Possible retinal detachment in older cat

[Meowmee]

Hi Everyone,
I took in one of my free roamers 5 days ago who is ill. These are the issues he is dealing with- moderate crf, ataxia of unknown origin in one hind leg which is causing motility trouble, a heart murmur and blindness possibly from retinal detachment in both eyes now. He had bleeding in one eye and I thought he was having vision issues but the first dvm did not really look at eyes other than to say she thought it was an old injury and he was not in pain from it.

He stopped eating the day after we took him in, he is in the drop trap for now for isolation but will be done soon. I am worried how my kitties will be with him due to all his issues. They know him from watching him eat etc. and Merlin already knew him outside. He was fiv pos in 2015 at tnr, still felv neg now. No known thyroid issues. He had some runs after a normal poop the first day so we tried metronidazole and mertazapine. Stool is negative. I have been syringe feeding him baby food since he stopped eating on his own.

I took him back today and reg dvm there diagnosed the blindness and thinks it is retinal detachment in both eyes from crf/ hypertension. We put him on enalapril and I am hoping it will help his vision, the blood has mostly cleared from the affected eye. He is getting US of the heart and abdomen Monday. They gave fluid and a shot of pepcid and cerenia.

Any ideas what we can do for his eyes? I read that a steroid can help too but they would not give him that last week. I also read surgery has to be done right away for this or it won’t work but the meds can improve the tear and vision over time. I am waiting for the US and then will try to go to an opthamologist.

I am afraid he won’t make it through all of this but I hope he will. He started letting me pet him about 2 years ago outside and is touchable etc. now, he is a sweetie overall but he was still skittish outside. He showed up in 2015 when I tnrd him but I was not feeding then and then he came to eat when I was trying to trap another cat who was possibly preggers. He is one of 3 musketeers of my free roamers.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, i don't know about the eyes but if the retina is detached, it sounds as though your vet knows more about what to do?

You have to give him more than just baby food in order to get his strength up. Give him a pate style canned cat food, and try a tongue depressor/popsicle stick so that you can scoop small amounts of food onto his tongue.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Poor baby! From what I have read, treating his hypertension is the first thing to do, and it sounds like that has happened. I would imagine getting that under control before additional steps are taken is why no steroids were given or any discussion about surgery. All of his symptoms (even the motility issue with his hind leg) sound like they could be the direct result of the hypertension itself, which should mean that there should be some improvement as the meds begin to take effect. I am guessing that the vet will be monitoring all of those aspects over time to see how much benefit he will get from taking enalapril. It is very possible that some, if not all, of his vision will return. I think that is a 'wait and see' situation.

In the meantime, getting him to eat is where you need to focus your efforts. He's been through a lot, so hopefully the more he settles down the more interest he will show in eating again. The pate style foods is a good place to start. Another thing to try, which is a complete food source for cats is Tiki Cat Mousse. In terms of texture it is similar to baby food meats.

 

[molly92]

I do think a vet's advice is best to look for here. It's up to you whether you decide to the surgery, but I will say that retinal detachment causes no pain, and blind cats can live perfectly happy lives if they live in a home. What's concerning is the health of the rest of his body, which is what you're taking care of. Get him medicated, get him fed, and build up his strength. I'm so glad you were able to bring him inside where he's warm and safe.

 

[Meowmee]

Hi, i don't know about the eyes but if the retina is detached, it sounds as though your vet knows more about what to do?

You have to give him more than just baby food in order to get his strength up. Give him a pate style canned cat food, and try a tongue depressor/popsicle stick so that you can scoop small amounts of food onto his tongue.

I don’t know if there is one that is liquid/ soft enough to get in him, I am syringing the baby food in which he accepts. Can I add vitamins etc to that? Do you know one that would be good? DVM said baby food is OK, for now anyway. I tried to give him some dry food and some of my cat’s canned food they eat sometimes- he was interested but he only ate like one or two pieces maybe of the dry food and he licked the gravy in the other one, he did not really try to eat it. I’m wondering if something is wrong with his chewing and his sense of smell as well maybe?

I have not tried a tongue depressor before I’m not sure if I’m gonna be able to get that in his mouth. The syringe I just stick it at the side of his mouth and eventually he opens his mouth up and then he kind of swallows the baby food that I put in. I did take some of my homemade food which my cats eat most of the time and mix it with the baby food yesterday and syringed that into him- that has liver and supplements added into it when I cook it. But I’m not sure how much he got of that.

The DVM said there is something they can do for the detached retina but he did not say what and I guess I was so exhausted because I had been up all night before I took him there that I forgot to ask since I was asking several other questions as well.. I am taking him back on Monday so I will ask then or maybe I will call tomorrow. I don’t know how long it would take to get him an appointment with an ophthalmologist, that would really be the one to say what is going on here and what can be done. I don’t know if they would do surgery on a cat that has all these issues until stabilized.

But my impression is the surgery would have had to have been done already if this was the cause. I believe when I was trying to get him in from outside which took a few days he could still see then, because he saw me coming with the carrier or the trap and he would run away and run under the shed. So the blindness must’ve happened right before my brother picked him up and brought him inside. Or right after that.

Before all of this I had been putting out garbage one night and he ran out of one of his outdoor shelters where he sleeps and started screaming, he was also wobbly and then he licked his tail and ran away. I thought maybe he had a blood clot thrn but so far they don’t think a blood clot is causing the problems with his leg and movement.

The first day or two he was using the litter pan I put in the trap but I could see he was really having trouble moving around so I bought a doggy litter pan that has the front open but now he is having so much trouble that he cannot get himself in the litter box so he goes and puts his front paws in the litter, moves it around and then he pees on the wee pad. I don’t know how I’m gonna deal with this issue- I guess I have to try and get a walk-in litter pan if he’s eventually integrated into the home, And have wee pads around it just in case. Have you ever heard of anything like that for cats that have problems like this?

I had him out of the trap briefly I kind of pulled him along on one of the whee pads and then I just picked him up so that I could put a fresh pad in the little carrier part of the trap- he got scared and was trying to go back into the bigger part of the trap so he does not feel at ease if he is not in his safe little haven, and I think that is because of his blindness probably.

 

[Meowmee]

I do think a vet's advice is best to look for here. It's up to you whether you decide to the surgery, but I will say that retinal detachment causes no pain, and blind cats can live perfectly happy lives if they live in a home. What's concerning is the health of the rest of his body, which is what you're taking care of. Get him medicated, get him fed, and build up his strength. I'm so glad you were able to bring him inside where he's warm and safe.

Yes, I hope I can get him to an ophthalmologist soon, maybe there is something that can be done still. I was wondering if anyone on this site had had that experience already maybe. Yeah I think he can probably still have a good life being blind and depending on the cause of the blindness as you said the other issues are more serious. Unless he has a tumor which may be causing the blindness.

He does seem kind of withdrawn and depressed though so I think the blindness is affecting him emotionally at least. The first day or two he was meowing a lot when we came in to see him and he sort of stopped doing that now- he perked up a little bit after having the fluid and the shots and was meowing more but now he’s kind of backed off it again.

But he is happy when I feed him, he purrs and when I clean him up and pet him he likes that. Mostly he is just happy sleeping in the little carrier part of the drop trap, he seems to be very tired I don’t know if it’s everything going on with him and the shock of going blind and coming inside etc. I imagine while he was outside he was doing his best to pretend that he was not so ill. And now he is relieved to be in a warm, safe place where he is not alone. I’m so happy he is inside now too.

Most of the time he’s keeping his eyes closed now which I read as a sign of vision problems. But he did open them up a little bit when I was feeding him earlier, however his pupils are totally dilated which they said is one sign of blindness and they did not react very much to light I think when the dvm shined the bright light on them.

I think it is going to be a hard adjustment for him because he’s used to being outside and looking at everything around him in his environment and now he’s in this new indoor environment that he doesn’t know at all and he can’t see anything. He listens carefully to everything that I do and all of the sounds of everything like the rain on the skylight and the radiator when the heat is turned up etc. I know they have a very good sense of hearing so I hope in time assuming he makes it through all of this he will adjust.

He feels safe inside the cage. I am worried that my other cats are going to jump on him etc. and I’m worried about getting a litter box set up for him that he can use because of the problems with him getting around due to his ataxia. And how they will react to all of that. Also there is the issue of stairs because we have a two story house. He seems like he’s going to need extra care all of the time- there is so much to consider about what he will need. I wonder if he can use one of those devices with wheels to help him get around better or something like that.

 

[molly92]

Aw, poor guy! He's been through so much! It's definitely a big change for him and that would be rough on anyone, especially a cat. It takes a little time, but he will figure out this new life.

I had an elderly cat with bad arthritis and she often couldn't make it all the way into the litter box, or if she did, she couldn't squat and it ended up outside the box anyway. I tried a couple litter boxes, but in the end what worked best for both of us was just putting those puppy pads around the box and changing them frequently. I will say, sometimes I tried to make things easier for her with steps and ramps and things, but she was stubborn and would often just do it the hard way anyway!

She was not in great shape, but she loved sleeping on her heated bed and curling up on my lap. I did have to get a microchip feeder to keep the other cat out of her food, and she figured that out. It was a simple, peaceful retirement for her. She had such a loud purr! I do think cats that have been through tough times really are the most grateful.

Long term, it sounds like it might work to keep him mostly in one room without the other cats. It'd probably be better for his anxiety not to have a whole house to worry about anyway. You could set up a nice little sanctuary for him.

Oh, and I second the recommendation for getting some of the Tiki Cat mousse food! It's a similar consistency to baby food, but it has everything he needs.

 

[Meowmee]

Aw, poor guy! He's been through so much! It's definitely a big change for him and that would be rough on anyone, especially a cat. It takes a little time, but he will figure out this new life.

I had an elderly cat with bad arthritis and she often couldn't make it all the way into the litter box, or if she did, she couldn't squat and it ended up outside the box anyway. I tried a couple litter boxes, but in the end what worked best for both of us was just putting those puppy pads around the box and changing them frequently. I will say, sometimes I tried to make things easier for her with steps and ramps and things, but she was stubborn and would often just do it the hard way anyway!

She was not in great shape, but she loved sleeping on her heated bed and curling up on my lap. I did have to get a microchip feeder to keep the other cat out of her food, and she figured that out. It was a simple, peaceful retirement for her. She had such a loud purr! I do think cats that have been through tough times really are the most grateful.

Long term, it sounds like it might work to keep him mostly in one room without the other cats. It'd probably be better for his anxiety not to have a whole house to worry about anyway. You could set up a nice little sanctuary for him.

Oh, and I second the recommendation for getting some of the Tiki Cat mousse food! It's a similar consistency to baby food, but it has everything he needs.

I am going to get some tikki cat mousse today if possible, I hope it can be syringed. I ordered a larger syringe but it will take a while. I will reply more later. Early this am, Giorgio opened his eyes and looked at me when I did a funny meow and then tracked my moving hand. He is not doing it now, but I think maybe the enalapril is helping, fingers crossed.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am going to get some tikki cat mousse today if possible, I hope it can be syringed.

I think if you can syringe baby food meats, you'll be able to syringe the Tiki Cat Mousse. You'll see when you get it how to handle it. It is as 'yummy' as the baby food meats - well, at least to Feeby! Around me, some of the local PetSupermarkets, PetSmart, and PetSuppliesPlus stores carry it.

Early this am, Giorgio opened his eyes and looked at me when I did a funny meow and then tracked my moving hand. He is not doing it now, but I think maybe the enalapril is helping, fingers crossed.

 

[Furballsmom]

Try a popsicle stick, I use this method twice a day every day to get a medicine into Poppycat that he won't eat on his own. You may find it a tad easier

 

[Meowmee]

Try a popsicle stick, I use this method twice a day every day to get a medicine into Poppycat that he won't eat on his own. You may find it a tad easier

I ordered popsicle sticks. I think the big syringe will be better, it is very hard to get the tikki mousse into the small syringe, makes a big mess. No signs of eye improvement today sadly. I managed to get one pack of tikki in him but he was getting fed up towards the middle/ end. I wonder if a feeding tube could help and if he can tolerate having one put in.

His ataxia was worse. Both legs seemed to be affected when he took a bathroom break while I fed him. DVM said an xray of his spine may give us a clue. Still no diagnosis of this and I am so worried about it, he can’t function or have much of a life like this if he can’t get around. Someone at petco said they sell braces online for cat’s legs- could this help him?
Originally dvm though brain tumor, but he had ataxia on and off for at least 2 years so I doubt it is a brain tumor. Has anyone had a cat with ataxia like this? I will try to get a video of it.
We started him on cerenia, pepcid pills and I gave another dose of mertazipine. His urine is still concentrated so his kidneys are not severe yet, but he seems really out of it after perking up a tiny bit after dvm fluids and shots Thursday.

He was resistant to his second gelcap of meds today, it took 3 tries and he spit it out twice.

 

[Furballsmom]

Someone at petco said they sell braces online for cat’s legs- could this help him?

I don't know, possibly?

 

[Meowmee]

I don't know, possibly?

Right now I am just super worried about him not eating and fear he is giving up. Dvm said this is a possibility. He stayed at the dvm for iv fluids today, had his 2 us of heart and abdomen and a spinal xray. Us showed heart is not too bad at all, kidneys show typical signs of crd, spine is ok. He has not perked up from fluid at all really. I am letting him rest a bit and may bring him back tomorrow for more fluids. Dvm said starting steroid is ok, and continue, pepcid/ cerenia and enalapril.

I assume the fluids gave him some sugar as well so this will feed him a bit.

I have liquid steroid from Merlin last from year and older pills from Sybil, so I hope they are ok because I want to start it tonight. Dvm said yes. I wish they had just given him a steroid shot right away because he may not have stopped eating. I don’t understand why he stopped since kidneys are not that bad yet and his other bw was ok. They said there is some bowel thickening and maybe lymph node invlovement so maybe it is ibd or early lymphoma. My Wiz had crd and lymphoma but he did well on steroids, chlorambucil and epogen for anemia. Dvm did not want to do a feeding tube and said that is not for end of life treatment and it is painful. What do you think?
If he perks up, fluid can be given at home eventually, I have some bags left over from Sybil tg. I always save everything like that for the most part.
Please send good vibes for him

Edited to add my brother just visited him- he is sitting on the mat by the door that goes outside in that room and meowed 3 x at him and maybe looked at him. I hope this means he will perk up a bit since he must know that door goes outside. Of course he is not going outside ever again, but it shows he is aware etc. I hope it does not mean he wants to go out to die. I am thinking about decaging him completely now, so I left him in the carrier part open, what do you think? I have been doing that anyway for a couple of days. I have to make sure he knows to go back there to pee etc on the wee pads. Still no poop again yet.

 

[molly92]

The vet is still prescribing medications, but then says a feeding tube is not for end of life treatment. Have they been clear about what outcome is most likely? That seems to be the question. I would ask the vet what they would do if it were their cat.

If it is his time, then it might be time to focus on only the medications that ease pain and make him comfortable. My vet told me that when the body is shutting down, it's better not to make them eat if they're not hungry because organs aren't processing food anymore and it just makes them feel worse.

He sounds like he's been a fighter his whole life. If he does decide it's his time, I think you can trust him to make the right choice.

I hope he does turn around. But either way, he is loved and cozy and peaceful right now, which is a great gift you've given him.

 

[Furballsmom]

I am wondering... (--realizing that I'm not there) if hes getting enough food to poop, or enough hydration to avoid constipation even with the fluids from the vet. Can you give him fluids at home? Isn't handfeeding working?

 

[Meowmee]

The vet is still prescribing medications, but then says a feeding tube is not for end of life treatment. Have they been clear about what outcome is most likely? That seems to be the question. I would ask the vet what they would do if it were their cat.

If it is his time, then it might be time to focus on only the medications that ease pain and make him comfortable. My vet told me that when the body is shutting down, it's better not to make them eat if they're not hungry because organs aren't processing food anymore and it just makes them feel worse.

He sounds like he's been a fighter his whole life. If he does decide it's his time, I think you can trust him to make the right choice.

I hope he does turn around. But either way, he is loved and cozy and peaceful right now, which is a great gift you've given him.

Giorgio is at the bridge now I miss him so much and I am in shock for sure. I have been cleaning things in the studio where he was all night, cleaning his shelters outside etc. throwing things away to try to keep my mind off the deep despair I feel. I am glad he is no longer suffering.

I could see he was declining and was not going to make it. His breathing was strange early am, nasally and odd, although not abnormal in number, I could see he was very ill. I did not want to drag him to the emergency er at 5 am. I checked him again when I awoke and knew, called dvm and arranged it all. He was distressed as usual for him in the car and it was so heartwrenching to know he still wanted to stay and not go to dvm. His breathing suddenly was worse after arriving there. His passing was peaceful and fast. I stroked him and told him how much I will miss him and love him.
I guess I will never know what caused all of this. There were so many things going on.. I feel terrible about putting him through all of this. I think the fluid and force feeding made him worse. I wanted dvm to do more bloodwork again Monday but they didn’t and maybe I could have avoided some of this if it had been done, I wish I had done it again Friday or Saturday when I brought him back with worsening signs. I will never force feed a cat again unless it is fatty liver. There is so much I am upset about but I won’t write it all now.

Here he is in better times about two years ago. He has been a rock and the alpha cat of my outdoor babies, I feel terrible at all he was put through being abandoned- people who do that are the worst. I wish I could have taken him in sooner so he could have had time in a real home with love.
Run free my sweet boy

I will be taking him for cremation tomorrow.

 

[Meowmee]

 

[Meowmee]

I am wondering... (--realizing that I'm not there) if hes getting enough food to poop, or enough hydration to avoid constipation even with the fluids from the vet. Can you give him fluids at home? Isn't handfeeding working?

Unfortunately the fluids made him worse and he didn't make it. He got iv fluids for a day. The feeding made him worse also, I wish I had not done that and won’t again.

 

[molly92]

I am so sorry that this happened. It sounds like the serious decline happened very quickly which is reassuring.

I think you were doing all you could to help him and you should know none of this is your fault! If you had done things differently, you would only be wondering if it would have been better if you'd done things this way. As much as you would have liked to, it sounds like you didn't really have a lot of control in this situation. He must have had a long life, and age took its toll. I think you did a great job of trying to fix him when he needed help and letting him go when it was time.

 

[AbbysMom]

On behalf of TheCatSite Team, we are very sorry for your loss. Threads are locked after such a loss as a sign of respect. When you feel up to it, please consider starting a memorial thread in our Crossing the Bridge section.



Rest in peace, Giorgio