My Coco Puff is losing his balance

[Medusa]

I don't know what's happening here to my cats. One after another is getting sick, all w/different ailments. Coco is my latest rescue, about 8 months old now, Siamese. I had him neutered a week ago and he had a lot of wax, etc. in his ears that the vet cleaned out and I've been doing it twice a day since then and am putting Tresaderm in his ears twice a day also. He has had so much energy that he makes me tired just watching him. When I left for work this morning, he was fine. When I came home, he ran up the stairs to meet me and that was it. I put food out and he not only didn't devour it like he usually does, he didn't even look at it. It's almost as though he didn't even know it was there. He hasn't meowed once since I've been home either. When I threw a toy to see if he would chase it, he stood there, again as though he didn't notice. I have a 4:00 at the vet clinic but my vet is gone for the day. Coco Puff is sitting under the dining room table right now instead of getting into everything as usual.

Has anyone had experience w/this sort of thing?

Blessings,
Mary

[ratchet22]

Make sure you keep an eye on his litter box for stool and urine. This was you can make sure if he is going or not, and if he has diarhea. Maybe he has an upset stomach. But a vet is your best bet always. Does his eyes or nose look different? Waterery discharge ect? Keep an eye on him...

[Medusa]

No, he doesn't look any different. I just got back from the vet's. He was already tested for FIV and leukemia and came back negative. The vet says he's exhibiting symptoms of FIP, which scares me to death. It's incurable and my other cats are at risk then. My other vet, who is a specialist, says that FIP is rare and that the odds are on my side. They only see a couple of cases a year. But little Coco Puff now is afraid to walk down the stairs. It's almost as though he had a seizure. He was staring into space and wouldn't eat or run or even walk. Now he's eating but he just doesn't want to move. I'm having a rough time w/this one. I'm really, really worried. We've just had too much illness in this cat family since I've moved house.

Blessings,
M

[ratchet22]

If you have just moved, make sure you check everywhere for plants they may eat that are poisenous and rat poisen laid down. If you have had problems there, you may want to fill a water bottle up with part bleach and spray, killing anything that they prior owner may have had there. Very little bleach. We did that when our dog got parvo, also put dry bleach in the yard and wet it down with water afterwards.. Let me know what comes up tomarrow, see if he feels better, its good that he ate!

[Medusa]

I checked all around for rat/mouse poison, etc.; couldn't find anything. I wish he would perk up. He did eat but he just isn't his usual into-everything self. :confused: He just wants to be held or sits at my feet. I'm so used to seeing him wrestle w/the other cats. To see him so still and quiet is heartbreaking.

Blessings,
M

[ratchet22]

I am researching this fip. One noteable thing it says is diarhea. So watch his stool sample, and HE will get better. I am praying for him.......Did they test him for this fip?

[Medusa]

Yes, he was tested for FIP and I'll know the results tomorrow. No diarrhea in any of the litter boxes or around the house. If it's seizures, I can deal w/that. But FIP has no cure; it's treatable but it'll put my other cats at risk. The research that I've done supports what the other vet told me, that it isn't as common as one might think. God, I hope not. He is the most adorable, lovable, sweet little guy. I'll keep you posted for sure.

Blessings,
M

[ratchet22]

Also wondering if he is warm, do you know how his tempeture is?
Poor guy, let him rest. And pleassseeee let me know how he is. I really will be thinking of him tonight and worring with you. I have several and worry with everything about them. They are our kids.

[Medusa]

Yep, my fur posse of 8 are my kids, too. No, his temp. was normal. He's sitting at the top of the stairs again, as though he's afraid to go down. I took him down, thinking he might want to use the litter box but he didn't. He just wandered around. He walked back upstairs behind me instead of racing ahead of me as usual. Then when he got two steps from the top, he wobbled and stopped. It's gonna be a loooong night.

Blessings,
M

[catnapper]

When you hold him, does he meow in pain when you touch a certain area? My Abby had the same exact symptoms a few weeks ago, and within a few days she was her normal carefree self. We figure she pulled a muscle while attempting some crazy stunt.

[Medusa]

No, he isn't meowing at all, which is another concern. He's quite vocal and I also call him "Booper" because he makes this funny sound like "boop boop". And he's always getting squirted w/the squirt gun because he's into everything. Now this boy is just sitting at the top of the steps still.

Blessings,
M

[Prairie Purrs]

My friend's cat once fell into the toilet and hit his head, and he was dizzy and wobbly for a while afterwards. Might Coco have bumped his head on something?

Poor little guy--hope he perks up soon.

