Questions for someone that''s a vet?

[MonkeyPie]

I know someone here is a vet, but I forget who. Would you mind answering some questions?

I have a kitty that we THINK has been having seizures. She basically loses control of her limbs and scrambles around, completely disoriented, and usually pees during the episode. She gets really scared and usually will run to my dad to be picked up once she can get on her feet again, and becomes really clingy after. Sometimes during it she will fall down and sort of flail, sometimes banging her head. I haven''t seen that, but just a few minutes ago I saw one of the "spinning in place" episodes. It just breaks my heart, and I feel so bad for her afterwards because she looks so scared and confused.

If she is having seizures, my dad is of the mindset that putting her on meds will just prolong the inevitable. He isn''t cruel by any means, but he doesn''t want to drag her life out and make her suffer needlessly just because we humans think we can fix it. Cats are notorious for hiding their pain, and if she hurts, I don''t want her to continue on for no reason other than we feel sad to let her go. I am normally against putting animals down if they still have lots of life yet - like in shelters, if they can''t be adopted out - but our baby is obviously sick. She''s the one I wrote about before that is nearly blind and falls over stuff all the time, and she has a lot of developmental issues. We think someone was mean to her before she adopted us, but there''s no way for us to know for sure.

I want to be very clear here, so no one comes in ranting about how I am a terrible person for not trying to help her or take her to the vet. I may be a bad person, but it isn''t because I am ignoring her problems. I just don''t want her to suffer in any way, and right now I think she is. So if anyone that thinks they may know what''s wrong with her, please give me some info or a place to look - if this is something that is long-term, like epilepsy, I know for a fact none of us in this family can afford it, and I just want her to be comfortable instead of in pain.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

aww im sorry to hear you''re going through this

and your poor kitty too

my dog some years ago had lots of seizures similar to this and we ended up putting her to sleep, but i think in the end we made the right decision - i know i didnt what our poor doggy suffering

 

[chrono]

MP,
I''m so sorry. I''m not vet a but your kitty''s condition sounds serious. I would make an appointment ASAP on Monday to get her checked out. If she is indeed ill with little to no hope of recovery, I understand not wanting to prolong the suffering. I think you have a very big heart to take her in after all the past abuses she endured. Many other people would not have done what you did.

 

[Kaleigh]

MP.
I am so sorry. I hope a vet checks in here soon. Sounds like a grim prognosis to me. I can''t imagine anyone blaming you for putting her to sleep if that''s what is necessary. I hate to see any pet suffer. HUGS.

 

[Lynny0780]

have you guys guys taken her to the vet at all??

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 3/22/2009 11:16:34 PM
Author: Lynny0780
have you guys guys taken her to the vet at all??

We mentioned to the vet when we took her to get spayed what she had been doing, but they thought it was because she had been in heat and was reacting badly to it. Now that it has continued, I don''t think that''s the case. The vet didn''t seem worried at the time, and seemed to think she would get better once she was over the surgery...but she hasn''t.

And thank you all for understanding. I was worried about getting a lot of negative comments about being a bad owner.

 

[FrekeChild]

Awwww MP, I don''t think you''re being a bad owner at all. I think you''re being kind and compassionate. Poor kitty...

 

[Deelight]

Date: 3/22/2009 10:10:26 PM
Author: Chrono
MP,

I''m so sorry. I''m not vet a but your kitty''s condition sounds serious. I would make an appointment ASAP on Monday to get her checked out. If she is indeed ill with little to no hope of recovery, I understand not wanting to prolong the suffering. I think you have a very big heart to take her in after all the past abuses she endured. Many other people would not have done what you did.

Ditto to all of this, it takes a special person to take in a troubled animal and open their hearts to them.

I don''t think your being terrible, I think you just being prepared for possibly not good news, sending you kitty dust.

 

[AmberGretchen]

I''m not a vet either, but I really think that taking your kitty to see one in person is the best course of action here, and sooner rather than later. I don''t think you are a bad owner at all.

I will say though, that I know of several dogs and cats with similar-sounding conditions that have been really well-managed with medication and they went on to live long, happy lives, so don''t give up on kitty without at least getting a vet''s opinion on person.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 3/23/2009 11:31:32 AM
Author: AmberGretchen
I''m not a vet either, but I really think that taking your kitty to see one in person is the best course of action here, and sooner rather than later. I don''t think you are a bad owner at all.

I will say though, that I know of several dogs and cats with similar-sounding conditions that have been really well-managed with medication and they went on to live long, happy lives, so don''t give up on kitty without at least getting a vet''s opinion on person.

I understand that lots of pets live on meds for many years - the thing is, I don''t think we can afford to keep her on meds long term unless it''s VERY affordable. My husband and I don''t even have a house, and no matter how much I love this baby, I would put a home first for us. (We are currently living with my parents...not ideal.)

