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PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 11:44 am 
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Bengal Kitten

Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2015 11:14 am
Posts: 1
Hej Alle,

I'm a new member and this is not a great first post. Please be aware that I describe below an event to help understand what has happened to our cat. This could be distressing so please don't read this is you are likely to be upset.

We own a fantastic Bengal, Albert, coming up to 9 yeras old. He is a great, happy, lively and all round great companion. But late last night (before bed) he had an event which could be a heart attack/ spasm or something else. We are taking him to the vet later today. I feel helpless. This is so out of character, and my partner is so worried, I thought I'd ask around for opinions or comments.

The event was this:
Happily pawing at the bed as mummy was settling in, he rolls over, puts his feet up and then stretches out. With a shout of 'oh god he's dying' I rush in to see what is happening. Having had Albert around as usual I can't see why anything could be wrong.
What happens next is the best I can recollect: he is stretched out on the bed, quite stiff (but not twitching) and stretching out his front claws. He closed his eyes and showed his teeth. I thought, 'he is in pain'. I can't exactly recall, but I gather him into my arms and change his body position. He is limp and making a mew (?) sound. It is possible he stopped breathing, but I am sure he lost conciousness. I start giving him a chest massage, trying to stimulate what I thought was his lungs and heart. Beyond basic CPR I have no medical training. I did what I thought was right. As this happened my partner phoned the emergency vet (24hr service). For maybe 30/40 seconds I continue with the chest 'rubbing' as Albert starts to regain 'life'. Slowly at first he finds his surrounidngs and feet and I move him constantly to find a comfortable position as he comes back to a normal. On the phone, the vet connects and suggests we try and walk Albert in straight line. By this point, some 2 minutes since the start of the event he can manage a slink, but his body is soft. Another 4/5 minutes (by the end of the call) Albert appears normal.

We keep an eye on him throughout the entire evening. He has urinated, and has eaten normally this morning. He seems 'normal' but also tired.

Our background:
Albert is a house cat. We have recently moved from an apartment into our new house (within the last 7 days) - a very stressful time - which contains a basement. We relocated Albert with us in a staged move so he finds his usual toys, sctraching post and knows our smell. We have a basement and two flights of stairs which hourly Albert uses and are a new exercise for him.

Other information:
_Albert once a week goes for walks outside on a leash - and is very energetic, healthy and happy. This is the first significant health event for him.
-We wondered if the event could be posion related: We asked the previous owner if they have every used rat posion. No.
-We are redecorating our home and have kept Albert out of the painting and decorating areas. Yesterday evening I washed the floors, scrubbed with water and a wood soap/ wood cleaner. Is it possible residue got ono his paws, he licked them and fell ill?
-We noticed before the move he has reguritated food. Not enough to think at the time, 'hang on' but perhaps more than usual. The start coincided with us using a new bag of food (8kg bgs). It is 'Royal Cain' Outdoor 30. In the last two weeks Albert has been eating more than usual - a sign of more energy being used or....???
-We noticed he has been tired from the excitement of going into every box during packing - and sometimes being in the way. Lethargy because of new surroundings or.....??

I am so worried for both Albert and my wonderful partner.

Any thoughts would be really helpful- has anyone else ever seen an event like this?

Thank you.

Copenhagen


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 4:56 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat
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Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:03 pm
Posts: 1048
That is very scary. It's possible that he had a seizure - they don't always involve spasms they can be just a stiffening of the muscles. It's typical to have some disorientation and muscle weakness immediately after a seizure along with exhaustion.

It's good that you're taking him to the vet, and hopefully they will be able to give him a thorough look over and figure out what's going on with him.

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Dallas, TX USA
Diesel - snow Bengal born 09/01/2013 adopted Feb 2014
Tuck, Chloe, Buddy, Lewis & Tia - rescue kitties
Clyde, Bleu & Coal - Great Danes


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 6:21 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:26 pm
Posts: 734
That must have been so distressing for you all. I hope the vet can shed some light on what happened to your kitty.

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Melissa

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Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 6:52 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat

Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm
Posts: 9217
It's very difficult to diagnose something like this because it could be caused by a lot of different things. It does appear to be a seizure type of thing. Seizures are generally neurological in nature -- but what caused it? You just moved. Could there be something in your new residence that he got into that you didn't know was there? Was this just a natural phenom? Your vet can run some tests -- basic, but if everything comes back normal, I'd ask to see a vet specializing in neurology. That vet will be more familiar with what may be going on. I know something like that is terribly scary -- not only for you, but for your cat, who has no understand of what is happening. The episode passed with apparently no long-term affects. This could be a one-time incident -- never to happen again -- or it could be something that could occur occasionally. Only tests can determine what it might be. Glad you are getting him into the vet so soon. Don't expect all the answers right away. Sometimes these things take time to sort out. {{{HUGS|||


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 8:13 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat
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Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 3:08 am
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Location: Melbourne, Australia
Sounds like some sort of seizure.
It could be neurological or maybe he got into something he shouldn't have and that caused it.
Blood tests may show more, or may show nothing at all.
Let us know how you go.


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 5:15 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat

Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm
Posts: 9217
Hopefully, we will get an update soon.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 4:08 am 
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Bengal Kitten

Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2015 5:58 pm
Posts: 3
Hi,

Sorry to hear your story but i had to reply as it brought back memories for me but not with a cat but my dog at the time.

What you described is the exact same thing that my dog suffered, right down to the rubbing/cpr and they come back, turned out the cause of the seizures was a fluid retention issue on the lungs, may want to get some xrays taken to check .


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