[Medusa]

I guess anything is possible, especially given how active he's always been. He was fine when I left for work, so who knows what really happened while I was gone. I suspect, though, that it's roundworms. I did some research on that, too, and found out that roundworms can cause seizures. He vomited some up yesterday and, of course, I rushed him into the vet and I administered a liquid to all of my cats to be safe. They'll get a followup treatment in two weeks. I'm hoping that's what it is. He's now coming around a little but he isn't sure footed. He jumped up onto the counter top and, as he was walking, he lost his footing and fell. He definitely walks to one side. Maybe he had a mini stroke. Sigh. This not knowing is awful. I feel so bad for my little boy.

Blessings,
M

[lizbud]

I would be sure to have the Vet check Coco Puff's ears again.
Could be an inner ear problem(infection) causing the loss of
balance & a whole host of other symptoms too. Good luck.

[Prairie Purrs]

I wouldn't panic yet, especially if he's starting to come around. My friend's cat walked like a drunk all evening after his misadventure, but he didn't suffer any permanent damage.

If Coco did have a seizure due to roundworms, he wouldn't necessarily have had a stroke, but it probably would take him a little while to get back to normal.

[Medusa]

I'm trying not to panic but it's so difficult to watch him the way he is. Now he's curled up asleep on top of the telephone. (Sure hope it doesn't ring. ;) ) Sweet, sweet boy. He's sleeping w/me tonight. Thanx for all your encouraging words, friends.

Blessings,
M

[QueenScoopalot]

Originally posted by lizbud
I would be sure to have the Vet check Coco Puff's ears again.
Could be an inner ear problem(infection) causing the loss of
balance & a whole host of other symptoms too. Good luck.
My thoughts exactly! Inner ear infections can cause them to be very disoriented, and off balance. FIP testing is a waste of money! If Coco Puff had a cold at any time, the test WILL COME UP POSITIVE! It does not mean he has, or does not have FIP. The FIP virus is a corona virus, as is the common cat cold. There are thousands of corona viruses that cats can carry, and it's impossible to say a cat has FIP from this test. I dread to think of how many cats have been needlessly killed because of this test! :mad: FIP is very hard to diagnose especially the dry form. Symptoms include lethargy, high frequent spiking fevers, jaundice, frequent colds, weight loss, and many times a voracious appetite but the cat will lose weight. Wet form is much easier to diagnose, and symptoms come on faster. Obvious ones are fevers, rapid abdominal bloating (a cat will look very spiny with a ballooned out belly), jaundice etc. I have done rescuing for 20 years now, and have had very few die from FIP. It is a virus that affects a very small percentage of exposed animals (5-10%) may die from it. My own cats I'm sure have been exposed to it as well, and the majority of them are near senior citizens...and going strong! The only conclusive test for FIP is a necropsy. Hope you figure out what's going on with Coco...keep us posted. ;)

[Medusa]

Honestly, I don't know what to think. The vet checked his ears. (I cleaned them right before our appt.) He said he saw no ear mites but he didn't say anything about a possible infection. Coco has been sleeping all this time since he fell asleep on top of the telephone. When he saw me curl up on the sofa w/a bunky and some other kitties, he tried to jump down but lost his balance again. I picked him up, put him on the bunky beside me and he's been sleeping there ever since. He has none of the symptoms that you mentioned except the voracious appetite but he hasn't lost weight. (I thought the appetite could be from the round worms or so the research indicated.) But now he's lethargic. Morning, please get here!

Blessings,
M

[Medusa]

Ok, now I'm really stymied. Guess who just walked across my keyboard? He's making the "boop boop" sound again, too, like the Coco Puff I know and love. I went upstairs to clean the guest room to prepare for a furniture delivery tomorrow and he ran up the stairs right behind me! He started snooping around and got into some things, as usual. He still appears to be somewhat off balance but not like before, that's for sure. He even went down the basement steps, ate a little, went in the litter box, drank some water and ran upstairs, stopped at the top step and crouched down, waiting for a furry victim to stroll by.

What in the world is going on?????

Blessings,
M

++0000000000 <<<<< These are from Coco walking across the keyboard. Kisses and hugs! How appropriate! ;)

[Prairie Purrs]

If he's got his balance back by morning, I'd bet he clunked his little head on something and got the dizzies. It might still be worth asking the vet about an inner ear infection, but it's sounding more and more like something he's gonna shake off. :)

[QueenScoopalot]

I'm so glad Coco sounds as though he's going to be OK. :) Now you must indulge us with pictures of the ~booping~ boy as he sounds adorable!

[Medusa]

I want so badly to post pix of all my furkids but, since my move, my scanner isn't working. I uninstalled it and reinstalled it and it still won't work. My PC doc said he could fix it for me but I have to schedule an appt. My little boy sure is a cutie. As soon as I get the scanner working, I'll be sure to post. In the meantime, he's still going to be sleeping w/Mom. I want to keep my eye on him.

