Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [128]
Senior Symptoms
Not all cats that act dizzy have suffered a stroke. “I can’t diagnose a stroke just by looking at an animal,” says Dr. Klopp. Symptoms are vague, will be variable, depending on what part of the brain is affected, and usually very sudden. Often they are severe and initially cause extreme impairment, but then tend to improve.
Seizure
Depression
Circling and/or dizziness
Incoordination
Behavior change (anything!) may also be a sign.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis can be difficult. Even with an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), the changes caused by the brain damage may be hard to see. “If the stroke is big enough to see in the brain stem, the animal is probably not alive,” says Dr. Klopp. “The brain stem is very sensitive and there’s no functional redundancy there, so a very small stroke is going to do a lot of damage.”
However, strokes that occur in the forebrain are easier to see on the MRI. “We can have fairly good size strokes in the forebrain and have animals survive. If I think a stroke is possible, but I’m not seeing signs on the MRI, I try to rule other things out and go from there.”
Age-Defying Tip
Monitoring the cat for hypertension is easy. A blood-pressure cuff designed for felines used by the veterinarian determines if medication such as amlodipine is necessary. A common sign of hypertension in cats is erratic behavior and/or yowling at night, says Dr. Little.
Treatment
Not much can be done once the injury has occurred, says Dr. Klopp. “By the time I see it, it’s probably as bad as it’s ever going to be. If you can treat the primary disease that’s your best bet.” In other words, you should figure out what disease caused the stroke—high blood pressure—and treat that.
Cats often seem severely affected but then begin to slowly improve and recover more quickly and easily from strokes than people do. “I’ve seen very badly affected animals walk out of the hospital,” says Dr. Klopp. That’s because cats usually suffer strokes in the forebrain, but they rely on their brain stem for their strength and function. If they have a stroke in the forebrain they may initially be very weak. “But they’ll usually get up and get going again with only a few subtle deficits,” says Dr. Klopp. “They’re not going to be paralyzed on one side like the human.”
Another reason they recover quickly is they aren’t required to function to the high level that people aspire. They are very good at compensating for a weak leg, for example, and don’t worry about needing to drive a car or that people might look at them funny if they wobble a bit. “They’re much more able to function and deal with their disabilities and adjust,” says Dr. Klopp.
Nurse Alert!
The aftermath of a stroke may leave your cat very weak, confused, or unable to walk. Recovery time varies, depending on the severity of the damage. But in almost all cases, cats improve. In the meantime, you may need to offer extra TLC.
Soften food or hand feed
Carry her to the litter box or provide absorbent pads in her bed to help deal with accidents
Rehabilitation exercises may help strengthen weak muscles
Medicate as indicated to deal with underlying diseases
PART THREE: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
APPENDIX A--SENIOR CARE DIRECTORY
One of the best ways to find out about care options and receive emotional support is to talk with other cat owners who have experienced similar situations with their pets. A good place to start is at the veterinary schools, which often have resources for pet owners on various senior cat conditions, as well as grief counseling services. If you have access to the Internet, go to the various websites and do a “search” on the topic of your choice.
VETERINARY SCHOOLS AND BEREAVEMENT HOTLINES
ALABAMA
Auburn University
College of Veterinary