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I think my cat might have had a stroke ...

16 years ago

Hi, everyone ...

So a few weeks ago, my 17 year old cat developed a limp, or more accurately, an overall weakness of her rear, and a slight favoring of one leg. I took her to the vet, and he diagnosed her with "crepidus." He said her blood work was excellent, especially for a cat her age. He diagnosed a steroid as an anti-inflamatory, which a few folks here said i must be very careful with. After calling the vet to ask about the steriod, he told me to give it to her every other day, which i've been doing.

Today, i noticed that one pupil is dilated. Just one. The other is fine. I called the vet immediately, and made an appointment for tomorrow morning.

In doing a little on-line research, i'm starting to think she might have had a stroke a few weeks back. Could this be possible?

She's been eating fine, drinking fine, using her littler box, and her temperament has been perfectly fine. She's purring and head-butting and seem overall quite comfortable. Her self-grooming is suffering, and she's getting some matted fur, but i think that's because she can't get to certain areas the way she used to.

What do you all think?

This is wrenching, you guys ...

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Comments (5)

sylviatexas1
16 years ago
She's purring, she's eating, she's happy, & you can brush the areas she can't reach.

Even if she did have a stroke, it's over, & she's doing well.

Your appointment is tomorrow & you'll get some answers then...
but it sounds like she's doing just fine.

Just like with human beings, even if she did have a stroke, it isn't necessarily the end of the world.

holding her & you in my thoughts.
estreya
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you, sylviatexas. I'm sorry to report, the vet pretty much confirmed it's the beginning of the end. And i'm not sure what to do now ...
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irishdancersgram
16 years ago
Love her more than ever. Keep her happy and pain free as long as you can..
Hugs to you and your furbaby....
oceanna
16 years ago
This is very, very antecdotal but I thought I'd share it. A friend of mine had a dog he took to work with him every day. He and his dog were inseparable best buds.

The dog had a stroke at age 9 and was paralyzed on his right side. The vet said euthanize. My friend said no. My friend put aloe vera in the dog's water and gave him bee pollen. He told me that within a couple of weeks this brought his dog back around to normal.

I don't know if that's the reason the dog got better or not, but my friend was convinced it was. At any rate, the dog DID get better. Good luck with your kitty!
Meghane
16 years ago
If the vet confirmed the beginning of the end, what exactly is your cat dying of? There are lots of diseases that are treatable if properly diagnosed. Old age is not a disease, so something else must be going on. A single dilated pupil (anisocoria) can be lots of things, but without proper diagnostics I am sure it cannot be treated appropriately. She could just have Horner's syndrome or an ear infection.

Please let us know why your vet feels it is "the beginning of the end." Lots of posters here have a lot of experience with end of life issues and can help you with that. Having a specific diagnosis sure goes a long way in helping your cat be comfortable. I know it is never easy with an older pet, but there are things that can be done to help if we know what we are dealing with.

17 is not that old for a cat.

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