Blessings,
M

[Medusa]

Well, little Booper slept w/me last night and he was just fine. He curled up next to me and slept soundly, only getting up once to munch a little and use the litter box. When I lit my morning devotional candle, he sat there w/me, good as gold, and patiently waited for me to finish. Right now he's sitting on top of my computer as I type, blue eyes looking at me as though he's saying "Yeah, I know, I'm not allowed up here. But I figure I can push the envelope right now." ;) His appetite is back and he's active but I did notice that he still walks to one side. It reminds me of how comedians imitate John Wayne's walk. Coco no longer appears to be afraid or unsure of his step, though.

Dr. Heller will call w/the lab results of the FIP test today. No matter what he says, I'm going to take him to my specialist that has been taking care of Yoda. He'll get to the bottom of all this, I'm sure. Yoda is scheduled yet again for her spay on Monday and, if Dr. Lee can swing it, I'll take Coco Puff in w/me that same day. If not, I'll schedule him ASAP.

[Medusa]

Ok. Dr. Heller just called and said that all Coco's tests for FIV, FIP and leukemia came back negative. After hearing how Coco was "out of it" for several hours after his supposed seizure, he feels that he might have what my little deaf cat, Creamsicle, has: an inflammatory brain disease. (After much testing, they were never really able to determine exactly what Creamsicle has, so they started her on an antibiotic and cortisone and she improved immediately. She now is off meds totally and has only a slight palsy.) Coco, as mentioned in my last post, still staggers a little to the right, which Dr. Heller says, in his opinion, rules out epilepsy because he wouldn't normally be exhibiting any symptoms this morning and he would've snapped out it after an hour or two last night. So....he's recommending an antibiotic and prednisone, starting today. At least I know now that what he has isn't contagious to my other cats.

Sigh. Since my move a month ago, I've had 5 of my 8 cats in to the vet. And it's all the younger ones. My old guy and gals just keep on keepin' on. Aw, it's ok. I just want my furkids to be healthy and happy and safe.

Thanx, friends, for all your feedback and encouragement. I'll let you know how the meds are working.

Blessings,
Mary

[ratchet22]

I was thinking about him all night :( I am glad to hear that he is better. Hopefully it isnt anything serious and he snaps out of it. I think the antibiotics will work. I wonder though , why all your babies are getting sick, or if its just because, and not because of your move. Well keep us posted. And let us know, I am so happy :D he is doing better.........

[QueenScoopalot]

Wow! Asthey say..."when it rains, it pours"! Hopefully things will straighten out with your furfamily, and no others will be exhibiting any odd symptoms. A thought did occur to me though...has this all been happening SINCE the move? Or before & after? It's been pretty well documented that new carpeting etc. can put out toxins which affect anything living! :eek: I hope that's not the case...but it is food for thought!:confused:

[Medusa]

Yeah, and each cat was sick w/something different, so it isn't anything that I could pin on the move or the house or whatever. My little boy is hiding out in my bedroom right now but not because he's sick, because he's being "bad", which is fine w/me! I'm cuckoo for Coco Puff! ;)

Blessings,
M

[Medusa]

Yes, all this has occurred since the move but I have hardwood floors in nearly every room. The rest of the house has berber carpeting that has been cleaned. I did think about that but since each cat exhibited different symptoms and was sick w/other things, I pretty much ruled it out.

Blessings,
M

[QueenScoopalot]

;) ;) ;) Well since all chemical exposure's been ruled out, I guess it's just sit back & pray no others come down with anything. ;) Give that rascal some kisses for me! He sounds soooo cute! :)

[Medusa]

Pray, I can do. Been doing that a looooong time. ;) Sit back? HA! What's that like? :D

[Laura's Babies]

WOW! Reading this thread has had me on pins and needles! How is he doing now?

[Medusa]

He's doing pretty well, actually. He went from behaving as though he was stoned to being the bad boy that he's always been. He's into everything again, walks around the house making his "boop boop" sounds, wrestles w/the other cats, especially my deaf one, Creamsicle. He's just a little bit doppy on his right side, staggers almost imperceptively but I know what to look for, so I can tell. He'll go back to see the vet in another 10 days or so and I'll be able to tell you more. He's definitely the most adorable cat I've ever had, hands down. He's a snuggler and a cuddler and it's hard to remember what this household was like before he joined the fur posse.

Blessings,
M

[QueenScoopalot]

Glad to hear the "boopster" is back to feeling better. He does sounds adorable. :) :) :)