Follow up & Questions

[Integra]

Hello everyone! I am back with a follow up and more questions since my last post here Need advice/help with two Elderly cats



I was so grateful for all the help and wanted to report on how my girls are doing, as well as ask another question(s) for their health.



Then to start, my oldest who is 17- here is a wonderful picture of her.

I had reported previously that she was falling over when trying to groom/scratch herself with her back legs—and this only came about after her second stroke or vestibular incident (we cannot be certain which it was but vet seems to think she’s had two strokes). I’ve been doing red light therapy with her as well as getting her to walk on a giant cat wheel and along with her own little determination, her back legs are recovering well. She cannot move the cat wheel on her own so I move it for her and she enjoys scratching, walking, and of course sleeping in it. She’s now able to scratch/groom without falling over—most of the time. She occasionally will kinda tip over a little, but it’s such an improvement I’ve been so happy to see it! As I mentioned in the previous post, I know this was a direct result of either her vestibular/stroke incident since she didn’t have this issue before then.



However since I last reported about trying to get her an X-ray she has, four times now, evaded getting an X-ray because I guess she’s used to the gabapentin (that’s used to keep her calm at the vet) since she once again flipped out at the vet and they couldn’t get an X-ray on her chest or those back legs so I had to reschedule for the fifth time—until i can get an X-ray on her I won’t know if there actually is something physically wrong with her back legs. The vet said it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start giving her hip/joint supplements just in case but my issue here is all the ones I’ve found have fish in it and she is allergic to fish, are there any joint supplements out there without fish in them?



Now onto my main concern— I found out she is now developing cataracts. Since its uncommon for cats to get them there has to be an underlying issue and that concerns me. I wanted to know if anyone had any advice for her or anything I can do to help her? Of course surgery and the like is out of the question due to her age and kidney disease (again, she only has one kidney). This was definitely a blow to me seeing as how I was finally getting her back legs to exhibit strength again but I want to do everything I can for her. The vet did say however that she can still see thru to her lens and it’s only developing on the outer sides of her eyes so it’s going to be a slow and gradual build up. Any advice for her would be extremely appreciated.



For my younger cat who will be 14 later this year I had mentioned in the previous post about her overgrooming and I couldn’t find the cause. Well I think I found the cause—we live in the ‘countryside and we have well water. The water softener had not been working properly for weeks and we didn’t know until we went to refill the salt. Now we are getting a brand new one and having it installed soon. My younger cat had been placed on steroids and treated for UTIs initially to no avail but she’s been on daily allergy meds which have helped tremendously—her fur has almost completely grown back! Its not 100% yet however that does confirm the allergy presence. Im pretty sure it’s the water because it’s been irritating my skin too, and I know she already had sensitive skin as she had previous allergies from plastic water fountains causing bumps on her chin. So once we get our water softener fixed and rewash everything I’m hoping she will no longer need the allergy meds but will wean her off them at the vets discretion. Here is a picture before the overgrooming started



To what she looked like while overgrooming



And now with the medicine



I’ll be happy to (hopefully!) see her fur return to its full fluff once the water softener is fixed.





Also, Thanks to the suggestion of FeebysOwner — I’ve been using D-Mannose on both my girls and they’ve both seen reduced kidney values at the vet since introducing this to their food daily! This seems like a game changer for them *knocks on wood* so I’m very grateful to have learned about this.



Any other suggestions or advice you can give to help my girls and make their life better would once again be greatly appreciated, especially with my older cat and her newly diagnosed cataracts and finding a fish free joint supplement for her.

Well, I don’t see the option to edit my post so let me just drop the pics here,

here’s another pic of my 17yo

here she is in her cat wheel

here is my younger cat, she will be 14 in December. This is her before the overgrooming

What the overgrooming looked like, it was worse on her sides

To what she looks like now

Here are both my girls helping assemble a cabinet, you can see her side fur has grown back

 

[Integra]

ok that should be it from me sorry for the multiple posts but I don’t see the option to edit my post, according to the rules I should’ve already been able to? But it’s not a big deal to me, any suggestions on how to help my girls would be appreciated.

