My 4 1/2-year-old cat Minnie all of a sudden last Saturday was lethargic to the point she slept the entire day, then Sunday a lot of the same where she not interacting, not her normal playful, loving self. It started to look like her eyes where crossed, and she would curl up in a ball. I took her to the vet last Monday – she was there all day and they suspect head cavity polyps, meningitis, or CNS however when the Dr. put her under, she was not able to find anything. Not sure if she checked behind the soft pallet, but will ask in the am. I was referred to a neurologist at that time; they have her a 14 day antibiotic and a steroid injection. She seemed to be doing good, and somewhat back to herself, so I canceled the request for an appt as they did not even have any openings, but the next day Tuesday she was feeling horrible again, sneezing, head tilting, off-balance walk, walking in a circle favoring her left side. Her eyes are watery and run almost like she is crying, and she has this reverse snort/cough. She does still have a good appetite, is eating, peeing and pooping, but is extremely lethargic and I can tell she is still miserable and at time seems like she will not make it. Took her back on Friday, did another exam and they say she still needs some type of imaging to see what is wrong. I am thinking can’t they look to see if there are polyps endoscopically and then just remove them at the same time? Or does she have to go through a complete neurological exam although it may not be necessary? I can’t afford 2-3 k for all the diagnostics then surgery but will do my best to pay if it is necessary. I am terribly worried for her as she is just doing horrible and I hate to see her in so much pain and want to get this resolved for her as quickly as possible.
Good morning-
I would write everything down… symptoms, changes in them, appetite, sleep patterns, change in behavior, even things that you’ve previously discussed with the vet…. I would also be upfront and ask exactly what you’ve asked here. Be honest about your budget and your concerns. Ask about all of your suspicions. Hope things work out for you both????????
That is great advice. Thanks very much.
Hello,
this sounds like more of a brain/CNS problem than a polyp. I would make sure that a full blood work panel is done, a fecal, and urine too. I would also inquire about FeLV/FIV status. If you cannot afford the specialists I would ask about which medical therapies might help.. In the symptoms you describe I would make sure this isn’t an ear issue and start looking for possible causes to the clinical signs she is showing. I would also seek the opinion of a feline only specialist. In my practice I have fund them to be as good, or even better than the boarded internal medicine and neurology specialists. I hope this helps, keep us posted. And good luck!
Thanks, Dr. Magnifico…..I had to rush her to the ER due to labored breathing and unresponsiveness and they too were not sure and were really all over the place, but thanks to your video on how to keep pet care affordable, I was able to leave there paying 241.88 instead of 4500 – 5000 to start. I am trying to spend what I have like you said more on the treatment if it comes to that. I was able to get another local vet to at least do some X-rays and go in endoscopically for a start for which my vet would not do. At least from there, I can hopefully get more information on which direction to go. They did give her additional Antibiotics and more meds for the symptoms and she has been better all day. Thank you, Dr. Magnifico, for the advice……and that you are. May God Bless you!