She''s such a happy little girl most of the time, she''s very cuddly and wants to be picked up and petted a lot, and she plays with us tons. She has such a big personality. I don''t want to see it snuffed out. I called my vet and can''t get in today, so I told the woman on the phone (the tech) what was going on. She said it could be any number of things, and they won''t know unless I bring her in for testing. I told her we are low on money and we can''t afford a million tests to figure out what''s wrong, and she was very vague on how much it could cost me just for one trip of blood testing and x-rays and such. I''ll admit, I got sort of angry - this vet is great, we took my Cleo there when she had a bite wound from something, we think a racoon - but she wasn''t answering any of my questions. I finally just had to hang up, but I''m taking the baby by tomorrow to see what we can do in person.

I am so afraid this is going to cost us hundreds of dollars we simply can''t afford. I feel like such a loser, that I can''t even take care of my kitty.

 

[whitby_2773]

monkeypie -

i understand your position, and when my husband and i were younger, we were in similar position. we had a cat who had terrible eczema - think ''head to toe'' - and who was attacked by a dog, then hit by a car. it cost us hundreds and hundreds of dollars and we simply couldn''t afford it. the vet put us on a guilt trip when we said we''d reached a point where we had to put him down - started saying the sorts of things our cat would say to us if he could talk. like we needed that kind of guilt! we had not one red cent left in our savings and no credit cards. we were both in our early 20''s and had one income. it was nuts.

but it taught me one thing - and it''s stayed with me all my life....

pets are EXPENSIVE. do not get an animal unless you can afford it.

fast forward 25 years to my late 40''s...

we now have 2 large show dogs and one rescue dog. in between shows, handlers, vets, boarding, food, grooming, meds, general accoutrement and so on and so on, i''d say our annual outlay would be somewhere in the vicinity of $20,000 per year minimum. granted, not everyone does the sorts of things we do with our dogs. but an animal will ALWAYS cost you money when you dont expect it and can least afford it! it''s never a case of just food.

monkeypie, you''re learning the same lesson i learned at probably about your age, and i truly feel for you. i know EXACTLY how you feel when you say "great! i cant even care for my CAT!" - that feeling of having failed this small life that''s depending on you. so i''d say - do the best you can for now, with the resources you have - then move forward, an older, wiser woman who has learnt from that mistake.

it''s the most anyone can ask of us.

blessings to you and your cat - and good luck at the vet''s (to which she must indeed go),

 

[MonkeyPie]

Thanks, whitby, that means a lot. As sad as it is, I''m glad to know I am not the only one this has happened to!

We have our one kitty, Cleo, that we adopted from a shelter. The black cat, Poofy, is my dads, but this other baby adopted us (just showed up on the doorstep, purring and reaching up for us to scoop her up). She has a lot of issues...and I worry about her, but I don''t know what to do at this point.

I spoke with a different vet, who told me that it sounded like epilepsy to him. (I told him our financial situation and asked some questions - he was very kind.) According to him, all they would do for her is blood work to be certain it isn''t a parasite or virus, and then put her on meds to control the seizures...and that''s it. He said she will likely deteriorate either way, and that we can let her go on her path without meds as long as we keep a close eye on her to prevent physical injury during her episodes. I am still taking her to the other vet tomorrow just to have them look at her, but I think this will be our best bet. He did mention a change in diet (no more scraps!) and lots of love. Here''s hoping it helps.

 

[bee*]

hi MP, sorry to hear about your kitty. It does sound like it could be epilepsy but there are other things that could cause those symptoms as well. Getting bloods taken would be good as that can rule out so much. Do you guys have a bluecross or spca that provides a vet service? Our one over here is so good and affordable so it would be cool if you had something like that too. The meds that we use over here if it is epilepsy costs €9.22 for 100 tablets so they''re quite affordable. Hopefully you guys have something similar over there.

 

[Feralpenchant]

Hey Monkey, sorry to hear about your baby!

I am not a veterinarian, but I am a vet tech, and you should definitely get her to a vet asap. It could be epilepsy, but there a number of other things it could be. The only way to find out if it is going to be affordable to have her with you long term is to find out what is causing the seizures.

The only personal experience I have with cats and seizures is diabetes related. I don't think that's what's going on with your cat, unless the seizures can be caused without the insulin overload at all, and just natural low glucose. I don't know if that's possible, but it may be worth asking about. Maybe Bee can clarify that if she pops in.

Good luck, I hope she feels better.

*DUST*

EDIT: As much as the vets and techs on this forum can speculate what is wrong, the only real way to know anything is to take her in to a vet. That's really the best advice we can give.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Thanks bee and Feral

I hadn''t actually thought of diabetes, but I know nothing about it in cats. She will eat EVERYTHING - could the fact that my dad gives her table scraps affect it?