 

[Mighty Orange]

I would suggest Cosequin Amazon Cosequin


What does Boswellia do for cats?


It is great for osteoarthritis since it reduces inflammation of the joints. It is also beneficial for treating some digestive disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome and other forms of gastric irritation. Furthermore, it can be used to help with many skin issues.

I use Boswellia for Rheumatoid Arthritis

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I don't know anything about cataracts, so can't help there. Have you considered consulting with a vet who specializes in ophthalmology?

For the arthritis, talk to the vet about Adequan or Solensia. Both are injections for arthritis. Cosequin and another common oral joint supplement, called Dasuquin, contain shellfish (glucosamine), so I suspect those are 'out' as options.
Adequan® (Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan) | PetMD
Solensia for Cats™ (frunevetmab injection)| Cat Medication: PetMD | PetMD

I hope the water softener changes help with your younger cat!

P.S. I think you have to have more than 20 posts to be able to edit. Promotions and Benefits | TheCatSite

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I am very concerned with the dilated pupils on your 17 year old. Is there any way you can have her blood pressure checked? It would have to be done at a vets office.

The current vet you use, are they feline only? I ask this because feline only hospitals are better equipped to handle cats that get upset.

The appearance of the eyes, time ( not a vet) look like much more than cataracts. A blood pressure really needs to be checked.ASAP.
Can this cat see at all?

 

[Integra]

I would suggest Cosequin Amazon Cosequin


What does Boswellia do for cats?


It is great for osteoarthritis since it reduces inflammation of the joints. It is also beneficial for treating some digestive disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome and other forms of gastric irritation. Furthermore, it can be used to help with many skin issues.

I use Boswellia for Rheumatoid Arthritis

thank you! I will

I would suggest Cosequin Amazon Cosequin


What does Boswellia do for cats?


It is great for osteoarthritis since it reduces inflammation of the joints. It is also beneficial for treating some digestive disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome and other forms of gastric irritation. Furthermore, it can be used to help with many skin issues.

I use Boswellia for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Thank you! The ingredients suggest it’s fish free, so I’ll check with my vet if it’s ok to give to her.

 

[Integra]

Hi. I don't know anything about cataracts, so can't help there. Have you considered consulting with a vet who specializes in ophthalmology?

For the arthritis, talk to the vet about Adequan or Solensia. Both are injections for arthritis. Cosequin and another common oral joint supplement, called Dasuquin, contain shellfish (glucosamine), so I suspect those are 'out' as options.
Adequan® (Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan) | PetMD
Solensia for Cats™ (frunevetmab injection)| Cat Medication: PetMD | PetMD

I hope the water softener changes help with your younger cat!

P.S. I think you have to have more than 20 posts to be able to edit. Promotions and Benefits | TheCatSite

I haven’t checked into a specialized vet yet, a big issue with her is that she flips out at the vet unless I give her enough gabapentin beforehand to knock her out and make her calmer for her visit. The last few times she freak out out at the vet even with the gabapentin so an X-ray could not be done. They had to get the gloves out to get her back into the carrier. She became extremely vicious and aggressive. It’s tough getting her to a vet because of this.

The vet actually did suggest some shots for her but only after we could establish that she does indeed have arthritis or joint issues. But again, the problem is that we can’t get an X-ray on her because she becomes too aggravated. This actually only became an issue within the past year—previous vet visits she did just fine. And yeah, anything with fish is unfortunately out.

 

[Integra]

Hi. I am very concerned with the dilated pupils on your 17 year old. Is there any way you can have her blood pressure checked? It would have to be done at a vets office.

The current vet you use, are they feline only? I ask this because feline only hospitals are better equipped to handle cats that get upset.

The appearance of the eyes, time ( not a vet) look like much more than cataracts. A blood pressure really needs to be checked.ASAP.
Can this cat see at all?

