Feline Stroke. Please Help!

[FeebysOwner]

Now, I am looking for ramps with banisters/sides!!!

 

[Shari and Coco]

Now, I am looking for ramps with banisters/sides!!!

Ha! You guys all rock! I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed and worried and now feel a bit more centered as to what to expect… I’m a nurse but this is a whole new ball game for me

 

[Shari and Coco]

 

[FeebysOwner]

She is SO pretty! Don't know what kind of nurse you are, but most of you are all pretty creative (I have a sister and a niece that are nurses - so I know)!! When you can take a moment here and there to put on your 'nursing cap' and turn off your subjective side (so hard to do), you can probably come up with more stuff to help Coco!

 

[vansX2]

Hello
My cat had a stroke on Tuesday night
No use of her front legs
Head tilting
Weak neck
But in the last day or so she has started walking
Wobbly and weak but walking
She eats drinks uses the litter box we have in her crate which is shallow. Im
Just wondering going forward what yo expect. She is quite cranky at times. Are her deficits that we see permanent? How can we help her physically with exercises? She is a beautiful 14 year old calico. Inside cat. Would love any ideas at this point as our vet wants to give her only a few days to see how she is before deciding to put her down.

This is her last night using her front legs

About 15 yrs. ago I had a 4 yr old male Maine Coon. I rescued him from a nasty family. A few days after the rescue and a Veterinarian visit. I learn that (Smokey) as had a heart murmur. The Veterinarian said that he could die the next day or years later. Smokey made it 11 months in my care. He suffered a stroke. That affected his rear legs. The Veterinarian said if he didn't improve in a couple of days , have him put to sleep. He didn't improve, so he went to cat heaven. I just accepted the fact that he had used up his 9th life.

 

[Shari and Coco]

View attachment 412904View attachment 412904

Didn’t mean to post both ooops
She is starting to hold her head up…not as high as hopefully she will

 

[Shari and Coco]

She is SO pretty! Don't know what kind of nurse you are, but most of you are all pretty creative (I have a sister and a niece that are nurses - so I know)!! When you can take a moment here and there to put on your 'nursing cap' and turn off your subjective side (so hard to do), you can probably come up with more stuff to help Coco!

Thank you…well she’s purring up a storm right now…haven’t heard that today so that makes my heart happy…‍🩹

 

[di and bob]

To me it sounds like she has had MANY small improvements. It's only been days and look how far she's come! Come on Coco!

 

[Margot Lane]

Purring is healing. I wish we could purr. I am so proud of you both for the way you are dealing with this monumental time…thank you for sharing and I hope you continue to, as this thread could help many others.

 

[Shari and Coco]

Purring is healing. I wish we could purr. I am so proud of you both for the way you are dealing with this monumental time…thank you for sharing and I hope you continue to, as this thread could help many others.

Thank you! I hope so too, as it’s very overwhelming and to have others to talk to makes the journey that much easier ‍🩹

 

[Shari and Coco]

To me it sounds like she has had MANY small improvements. It's only been days and look how far she's come! Come on Coco!

‍🩹

 

[Shari and Coco]

She is SO pretty! Don't know what kind of nurse you are, but most of you are all pretty creative (I have a sister and a niece that are nurses - so I know)!! When you can take a moment here and there to put on your 'nursing cap' and turn off your subjective side (so hard to do), you can probably come up with more stuff to help Coco!

Community nurse specializing in wound and palliative care

 

[theyremine]

What was the cat like at first? Mine is so wobbly weak and grumpy

His back legs didn't work at all. He couldn't lift his body off the ground.

 

[di and bob]

She is grumpy because she is not feeling good. Just like us. Her mood will improve as she does.

 

[Shari and Coco]

Omg
Well this morning she was at the door of her crate, ( she has chosen her crate over anywhere since we brought her home as her safe place) when my son opened the door she wobbled over to her pouf and somehow crawled up on it and got into her favorite mom/coco chair…like what? And the Oliver decided to move in…everyday brings crazy changes… from finding her writhing on the floor with her tongue hanging out, no weight bearing for three days, and very depressed to jumping/ climbing somehow this morning to her favorite chair!

 

[di and bob]

I'm so very happy for you both, thanks so much for the good news!

 

[Shari and Coco]

Without getting an mri which costs a whole bunch we are without evidence as to why she had a stroke in the first place
Liver heart and kidney function fine…
So I’ve been told post a fall a cat can develop a clot at the place of injury. A month ago coco tried to jump on a bar stool and missed and fell on her hip… she let out quite the yowl and we watched her for a few days…nothing suspected so we kind of forgot about it. But I’ve heard that cats can throw clots from old injuries…anyone else hear if this…trying to prevent another stroke if at all possible

 

[fionasmom]

In humans, this can happen. A fall can lead to a minor clot, which may dissolve on its own, or can develop into DVT which would be very serious. If this breaks loose and travels, there can be complications like strokes. MRIs are very expensive. Talk to your vet about this at least. He should have some experience with the likelihood of this occurring, how hard the fall or strike has to be, and if there is anything that can be done as a precaution. I don't know how likely the chances are of this happening which could be a big part of the question.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I by no means have a medical degree, but I do believe most injury related clots in the body might more likely cause a DVT or a heart attack as they travel through blood vessels back to the heart/lungs for re-oxygenation. So, I think the blood/clot would have to go through this process before re-oxygenated blood would reach the brain. Yes, a heart attack can lead to a stroke due to the loss of adequate blood supply to the brain, but for all intents and purposes there should be heart/lung damage apparent, as the clot at least semi-blocked blood supply to the brain. I am sure I don't know all the possibilities, of course.

If nothing else the vet could listen with a stethoscope to check for adequate blood flow in Coco's extremities. But I would also ask the vet what their opinion is of your theory. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid or a D-dimer blood test that looks for the breakdown of abnormal blood clots within the body might also be helpful and are probably cheaper than an MRI or CT scan. Again, that is a discussion to have with your vet who has medical training I do not.

Sorry - kind of a bit of a repeat from fionasmom - we were typing at the same time!

 

[Shari and Coco]

In humans, this can happen. A fall can lead to a minor clot, which may dissolve on its own, or can develop into DVT which would be very serious. If this breaks loose and travels, there can be complications like strokes. MRIs are very expensive. Talk to your vet about this at least. He should have some experience with the likelihood of this occurring, how hard the fall or strike has to be, and if there is anything that can be done as a precaution. I don't know how likely the chances are of this happening which could be a big part of the question.

Yes vet feels stroke based on all her symptoms
She needs her gabapentin to keep her mobile so pain is still an issue but she was in basement in front of fire last night then when we weren’t watching my son called out that she had gone upstairs I’m like what? So didn’t see it happen but she was able to walk up the stairs!!