 

[Feralpenchant]

If it IS diabetes, then I would say that yes, giving table scraps and not monitoring what she eats could potentially affect it. However, if it is NOT diabetes, then these things might be unrelated. Unless for some reason she seizes after eating table scraps.

The diabetes related seizures in cats are caused when the cat is given A) too much of the insulin, or is accidentally double dosed by family members, or B) If the cat is given the insulin even if he/she did not eat. With the presence of too much insulin and not enough glucose in the body, the cat can become disoriented and seize. HOWEVER, I do not know if low glucose alone would produce the seizures. It may be entirely dependent on the insulin overload. I think Bee might know more about this. I know that in humans hypoglycemia DOES cause seizures, but I don't want to say that it is the same for cats because I don't know for sure.

 

[Gypsy]

Oh honey, no one thinks you are being a bad person. You took her in. You love her and want what's best for her. And yes, pets are EXPENSIVE. You are not a loser. I don't think I am either... and here's what happened with me.


When I was in undergrad one of my roomates got a cat. And a few month later we were at the pet store (for said cat) and saw kittens for adoption. And... on a lark (I was 17...

) I put in an application for a little female kitten, one of a brother and sister pair. This particular rescue was probably doing what they thought was best, but... unfortunately was (in retrospect) a poorly run organization. I lived in a college town and I was CLEARLY one of the students, and honestly college students are NOT a good choice for responsible, long term, stable households for pets. They result in many kittens taken in (by kids who think they are cute) and cats being kicked out (by students who suddenly realize that a cat is responsibility and work and expense). Anyway... point is, they ended up giving me a call and telling me I was approved and to come get the cat, but when I got there it was the brother they had for me, and I had noticed he was a little off. When I told the girl I had been interested in the girl, she kinda guilted me into taking the boy for a trail. Well, the little guy had A LOT, and I mean A LOT, of health problems, including an operable cancer in one of his eyes (which any decent rescue would have known) which was causing (and would continue to cause) blindness and if not operated could spread, hurting him, and eventually hurting him.

And I tried, and I spent so many sleepless nights trying to figure out what to do (my family generally dislikes animals and I knew I couldn't ask them for money for the very expensive surgery) and finally had to return him to the shelter. And they tried to guilt me into keeping and gave me a speech about being irresponsible . And I felt bad about myself FOR A LONG TIME. And I was a stupid kid who didn't consider the consequences of adopting, and a rescue organization that was trying to help its charges the best it could, and a sick kitten stuck in the middle. You just took in a baby off the street and are trying to give her a home. I spend my free time and a lot of my 'disposable' income on other cats, helping them now. Partially because I want to make up for returning "Pete" but also because I CAN now. I couldn't then and I still wonder what happened to him. Would I have done things differently? Yes, in one respect. I would have asked the vet if anyone there would take him, and if the vet would be willing to operate and adopt him out. I didn't know they did that then.

You can only do what you can, with the resources available to you. Some vets will volunteer thier time and services and help to assist people with good hearts willing to care for kitties with special needs. If you express to the vet that you are WILLING and (other than financially) ABLE to help her (if it's is best for her quality of life and manageable with meds) he might be willing to work with you, IF YOU ASK. Or he might (or his staff might) help you out with her, or know someone that might. I would also look on the Animal Planet website and see if there is any type of aid, or help or anything. Or call them and ask for a local resources if there are any. In the time I've spent rescuing cats, I've realized how many GOOD people there are out there, who are willing to help if you can find them.

Don't give up hope yet honey. Find out what is wrong with her, then come back and tell us, and we'll see what makes sense to do from there. Okay?

 

[bee*]

Date: 3/23/2009 5:57:13 PM
Author: MonkeyPie
Thanks bee and Feral

I hadn''t actually thought of diabetes, but I know nothing about it in cats. She will eat EVERYTHING - could the fact that my dad gives her table scraps affect it?

If it is diabetes, then the scraps could affect it. If they run bloods they can help diagnose this too. Let us know how you get on!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Thank you very much, Gypsy and bee. You''ve been such a big help, all of you

I managed to get her in, they are doing the blood work and I should know today or tomorrow if it''s blood sugar related or something else.

 

[AmberGretchen]

monkeypie - I really hope its something easily and inexpensively treatable.

I''d ditto Gypsy though on really looking hard for resources - I know of a lot of cases where vets have been willing to contribute care and rescue groups or others in the animal loving community have come together to help an animal with treatable medical issues so it could stay in its home. There are also financing options - Carecredit.com is one to check out and I''m sure there are others.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Financing is out - our credit is shot to hell and back.
A chat with the people at the vet office closest to me is a dead end as well. They can only offer help to people that TRULY need it, and apparently, we do not fall within the guidelines.

Here''s hoping her bloodwork comes back clean or with something we can deal with.