The vet did mention this as well, but her eyes being like that are in fact a direct result of the stroke/vestibular incident she had last year, as well as her kidney disease being a contributing factor. Within the past year she’s become more aggressive at the vet so I have been having to give her gabapentin to calm her down. It worked fine for awhile but now the past couple visits she’s become extremely agitated to the point they have to stop the exam and get the gloves on to get her back into the carrier. Then when she gets home she just sleeps on me all day but does still cry for food. So this makes it extremely difficult to get anything checked. I have another appointment to get her back in to try yet again for another X-ray and check her blood pressure. Is there anyway I can check it at home? She’s a sweetheart at home and very mischievous but once she’s at the vet…without enough gabapentin she is not a happy girl.

She can see fine yes, the vet said she can see through her lens so it’s not bad yet, but she definitely has cataracts. This vet is not feline only, but I’ve been with her for years and trust her. She’s a very long time experienced vet.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Hi. I am very concerned with the dilated pupils on your 17 year old. Is there any way you can have her blood pressure checked? It would have to be done at a vets office.

The current vet you use, are they feline only? I ask this because feline only hospitals are better equipped to handle cats that get upset.

The appearance of the eyes, time ( not a vet) look like much more than cataracts. A blood pressure really needs to be checked.ASAP.
Can this cat see at all?

I Integra This was the first thing I noticed as well. I understand you said it is a result from her vestibular event/stroke.. you said the vet mentioned her pupils being dialated.. what exactly was said about it?

High blood pressure can cause a stroke.. I would definitely have them check her blood pressure. This is kind of concerning to me personally that they have not yet checked her blood pressure.

What dosage is her gabapentin and how long before her appointment are you giving it to her?

 

[Integra]

I Integra This was the first thing I noticed as well. I understand you said it is a result from her vestibular event/stroke.. you said the vet mentioned her pupils being dialated.. what exactly was said about it?

High blood pressure can cause a stroke.. I would definitely have them check her blood pressure. This is kind of concerning to me personally that they have not yet checked her blood pressure.

What dosage is her gabapentin and how long before her appointment are you giving it to her?

At her last visit the vet noted the cataracts and said she may have high blood pressure but it was impossible to check due to her agitation. When she had her second stroke/vestibular incident in April, she got full blood work which was all fine, including thyroids and negative for diabetes. I would imagine her blood work then tested for hypertension as well? And also when she had her first stroke/vestibular incident last March. Also it should be noted she does not always have this big button eyes, that seems to only happen when she’s pawing at me for attention or when she’s begging for food, even falling asleep. Normally her eyes do look like this

This is her right now in the low light of my bedroom. When she’s in sunlight she squints her eyes and they constrict just a little more than what you see above, otherwise they usually stay like this below but again, when she’s playful, falling asleep, begging for food or attention her eyes revert to this; here she is pawing at me to stop my game and pay attention to her lol

It’s definitely a concern now that you’ve both mentioned it along wi the my vet and I will be asking the vet to check it out at her next visit and X-ray attempt. Is there anything I can give her for high BP (aside from any Rx that might help her if she does have it? Would the past full blood work results have shown she has hypertension?

Half a capsule of gabapentin is given at midnight before her visit and the other half 1.5hrs before her visit.

 

[Integra]

I wish I could edit lol please excuse the grammar mistakes and just to reiterate from that last post her eyes normally are what you see in the first pic and the second pic is what her eyes look like when she’s playful/begging for food/attention, etc.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I do not believe anything within the blood work would identify hypertension. It is generally identified through a BP check; and it is usually best to have it checked at least twice - on two separate occasions - with each occasion involving 3 readings to ensure it is accurate.

You will have a problem with getting this done based on what you have described about her. There are BP monitors you can buy to use at home, but there is a learning curve to using them and most are not as accurate as what is used in the vet's office - that is assuming the vet or vet tech performing the check has some experience under their belt with using a monitor.

Do you think your cat do better with a vet who does in-home visits for some of the more 'basic' things?

I wouldn't worry about her eyes/pupil size other than discussing it with the vet. It may not be anything. My cat (19+ yo) has a condition that impedes her pupils from restricting as they should, but she can see fine and there is no treatment for it. She also has high BP (and being treated for it) but the two conditions are unrelated.

