Very Nervous About Cat with Ear Infection

[worriedsomuch]

Hi again everyone. Thanks for the replies as usual and support. Denice, you are right. Looking things up always leads me to fear and doubt. I just want to believe she will move past this and be okay. I am going to call the vet Monday and ask if he could watch that Youtube video. Hopefully he doesn't think I'm nuts. Jcat, you could be right. I can't say for certain that the drops are what caused the facial twitches/head tic but you never know. Maybe she does feel like there is water in her ears and is scrunching her face and jerking her head. She didn't exhibit the signs of it right after administration but who knows? Stephanie, did you see anything weird when your cat was on the tresaderm? I just wonder if maybe it could have been the drops causing the tics because they started after she started her meds. Either that or the prednisone. The doctor did say he hadn't heard of it but every cat is different. Her sister was on prednisone for asthma for 10 days before and had no adverse effects. Two days after she started them as a matter of fact, the tics started for Grace.

The good news today, and I don't want to jinx it, is I don't believe I saw her exhibiting any tics. The vet did say as such that it could be she needs stronger meds and then suggested the recheck in a week's time. He said sometimes these infections can take 10-14 days to go away completely. Grace was great today. I checked her this morning and she was asleep. Then she jumped off her chair she was on and came to give me some morning cuddles. She seemed fine. I did go out for a couple hours and have not been watching her 24/7 (although it feels like it). I check her frequently but she greeted me at the door when I came in. She was excited today watching her birds from the window. I did think I saw head bobbles or possible shaking a couple times in her head but to be honest I could be imagining the tremors. However, while the tics were definitely there before, I might be putting the shakes in my mind since I keep overanalyzing all her cat behavior thinking the worst.
 

 

[stephanietx]

I've used Tressaderm many times with kitties and have never seen a reaction.  The cat that used to get ear infections frequently turned out to have a yeast infection in her ear and a different medication and ear flushing did the trick.  I would give the meds some time to work and if you notice her doing the tic thing again, record it for the vet so he can see what you're talking about.
 

 

[worriedsomuch]

My friend just e-mailed me and said the same thing, that maybe she needs ear flushing. I did read up some, not that I should again, and some people did say inner ear issues can cause facial twitches/head tics. If I can't catch her on vid (I'm hoping I don't have to because it ends) I at least can maybe suggest he check that Youtube video because it's very similar to that but doesn't last nearly as long just a couple seconds. I heard bloodwork would probably be the next step so if anything, I will suggest that when I take her for the recheck.
 

 

[stephanietx]

Take a deep breath and spend some time loving on your kitties to give you a break from all this.  Give the meds time to work and make sure she continues to eat, drink, and use the box normally.  These things take a bit of time to clear up and she'll pick up on your stress, which doesn't help the healing process any.  I know it's easier said than done, but you'll feel better and so will your kitty.
 

 

[denice]

It sounds like she is on the mend to me.  Just give it some time.

 

[worriedsomuch]

Stephanie and Denice, thanks. My friends have said as much that I need to stop hovering over her because I am probably making everything worse. She took her last dose of prednisone today and Tuesday, she will be done with the drops. Unfortunately I did think I saw a couple tics today, like small ones. I was trying to video them and showed someone and they thought it looked like her just moving around. There was no face scrunching this time. I keep thinking too that she blinks a lot and that I am seeing tremors everywhere, like in her head or ears! I'm really freaking myself out. I keep staring at the poor thing. Then she was doing the leg thing like shaking it out too, but she mostly cleans it after so not sure if I'm reading way too much into that. She also was lying down to sleep and her body sort of jumped and then I jumped too out of worry. Earlier I had to rush out the door because my friend was feeling ill and I had to accompany her to the ER (she has a virus) I bent down to say goodbye to Grace and I could have sworn for a second, it looked like she was swaying. Then I start thinking she is walking oddly and everything even though she is very coordinated and can catch treats in her mouth. Earlier she did the cutest thing. She was eating with her sister and she wanted what was left in her foodbowl so she tapped her on the head and then tipped the bowl so she could swipe the food. So I'm not sure if the swaying was an illusion or what. I am calling the vet again tomorrow even though I'm sure the vet must be sick of me right now as it is just to tell him the latest. I just googled again about the swaying thing and it mentioned inner ear issues but then a whole slew of other scary things came up so please say a prayer for her. I just hope she's okay.
 

 

[worriedsomuch]

Hi everyone,

It's been awhile since I posted but I just want to give an update on Grace and ask for advice. I am still very concerned about her and she does have a vet appointment scheduled for tomorrow. I wanted to do it yesterday but the vet could only see her at 11 and I had to work. Well anyway I have been obsessing over her for the last 10 days, always staring at her and thinking something is amiss. Needless to say now everyone thinks I am crazy. The vet (who is very nice) called me last Thursday out of the blue to ask how she was doing and to tell me that I could come in next week, meaning this week now, for that recheck. I told him she was doing okay but I still had some concerns with the twitching/tics/tremors. Well since I posted last, I have not seen Grace do any of the behavior as I showed in that video link. However, the fact that she did it a few times had me on edge so I knew regardless I was going to take her in again. I even put the video on my phone to show the vet. I tried to get a vid of Grace doing it herself but she wasn't doing anything, only looking sweet on camera.

Anyway I think I was calming down a bit but then what happened last night has me a bundle of nerves. I also googled quite a bit and feel sick to my stomach. Last night, Grace did the paw shake thing which had me edgy. I told myself she could have stepped on some stray litter on the carpet and not to stress. However, later she was being very vocal. She is quite vocal anyway so it's not that strange for her to meow but this was bedtime for me so I wanted her to go rest. Also, sometimes now she gets vocal after she drinks out of the water bowl. So I'm trying to calm myself and tell myself it could just be a quirk, but I'll tell the vet anyway. So then I am settling in to watch a bit of TV and get to bed as I had to get up early again for work. So Grace wanted some cuddles and she jumped up next to me, purring away and headbutting me. She still shakes her head like her ears bother her so again I was thinking I will let the vet know. This is what really freaked me out though. She lays down on my pillow and she gets a very fast ear flick, like not the intermittent ones that they get either. This was almost rhythmic in nature. Then as she is purring, her ears were like shifting on her head as if she was listening out. It's hard to describe but they were moving fast on her head but in a subtle way, not flicking but just shifting and it looked like her head was tremoring too. I almost panicked again. I told myself to take a deep breath, close my eyes, and look again but it was like the more I looked the more I was convinced she had a head tremor. I am so scared she is going to die. My family made fun of me over this. My mom is staying with me and she keeps telling me that she thinks I am being ridiculous to even return to the vet because he's probably just going to say something to scare me to death. I am still going to take her but does anyone have a cat that has ears that move randomly? Could the purring or her ears moving have given the illusion that her head was tremoring? I did notice her ears were slightly warm to the touch (another worry) even though the fan was blowing on her. Maybe the fan was bugging her? Any advice or support is appreciated. She is still her normal self. She spends most of her time bird watching out the window. Her appetite is great and she is very coordinated. Lately she catches treats in her mouth. I will update on how the vet visit goes tomorrow.
 

 

[stephanietx]

I think you're borrowing problems that don't exist and are reading things into the actions.  Take a deep breath and relax.  You cat will pick up on your stress and this will cause her to stress, which only compounds her problems.  I don't see anything unusual with her behavior.  All of my cats have done the same things and they are perfectly healthy.  Sometimes the twitch and things.  That's just the way they are.  If I'm breathing near one of my cat's ears, she'll twitch it because the air is tickling her ear and bugging her.  It's nothing major. 

I'm glad you're taking her back for a recheck.  I don't think she's completely over the ear infection, which isn't unusual given its severity.  You might want to ask them to do a culture to rule out a yeast infection, too.
 

 

[denice]

I think your cat is fine except maybe for some residual infection in her ears which is fixable.  Cats, and dogs for that matter when they are sleeping, have little twitches here and there.  It's just part of being a cat.  I don't know the reason but it's normal.

 

[worriedsomuch]

Thank you both for your support. I've just been a mess. I didn't see any tremors from Grace yesterday, that I noticed anyway. I just keep thinking I see everything and then I get freaked. I've been told more than once to just stop looking at her and leave her be. My mom is actually accompanying me to the vet after work today and she's upset because she thinks I am putting her through unnecessary trauma. I'm so nervous about the visit!

I guess I have some trust issues with vets in general. My Maine Coon cat died when he was almost 13 from CRF. I was told by the vet that he would most likely do well for another couple of years. However, within a month's time he was gone. The vet had no real explanation for it. I had noticed his appetite had dropped off a bit and was taking him in to see the vet in just a few days but he never made it to the visit. I found him gone next to his food dish. He'd eaten and then apparently closed his eyes forever. My other cat died a month ago today. He had HCM but he did amazing for almost 6 years with it. He was diagnosed at age 8. He never acted sick a day in his life. The only reason they knew about it at all was his heart murmur. Then this past summer, he took ill quite quickly. He vomited at least 4 times during the day and by the next day, he wouldn't eat a thing. I rushed him off to the vet and he did bloodwork, figuring it was hyperthyroidism or maybe another issue. He gave him fluids and he came home that day eating like a horse. He looked so content. He was acting normally again. Then when the vet called with the blood lab results, everything looked "fantastic." So the vet was hoping it was just an upset stomach and to try some pepsid. However, by the next day, he didn't have his usual appetite so I suspected something was still wrong with him and then it only got worse. He couldn't keep anything down. He couldn't take his heart medication and after taking the pepcid, he threw up black bile liquid that I think could only be dried blood. He stopped eating completely, drinking, and no longer used the box. When I took him back just 5 days after his initial visit, the doctor told me he was almost positive now that he had intestinal lymphoma. Again, I was kind of taken aback that the vet didn't say this was a possibility immediately. He'd lost almost a whole pound in a week. He told me he could go through with testing but he doubted that he would make it considering what bad shape he was in and also since he had HCM. He told me the best thing for him would be to say goodbye since he was suffering. God I'm getting teary eyed. I have a lot of guilt because he'd thrown up hairballs at least a couple times a week before all this occurred. However, he was such an OCD groomer that he had bald patches. He was doing so well according to his heart doctor that I didn't think to be alarmed. A part of me wonders, could I have saved him? I just don't want to do wrong by Grace and lose her too. I also have four other "babies" to look after. Grace has her twin and then I have 2 tortico sisters who are 16 months. Then I have my feral cat that is almost 10. Sorry to go on but thanks for listening. I will ask about a culture for her today. Thank-you.

 

[denice]

I am not saying to trust a vet blindly because there are some bad ones out there but there are also some very good ones.   Intestinal lymphoma and/or IBD is very difficult to diagnose.  Usually there is a long period of symptoms and with most cats usually the vet will rule out all other possibilities then begin treatment.  If that is what your cat had he was atypical in that he didn't have a long period of symptoms.

I don't know much about CRF but again there are different progressions of the disease depending on the cat.

I am very sorry you have had two cats with serious illnesses but really there are cats who live long, healthy lives and they get excellent care from a good vet.

 

[worriedsomuch]

Well see this is what I fear. Mind you the cat with CRF was seen by two different vets (not the one Grace sees), a regular vet and a specialist at a hospital. His initial symptom was blindness. I woke up and could tell he was not looking at me because he could not see. When I got him to the first vet (who later referred me to the specialist), she took his blood pressure and it was skyhigh. She then said she could feel that his kidney was enlarged. I was pretty young and naive at the time and not very knowledgeable about cat diseases. She took an xray and and said she suspected maybe kidney cancer. However, the specialist said after the ultrasound that it didn't look like cancer to her, just CRF. He was placed on blood pressure meds and a special diet. At first he was doing well. His blood pressure returned to normal and his eyesight returned. He saw the specialist again who said that he had even gained weight which she was thrilled about. Then, as I said, he just suddenly went downhill, not eating as much and he didn't make it to the appointment. The whole ordeal was only a month which is hard to believe. On September 2, it will be 6 years since he died, just shy of his 13th birthday.

Then fast forward to a month ago and as you said my other cat seems like an anomaly. I have been reading about other cats with the lymphoma on here and it seems like the onset wasn't quite so fast as it was with my cat. However, with guilt I look back and think how maybe the hairball vomiting was a sign from a couple months before. He was vomiting them a couple times a week probably from May-June. The vet said when I took him back that he could feel intestinal thickness in his stomach the more he checked which made him sure of the diagnosis.Thoughts race through my mind about why he didn't even bring that up just 5 days before when I was there about the vomiting and decreased appetite. Now I wonder, could it have been IBD? I just worry maybe this vet that sees Grace, as he did see my other cat, might be not so good. I did see him before this with my other cats and as I said he seems like a good doctor, even called to check on Grace. He also answered my calls 3 times when I called in tears about whether it was the right decision to let my 14 year old go. He told me if he thought there was any treatment available, he would have told me. He said they are not in the profession to let cats die. He said he wasn't sure he would have even survived the diagnostic part and that with his HCM, he wouldn't have tolerated chemo. He has treated my kittens for URI before (Grace and her sis) and my cat that passed from cancer for URI as well when he was 11. He also treated an eye infection in Grace and asthma in her sister. They were all fine with treatment. I'm sorry I'm paranoid overall though anyway. I'm a wreck.
 

 

[worriedsomuch]

Hi,

I took Grace back for her recheck today, the poor thing was yowling the whole car ride there and I was thinking I was doing wrong by her. Anyway, I brought all my concerns to the doctor. He weighed her and she had lost 2 ounces so I was quite frightened because my cancer kitty had lost a few ounces at first before he dropped almost a pound in a week. He told me he was not concerned about this. He said if it had been several, then he would want to check into it. She went from 9.6 to 9.4. My mom stated that she had not eaten since the morning and had taken a fairly large BM not too soon before so maybe that's why? He claimed it was normal for a cat's weight to fluctuate here and there by some ounces, either up or down. Should I be way more worried about this? Honestly I expected her to gain weight because her appetite has been so good.

So right before he came in, I was holding her and I felt a bump in her abdomen. I almost panicked again but he said it was just scarring from her spay surgery. He rechecked her ears and said that they were clearing. He said as for infection now, he'd give it a 1.5 out of 10 as he put it. Then he checked her stomach and I found out she's been licking at it again so she's irritated. He said her ears are red inside too which he said points to allergies. He wanted to give her a cortisone shot but I was afraid. What are thoughts on this? He said another week of prednisone would be okay too. I thought this was a little much given that too many steroids aren't good. He agreed with me there but he said she seems to be having an allergy flare and hopefully one more short dose, just 5 mg a day, will get her over it. I asked about the ear culture and he said it wasn't necessary since now he'd even hesitate to call her ears infected, more like irritated. He cleaned them out too. So I took the pills but what are thoughts on this?

I showed him the video and he didn't have too much to say. He said, "it's hard to say" as he put it. He looked in her face for several moments because I think he was checking the movement of her eyes and he said it was good. He still doesn't think it's seizure activity or that she has any form of cancer. I specifically asked if he suspected a brain tumor and he said that is rare in cats, and especially rare in a 5 year old cat. He basically gave her a clean bill of health. He did say the only way to check her brain for sure is a scan of course but he didn't even suggest that we need to think of that. He said he has seem some cats with allergies twitch because they are uncomfortable, as he put it, in their own skin. Grace was tremoring right there but he told me that he could tell it was a fear tremor and nothing more. Once she was home, she was fine, stopped shaking. He said if she is still having issues then we can talk about potential diet change or other ways to deal with her allergies. I also mentioned the meowing at her water dish and he asked if it was new. I said, "kind of" and that she only does it sometimes, same with the twitching and tremors. He flipped her over on her back and carefully palpated her abdomen checking that her organs felt normal. I asked about diabetes and many other health conditions and he said he doubted those very much. Again, he said 5 was rather young for those things, although I guess sadly anything is possible. He gave her a very good exam and said not to hesitate to call with questions. Does he sound competent to all of you? I would just like opinions. I want to ensure she gets the best care possible.
 

 

[denice]

Have you thought of anything that she could be allergic too?  I know allergies can develop but have you changed anything or added anything lately?  A new cleaning product, new litter, new laundry detergent, new air freshener anything new that she might have been exposed to.  Has she been vaccinated lately, I have a cat that had an allergic reaction to a vaccination.  The most common one to cause a reaction is the rabies vaccination.

The problems that can arise from using a steroid usually only occur with long term use.  Of course the best solution is eliminating what is causing the allergic reaction rather than treating the allergic reaction.

 

[worriedsomuch]

Hi Denice,

That's exactly what he said. He said the next step would be to figure out what is causing her allergies. He said it may be seasonal and once we are out of summer/fall, she might return to normal. Or it could be food or something else. She hasn't been rabies vaccinated since she was 1 I believe. I told him point blank last time when he tried to vaccinate her that I didn't want her to have a rabies shot. I'm nervous about them in general, causing things like cancer. He told me it was fine but warned me about if "a bat ever got in." She is strictly indoor and I'm not too concerned about the likelihood of a bat getting in.
 

I'm trying to think if there is anything new that could be causing her symptoms. I have been using the same Fresh Step litter and she hasn't had an issue with it. Her diet remains consistent as well. The only thing that comes to mind is I had a leak in my apartment and it slowly soaked the carpet causing a mildew like odor. I also noticed a black substance on the wall that may have been mold. This was in the early summer. The carpet has since been dried and the smell is gone, also no sign of the mold. That's really the only thing though that I can recall that's changed. Grace does like lying on the carpet a lot and I encourage her to go on the couch or the bed (spoiled!) She does have a cat bed of course but doesn't like it as much as her sister. I just feel in general the carpet could be causing symptoms since she is on it a lot. I vacuum a lot to ensure I am getting stuff off. The other thing is I sometimes let her look out the window at the birds but I've since stopped this since I was afraid this could be causing her to have the allergies. Her sister, Delilah, has asthma and sometimes the air can set her off into a coughing spasm so I figured it was a possibility.

 

[stephanietx]

I would think the prednisone would be good for a short time longer as she's got the irritation on her tummy.  The prednisone will help her not feel so itchy.  If I were you, I'd switch, over the next several weeks, to an unscented, natural litter to see if that helps the irritation.  She could also be stressed.  Do you have a Feliway diffuser or 2 running?  That might help as well.
 

 

[worriedsomuch]

No I don't have the diffuser but I am willing to get one and try all options to help her kick these allergies. I haven't given her the prednisone again yet since I was a bit hesitant given she just only got off of it like 10 days ago. I was willing to wait and see a bit if her symptoms improve.

I hate to be a pain but she has been doing some things that have me anxious again. The vet tells me she is very healthy but I'm concerned. Today I noticed she has been shaking her front paws again quite a bit, like more than usual. The vet claims this is all her itchiness. Then I notice she has been stretching her back legs quite a bit today too. For example, this morning, she stretched out after bird watching a bit which I didn't stress too much. However, later when I returned home after being gone for a few hours, she was by the door bird watching again and as she walked away she stretched her legs again. So I was like, hmmmm maybe she was sitting awhile? Then, however, she jumped up on the bed and as I was getting her food ready, she stretched yet again when walking over to the food. Then I was eating and she wanted to beg a bit and she walked over to me stretching out the legs again. Doesn't this seem excessive? I feel like maybe there is something neurological going on with her, although the vet doesn't think so. I'm scared maybe she is having circulation issues in her paws or something and losing feeling. She doesn't have any issues with walking or jumping. That all seems okay. Then she decided to jump on the table (bad girl!) and I did share a piece of chicken with her. Then she sort of got this odd jump in her belly, like I thought maybe she would vomit but this was different, not a hiccup either. Then it seemed like she was having weird movements when she was breathing. She doesn't seem to have any distress when breathing so I'm not sure if she was just full and was having some gas or something or what. The vet thoroughly checked her heart and he is the one who gave my other cat the probable diagnosis of HCM when he discovered a murmur which probably saved his life so I trust him with knowing heart issues. He told me Grace's heart sounded great and that her lungs were clear. However, now I am in a panic thinking maybe she is throwing clots or something in her legs and it is her heart. I can give him a call tomorrow but at this point, the man must think I'm totally neurotic. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 

 

[denice]

I think this is all from the itchiness.  Patches did this when he had the reaction to the rabies shot.  He would stretch his back leg and shake his paw because of the itchiness.  I would start the pred again to give him relief from the itchiness and try switching his litter to see if that is it.  He may have either developed an allergy to it or they may have changed the formulation. 

I really don't think he has been on the steroid long enough for it to be a problem.

 

[worriedsomuch]

Well the back legs is more of a stretch than a shake, although she does shake out her back legs at times. She tends to shake her front paws more than anything. Some days it's less than others, but today it was a lot. She just did the back leg stretch again after she was sort of crouching on the floor playing with my other cat. I mean she must have stretched those legs at least 10 times today I think. It's just not something she always does. I've seen her do it after a long nap but today it's like every time she sits in place for a few minutes, she has to stretch. Any thoughts? Do you think the stomach movement was just gas? I'm so sorry to go on like this. I just am terrified of losing her. I am going to call the vet tomorrow before they leave for Labor day weekend and get his thoughts. I'll give an update on what he thinks. Thanks again.
 

 

[worriedsomuch]

So I talked to the vet again today, the poor man, but I'm still so nervous! Last night little Grace was purring again and appeared to be tremoring slightly so I pulled out my camera and started filming. Well I petted her and got her purring again. However, no tremor, but I caught two tics! One is so slight, it might not even be perceptible if I didn't point it out. She sort of pulls her head back and blinks ever so slightly. However, the other shows her turning her head to the side and there is a slightly jerky motion there. I called the vet at 9 AM when they opened and the vet is really great and called me back within an hour or less. I told him everything, the leg stretching, paw shaking, the tics and he was very reassuring. He said he doesn't think she has anything neurologically wrong with her and even added that she was a beautiful, healthy cat as far as he could tell. He said if there was any doubt in his mind, he'd refer me to a specialist. I asked if she could be having mild seizures and he said he doubts it very much. However, I read something about focal seizures online and how animals can have them and not be spaced out/be aware.  He said if she was having seizures, it would be clear. She'd be dazed maybe before and most likely after. He said, "don't confuse twitching/tics with seizures. He said all her signs point to allergies given the condition of her ears and skin on her stomach. He said itchy cats can be twitchy cats. He again said she is very itchy but how can an itch make her head have a jerky movement? I'm sorry but I don't see the connection. He said I am being overly vigilant and I need to accept she'll be okay. He wasn't rude or condescending or anything. He's very patient. A part of me is thinking she should see a neuro but even he said, "I don't think you need to put her through all that stress." What do you think? I tried to put the video on here but it won't let me. I don't want to upload it to Youtube because it's personal. I keep looking at it and getting upset. Grace was quite itchy today though, poor thing was scratching everywhere especially her eyes and ears.