New User - Hind legs giving way.

[vikkif56]

Yesterday I noticed my cat's hind legs giving way when he would be walking along. It wouldn't happen all of the time and even after it happened he would walk along as if nothing happened. He is still running around, jumping up to get to the tap and is generally very happy which makes be think that it isn't causing him any pain.
Anyway, I rang the vets immediately as I thought it may be a problem with his kidneys, heart or central nervous system. The vet checked him over and found that he was quite constipated and had some muscle wastage in his back legs. He took some bloods and kept him on a drip for a few hours. The blood results came back which said he was slightly dehydrated but it ruled out any problems with his kidneys, cancer and some other things which I cant remember. We took him home and he scoffed back some food and used his litterbox which seemed good, but was still unsteady on his back legs.
We took him back today and the vet repeated what he did yesterday and his second blood test came back even better than the day before.
The vet has pretty much put it down to pain related, so has prescribed him some very strong painkillers and has said he can refer us to a neurologist which I think I'm going to do.

I'm just wondering if anyone has heard of anything similar or know what is causing it?
I'm also reluctant to carry on giving him these painkillers as they're extremely strong and I don't think he needs it as I don't think he was in any pain in the first place. He was given a dose at around 7:30pm and has been sat infront of his food bowl since because he is reluctant to walk as he can barely stand up and walk now.

Any suggestions and advice would be so greatly appreciated right now because It's so horrible seeing him like this..

Edit: forgot to add, he's a 12 year old Birman.

[Antonio]

Hi Vikkif56,
if the strong painkiller you are telling about is an opiate drug it could give your cat some disorientation.
I agree with you that if your cat wasn't in pain the drug is useless or harmful.
I have recently read a veterinary article by a well-known doctor that in cats over 12 years of age lean mass, or muscle, wastage is rather common due to a slightly increased energy requirement from their metabolism. When this energy isn't taken from the food, the body starts "eating" itself, starting from the muscles.
Of course the causes in the case of your cat might be different. In my experience (I have a cat who suddenly lost the ability to stand on one of her hind legs) the reason is neurological. My cat had a trauma of unknown nature to one of the nerves in her leg and the issue was solved with a course of physiotherapy.
Ask you vet if a visit to a neurologist is advisable at this stage. I would go this way.

[vikkif56]

Thanks for the reply!
Ah that's interesting to know, I think i'm going to look into what nutrients he may need then to stop that from happening.
Bit of an update - This morning Eric had a seizure, so I rang the vets and they got me an appointment with a Neurologist ASAP.
He's had an MRI and is spending the night there but i'm currently waiting for the results...

[Antonio]

Vikkif56,
Any news from the clinic? Hopefully your cat is fine and the news are good.
The seizure that your cat had is compatible with a neurological issue.
My cat, who passed away three weeks ago, had three seizures in few months before she died, and the vet told me that it could also be caused by an electrolyte imbalance.
Best of luck!

[vikkif56]

Ahhhh very very long day!
I've just come home from the clinic after locking myself out of my car
Eric's MRI and spinal tap results came back normal which is good!
The vet did say though that he noticed an irregular heartbeat which he didn't notice before so he did an ECG and that confirmed it, other than that his heart scan came back largely normal. He has taken some more bloods from him so we should hear the results back from that in a few days.
It's all good news it seems!! He's still very wobbly but he's so excited to be home, bless him.

[booktigger]

Glad things are looking promising, hope it continues

[Antonio]

Good! At least he's home, more good news will follow!

[vikkif56]

So it has started to happen again today and it doesn't seem like a seizure, although he is immobile for about 15 seconds.
He's been fine since he's been back from the vets, although not his usual self. Today he is even more wobbly on his feet and has had about three of these mini 'episodes'. When he has them it seems like he is dizzy, as his head is spinning around and he is just stuck to the floor. I'll try and get a video next time so I can show everyone exactly what he's doing.
I don't want to make assumptions yet but the ones he's had today have only happened before and after he's had a drink, so i'm thinking kidney problems?? Even though his bloods came back normal...
I'm ringing the specialist first thing tomorrow morning to see what he suggests and keeping him locked in my bedroom tonight...

[Janey]

The video is a good idea and to show your vet too, I’ve taken videos to show my vet when it’s something that only happens occasionally and it’s been helpful. Hopefully you’ll be able to sort it out soon. Fusses to Eric.

[Antonio]

I don't want to make assumptions yet but the ones he's had today have only happened before and after he's had a drink

I'm sorry to read that your cat has been bad again despite the good blood test report.
I don't think, though, I have totally understood the quoted sentence... What do you exactly mean? Has Eric ever drunk anything alcoholic?

[vikkif56]

I don't want to make assumptions yet but the ones he's had today have only happened before and after he's had a drink

I'm sorry to read that your cat has been bad again despite the good blood test report.
I don't think, though, I have totally understood the quoted sentence... What do you exactly mean? Has Eric ever drunk anything alcoholic?

Sorry, I mean as in it seems like he only has these episode either before or after having a drink of water.

[vikkif56]

Hi guys
I managed to capture one of Eric's dizzy spells tonight and have put it on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/23yG6XEd7d0

Please let me know what you think.

[Kay]

it looks neurological to me - it'll be very useful for the vet, I think

[Janey]

I’m in the same mind as Kay, and definitely let the vet see the video, it should be really helpful. Best of luck getting it sorted, he’s a beautiful cat.

[Antonio]

Definitely it's a neurological issue. To me it looks like a problem with his cerebellum. Google some videos about cerebellar ataxia in cats, those poor kittens might act just like your cat.
He might remind me of this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f31m5-5-xUY
though in a much slighter seriousness.
I might reckon that occasionally his cerebellum doesn't receive the right amount of blood/oxygen.
I do hope I'm wrong!