Btw, you are just a few posts away from being able to edit (see link I provided in Post #6 above)!!

 

[Integra]

I do not believe anything within the blood work would identify hypertension. It is generally identified through a BP check; and it is usually best to have it checked at least twice - on two separate occasions - with each occasion involving 3 readings to ensure it is accurate.

You will have a problem with getting this done based on what you have described about her. There are BP monitors you can buy to use at home, but there is a learning curve to using them and most are not as accurate as what is used in the vet's office - that is assuming the vet or vet tech performing the check has some experience under their belt with using a monitor.

Do you think your cat do better with a vet who does in-home visits for some of the more 'basic' things?

I wouldn't worry about her eyes/pupil size other than discussing it with the vet. It may not be anything. My cat (19+ yo) has a condition that impedes her pupils from restricting as they should, but she can see fine and there is no treatment for it. She also has high BP (and being treated for it) but the two conditions are unrelated.

Btw, you are just a few posts away from being able to edit (see link I provided in Post #6 above)!!

I see! I was pretty worried since two people here mentioned it, but the only time my vet ever mentioned high blood pressure was her last visit when she noted the cataracts. I would’ve assumed that she would checked for that before if it had been a concern, it’s certainly not something I had ever heard of. Is there anything that can cause high BP or anything I can do to prevent it just in case? If it’s a cause for concern in older kidney cats I’d certainly like to avoid it. But then that’s another issue….she’s given gabapentin to calm her down, will that affect the BP results?
I actually tried once to see if my vet did home visits when it was time to put my 18yo dog to sleep (he was suffering with kidney disease and cancer, but in the end it’s the kidney disease that killed him, that’s why I take my girls to get kidney checks every 6 months—I’ve seen how quickly kidney disease can kill and how bad it is), but unfortunately there’s something within our state? that has strict stipulations on vet home visits so it’s not something I can do…I don’t think. My dog passed at the beginning of covid so maybe that was why. I’ll have to check again.
But yes, the vet never mentioned her pupils being an issue. It was explained to me that the stroke/vestibular incident can cause this and kidney disease can cause this. Since her eyes were normal before the incident last year I know it’s from that. She sees just fine (has no problem finding my face in pitch black so she can sleep on my face or paw at my face for food) so it just wasn’t seen as an issue. I have noticed her hearing seems to be declining a little…but I think sometimes she just has selective hearing and decides to ignore me lol But my main concern now is still the cataracts. This will affect her vision down the road so I’m trying to find/do what I can now for her.

And yay finally can edit posts soon LOL XD

 

[FeebysOwner]

You might want to read up on potential causes behind hypertension, so I've included a link (see below) to an article that discusses the possibilities. CKD is one, hyperthyroidism is another - although sometimes it can be reversed when the hyperthyroidism is corrected. Old age is another.

I think, from my personal experience, vets don't tend to do BP checks as they should. It is difficult with high-anxiety cats, and not necessarily easy with most any cat. But that should not preclude it from being done either way. I think my vet practice waited too long to check Feeby's BP, given she has hyperthyroidism and CKD. She is now on BP meds, probably later than she should have been. And the fact that your vet mentioned it and then didn't follow through is not surprising, but not good either. Your cat is well over the age - as was mine - when BP should start being considered part of a routine senior/geriatric exam, IMO. I totally understand that your cat's reaction at the vet's probably had some influence on not choosing to check her BP, but it really should be checked. I don't know if gabapentin would impact BP results or not - I don't think so, but you will have to ask the vet about that.

Don't assume your cat's large pupils are what my cat has, but it is something to discuss with the vet and see what they think. I believe it was described to me as iris atrophy and lack of pupillary restriction, I think another internal med vet called it bilateral mydriatic pupils, but that her retinal exam was normal.

Depending on what tests your vet did relative to the cataracts, perhaps they could share the test results with an ophthalmology vet for a consult opinion, without the actual visit?
Hypertension | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine