded her.   
 

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I missed the fact that you'd been on your honeymoon!  Congratulations!  

This thread might have some information that will help you:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240406/l-lysine-questions-please   The first two posts discuss how high is too high so it might reassure you.

Please let us know how Paloma (pretty name, btw) does.  I know I'm curious about what this might be and if you ever get a definitive answer, I'd like to know.
 
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harhardf

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Thank you.  I will definitely update the thread later today after I check on her.  Thank you again 
 

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If it happens again, take her to your vet right away to rule out nerve or neurological problems.

Otherwise, if she jumps directly to the floor from the fridge instead of using a countertop, don't let her do that - likewise, examine her claws for any signs she may have got one stuck in the hinge or rubber strip between the frame and door of the fridge.
 
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harhardf

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She takes two intermediate jumps first  (floor to table, table to shelf, shelf to fridge).  She is actually quite weak in the jumping department so she needs a lot of smaller ones.   I also thought that maybe she hurt her foot on the fridge door because thats where she was sitting with the paw out.  I thought maybe I shut it in the door, but she would have yelped or meowed.  She is not afraid to express discomfort in a vocal manner.   The strangest part was the look in her eyes (dilated pupils, a tad glassy and staring into space).  

I will def take her in if it happens again.  Maybe it was an absence seizure of sorts?  

Has anyone ever heard about cats mirroring their owners diseases?   I ask because between her and I there have been strange mirrors/sympathy pains.  Like when i had a horrible breakout, she developed cat acne on her chin.  When i have seizures (i am epileptic) she lays on my body the whole time and never leaves me.  When i have had a flu, she also seems to catch it and plays sick for a day or two until I show im better.   I have epilepsy and she seems sensitive to it...could she have been mirroring me?
 
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harhardf

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I examined her paw and saw nothing.  She has very long hair esp between her toes.   I even had my best friend who is a dermatologist run over to help me examine the pads and she saw nothing.  Also, I watched her for quite awhile to see if she would shake it, or clean it or do anything that indicated there was a disturbance there and nothing.  She held it like it was injured, and then all of the sudden it wasnt.   

note:  she can be a tad dramatic at times.  we have two cats and one is indestructible and Paloma is very very sensitive and "cautious".  
 

margd

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She takes two intermediate jumps first  (floor to table, table to shelf, shelf to fridge).  She is actually quite weak in the jumping department so she needs a lot of smaller ones.   I also thought that maybe she hurt her foot on the fridge door because thats where she was sitting with the paw out.  I thought maybe I shut it in the door, but she would have yelped or meowed.  She is not afraid to express discomfort in a vocal manner.   The strangest part was the look in her eyes (dilated pupils, a tad glassy and staring into space).  

I will def take her in if it happens again.  Maybe it was an absence seizure of sorts?  

Has anyone ever heard about cats mirroring their owners diseases?   I ask because between her and I there have been strange mirrors/sympathy pains.  Like when i had a horrible breakout, she developed cat acne on her chin.  When i have seizures (i am epileptic) she lays on my body the whole time and never leaves me.  When i have had a flu, she also seems to catch it and plays sick for a day or two until I show im better.   I have epilepsy and she seems sensitive to it...could she have been mirroring me?
I've not heard about cats mirroring their owner's diseases but cats very definitely are tuned into their human's health.   There are countless stories out there of cats suddenly paying a lot of attention to their human right before he or she comes down with a migraine or the flu.  There are even stories of unusual behavior right before their owner is diagnosed with cancer.  Dogs do this, as well.  As far as Paloma actually catching the flu when you do, it's more likely that she is keeping you company and nursing you.  

You might be interested in this article about a cat who predicts and warns his human that he's about to have a seizure.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5076338.stm    Here's another very short blurb about a different case:  https://www.purina.com/cats/getting-a-cat/how-can-cats-help-detect-seizures    

I don't know what to say about the acne.  That really is weird!  Usually, chin acne in cats is because they eat drink from plastic bowls. It's a bacterial infection so it seems unlikely there is a connection but stranger things have happened.  

About that strange look you describe in Paloma's eyes - I have seen that look as well in a cat.  I had a cat who would occasionally attack me in a case of redirected aggression.  That is exactly how his eyes looked before he went for me.  It's like a different part of the brain takes over for a moment.  I suppose that could happen for a number of reasons, including a seizure of some sort.  Or perhaps it was triggered by landing funny on her paw?  This may be one you never learn the answer to, but if you do, please let us know!
 
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harhardf

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A quick update on Paloma.  I backed off on the lysine and lowered her dose just in case I was overloading her system.  She was tired and sleeping at 2 PM when I went home and fairly normal in the evening.  She didnt engage in her normal chase and wrestle match with the other cat but she did play a bit with me.  This morning she was like a new cat.  The cats woke me up at 6:30 AM having their usual WWF Smackdown wrestlemania in my bed on top of me, and she seemed quite chipper.  Even her eye looked better.  I think I will keep the lysine at a low dose like normal.

I ran across this article and it gave me pause about the whole "you cannot overdose on lysine" rule.  Also, I know she has a very very sensitive system (vet even recommends no more vaccines for her cause she reacts so poorly to them).  http://www.catforum.com/forum/38-health-nutrition/239986-l-lysine-side-effects.html
 

margd

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What great news that Paloma is feeling better.   It sounds like the high lysine dose really might have been responsible.  Thank you for letting us know about that.  

Thank you also for the info on potential side-effects.   When I was looking for information on overdose symptoms or side-effects of lysine, I came across that and one other link that said the same thing.  I couldn't find an authoritative source, however, such as a research paper from a vet school.  On the other hand, that might be because the research hasn't been done.  This is clearly an area that could use a lot more attention.  
 
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