A huge kiss to your cat!

[vikkif56]

Yes I can definitely see the relation there, especially with the head bobbing.
I thought it could possibly be an inner ear infection? But yes I will definitely show to a vet.
I should be receiving a call back today from the Neurologist Eric saw last week so hopefully he can finally diagnose him.

I will keep you all updated

[Antonio]

If it were an ear infection I could think Eric would scratch his ears, or he would shake his head as to get rid of something.
Please, keep us updated as soon as you know more.

[vikkif56]

Eric was admitted to the veterinary hospital yesterday after I showed the video to the vet. They carried out some further tests on his heart as heart disease can cause problems with the hind legs. His ECG and heart scan came back normal, much better than when they did it last week. They tried some anti-epileptic medication on him last night and I just got a call from the vet saying that he'd had no seizures in the night so it looks like it must be epilepsy.

I'm glad we finally have some answers now and he is able to be treated for these seizures!

[Antonio]

As far as I know the seizures from epilepsy are absolutely scaring to look at!
Just look for some videos on the web.
My sweet Lola had two of them in her last months, the first one almost left me dead from the scare!!!
The second one was much lighter but not less worrying.
In those moments the cat falls on a side, starts shaking and trembling and drooling. Sometimes they yell, they usually pee themselves, and when the seizure is gone they are left very very weak, disoriented and dizzy, they are not able to stand for some time and do not recognize anything around them.

Probably your vets are thinking of a weak form of epilepsy, that I do wish it is not because it is a lifelong therapy and potentially fatal for the cat.

[booktigger]

Good that his heart scan was fine - if it doesn't happen all the time, I'm slightly puzzled that one night of no seizures would be indicative of the meds working and therefore being epilepsy.

[vikkif56]

Coming to think of it now, so am I.
But I'm just not exactly sure what else it could be as they've ruled pretty much everything out..
He has had two seizures in the car home and about 4 since being home, but that could possibly be down to any anesthetic that may be wearing off still.
I'm still honestly just not really sure...I'm keeping a very close eye on him tonight and he's staying in my room again.

[booktigger]

I doubt that would be the anaesthetic, but I think you need to speak to the vet, as it could mean the diagnosis is wrong

[TheCatsMum]

I've been following your post, but haven't commented so far. I don't know about cats, but humans can have different kinds of epilepsy, you get a full blown seizure, or like my mum who has petit mal, you have a temporary loss of whats happening and then continue as you were afterwards. When my Mum has a petit mal seizure her eyes normally move a bit to the side, as does her head. I know you can't compare cats to humans, but maybe like us, they have different forms of epilepsy! I hope you've got the answers you need. Sometimes these things are awful at the time, but once you have the right advice, you can deal with it and help your little friend.

[Janey]

I've been following your post, but haven't commented so far. I don't know about cats, but humans can have different kinds of epilepsy, you get a full blown seizure, or like my mum who has petit mal, you have a temporary loss of whats happening and then continue as you were afterwards. When my Mum has a petit mal seizure her eyes normally move a bit to the side, as does her head. I know you can't compare cats to humans, but maybe like us, they have different forms of epilepsy! I hope you've got the answers you need. Sometimes these things are awful at the time, but once you have the right advice, you can deal with it and help your little friend.

Yep I agree, and to be honest when I saw the video that’s what I thought it looked like a mild form of epilepsy.

Coming to think of it now, so am I.
But I'm just not exactly sure what else it could be as they've ruled pretty much everything out..
He has had two seizures in the car home and about 4 since being home, but that could possibly be down to any anesthetic that may be wearing off still.
I'm still honestly just not really sure...I’m keeping a very close eye on him tonight and he's staying in my room again.

Yep, different things can trigger epilepsy, I know of people keeping a diary to try and find out what, it can be difficult. Hopefully though you will be able to get something sorted soon. Fusses to Eric xx

[loopdaloo]

Hi. I note the date on this thread is a few years old now, I wonder if there is any update on your cats situation at all? Was it confirmed to be Epilepsy? My cat started walking funny last night. Like his back legs weren't working, but it was intermittant. He is old, around 14, so we thought maybe he was stiff after sitting too long. But he is worse this morning, although again it seems to come and go. Also, he seems dizzy at times and like he cant focus or see. I watched your video of your cat and mine is exactly the same. I couldnt get him to the vet today, they were full and advised me to call back again in the morning for an appt tomorrow. In the meantime if you have an updates on how things progressed your end I'd be greatly appreciative.
Thank you

[Lizbp]

Hi, this post is quite old but felt obliged to share with you.
My 21 year old cat started to have fits about 6 years ago.
Had lots of tests and mri scan and they could find nothing wrong.
My son did some Googling and found a rare condition called FARS. We suggested this to our specialist and it just so happened that the consultants who had run some research on this were based at the same specialist vet hospital.

They immediately put her onto this medication called leviteracetum and she didn’t have a fit/seizure since. She has to take it every day.
Note that it is different to epilepsy- the medication they usually give for that is slightly different and when we moved to a different vet they suggested trying this other type and she started to get really twitchy again so we got it put back to the leviteracetum.
If we hadn’t suggested it could have been this FARS in the first place I don’t think it would have ever got diagnosed- so hope this post helps someone’s little moggy.

https://www.aaha.org/publications/newst ... s-in-cats/

[Epsom-cat-lady]

Hi all, just a quick read through the post & watching the video reminds me of my 19 year old having a similar fit.
Her heart was checked & in the end it was her thyroid to blame, the thyroid meds have sorted this out now.

Just thought I’d put it out there as a possible condition