Feline Dementia

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear this. He does sound like he's too young for dementia unless he's older than you think he is. I know that before my RB Storm had to be put to sleep, he would also some times start howling like he was lost. It would only last a minute or so until he heard my voice and I helped to calm him down but it was scary to watch. His back legs would also give out on him and he became so bad that he could barely walk and he also had a hard time using the litter boxes. His health was deteriorating before my eyes and I knew it was time to let him go. Hopefully you'll be able to find out what's causing this. Maybe it's some kind of a neurological problem. Do you have a vet that specializes in cats near you? Maybe you should get a second opinion. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

[Vio&Juni]

Thank you all for your kind words.

We are still not sure it's dementia, but everyone is suggesting that.

Pichu doesn't seem to be in pain, even when his hind legs are shaking (and that happens rarely). The first thing that led us to think it's dementia is how he just stares into a corner or wall sometimes.

He's had a few better days and we're just taking it one day at a time, enjoying the time we have with him. I will ask the vet about the medication and we'll give it a try.

Johanna, unfortunately I am not posting too often here, just once in a while. If I only had the time to do everything I want, but there are not enough hours in a day.

[Barbara]

I am so sorry to hear about your gentle giant. Even if it should not be feline dementia- that leg shaking symptom sounds like something in his brain is not ok
I hope he will be happy for as much as possible time to come.

[katladyd]

Mac started acting strangely awhile back (odd and excessive vocalizations, shaking legs, staring at the wall, not playing or eating, etc...) so I took him to the vet and had bloodwork done. He suffers from hyperthyroid and was given the proper medicaton and now his is back close to 100%. Have you had Pichu tested for a thyroid condition?

[Vio&Juni]

katladyd,

That sounds a lot like Pichu. They had bloodwork done, but they didn't see anything like this. I will ask again, maybe they weren't looking for that. What is the medication Mac is taking?

Thank you,

Vio

[maerlyn]

katladyd,

They had bloodwork done, but they didn't see anything like this. I will ask again, maybe they weren't looking for that.


Vio

I believe a thyroid problem does not show up on a standard blood panel; it needs a separate test, called a T4. If that was not done, maybe it should be.

[Vio&Juni]

We got what we think are good news today.

Pichu had been getting worse and worse and I was really fearing the worst this weekend. Last week we were giving him some medication for kidneys, prescribed two weeks ago and those didn't seem to help at all. Every time they ran tests, they couldn't tell what was going on, everything looked pretty good, except for Pichu. He started losing weight and he wasn't interested in eating, so I was feeding him treats and giving him water with a turkey baster. He could barely walk, could not get on or off bed or couch, and what was really weird (and kind of funny) he could not turn left. We called him Zolander.

On Monday, we took Pichu a third time to the regular vet and the vet suspected a brain tumor. I cried my eyes out all day until I saw him in the evening, and I realized he looked good. The vet gave him a steroid shot and you could see him getting better by the minute. By Tuesday he was back to normal (well, maybe like 85%).

We went to the specialist today and he confirmed the diagnosis, but he said since Pichu seems to respond so well to steroids, he could have a good quality life for a long time, probably not as long as I would like, but we'll take what we can.

So, I have my fluffy boy back and I am happy. I am really happy that he can enjoy again all the things that he used to and that he can eat and get stronger.