Shelter Cat With Poor Balance And Rapid Heart Rate

Maria.Alvarez

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Hi all,
There is a cat at my local animal shelter that has poor balance and weak hind legs. I also found out today that her heart rate was around 300bpm when she was taken in.

She has trouble jumping and sways behind sometimes when she goes in a straight line. She is cow-hocked and is always kind of crouched down. Her head tremors slightly when she's waiting for her food in the morning. She is very happy and very playful, and does great pivoting on her hind legs to play. Jumping and moving in a straight line are the hardest things for her.

The cat-care staff at the shelter have recognized the same symptoms, but the vet for some reason doesn't see anything wrong.... I don't have the money to take her to my own vet, so I was hoping I could at least get an idea of what might be wrong so I could find some way to help her get the care she needs.
 

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therese

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I would try to take her to another vet...I sure understand the issue with money....I find that shelter vets tend to not think along the lines of a lot of testing, etc. and sometimes err on the side of being way to conservative in their approach, to keep costs down. And I agree, that you need a regular private vet. Fast heart rate and head tremors could be serious...sorry I couldn't be of more help. I would try to find a lower cost vet or maybe your vet will take payments ?
 

mrsgreenjeens

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from what you are describing, it sounds to me like she might have how potassium, which is really easy to fix, with potassium supplements. And it's easy to diagnose too, with a simple blood test. Do you know if they even did bloodwork? Surely if the staff at the shelter recognize these symptoms, they can intervene on her behalf?
 

susanm9006

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Not sure how old this cat is but being hyperthyroid can raise a cats heart rate and cause them to lose weight and get weak. Takes a blood test to determine.
 

therese

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That is a very good point...again, we need testing.
 

susanm9006

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Then again, rereading your post, she might have mild hypoplasia or some sort of neurologist deficit that affects her movement but doesn't really affect her health otherwise. Do a google search for it or search on YouTube to see if any cats video'd with it look like your shelter cat.
 
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