Cat Tremors

[Elenya Rose]

Hey all

So I have two 17 year old cats Merry and Pippin, I refer them as my two elderly spinster ladies . This may be long, so my apologies!
So around a week ago, we had to take Merry to the emergency vets as she was in a lot of pain. The next day she was admitted into her usual vets, where they did an ultrasound on her kidneys and ran a battery of tests. It turned out that she had a terrible UTI (I felt terrible that I didn't realise) and had some nasty wounds down her side from another cat. She has stage two kidney disease which is stable. Her pancreas was inflamed in the ultrasound but the blood test came back fine, her heart disease blood test also came back fine. She was found to have mild arthritis, which is now being treated with tramadol gel on her ear.

Her wounds were treated and are healing well. I took her back to the vets on Saturday morning because she was hiding behind the curtain and under the bed again, I was worried something was wrong. The vet examined her said that she was fine, she was well hydrated and in good condition. They were kind enough to not charge me for the visit!

Her appetite is good and she is drinking plenty, she is on a renal care diet. I suspect she may be a little constipated but I am not sure as she and her sister both like to use the same litter tray.

Now I have noticed that she is getting tremors at different times. Usually I see these when she is snuggled up to me and they will settle down as she relaxes. Is this something I should be worried about? I have been so worried about her that I feel like I have lost all perspective.

 

[duckpond]

One easy thing to do is add another litter box. Rule of thumb is 1 for each cat, plus 1 extra. But with two cats i would at least have 2 boxes. they can even be right beside each other. I always want my cat to feel comfortable using the box.

I dont know about the tremors, i would bring that up with the vet. May be nothing to worry about, but with our senior cats we need to keep on top of everything. I understand your worry, its hard when they cant talk to us and tell us how they feel. I worry too.

Hopefully she is fine, do keep us updated!

 

[Lynx Rufus]

Samba, our fifteen year old little girl, was experiencing very slight tremors shortly after getting her first UTI, usually while was relaxed on the couch or bed. She has had so many other health issues over the past year and has been to the vet so many times since January that they know who I am as soon as they hear my voice on the phone. We never were able to get a diagnosis on what specifically was causing these tremors, but they seemed to have gone away after getting them periodically for a couple of months. Like I said, she has so many other health battles presently I have no clue what to attribute these tremors to, but I found it interesting to see your little girl was getting them as well after being diagnosed with a UTI. I wonder if there's a connection with the UTI or with the antibiotics.

 

[Elenya Rose]

Thank you both of you.

Yes that is interesting Lynx. They were slight tremors over the first few days and yesterday afternoon, they became really bad for a time. They tended to be focused on one front leg. She had one episode when she was sitting back on her haunches that was so bad that she had that front leg off the ground. I checked her paw and there wasn't an injury. They have quieted down now and were only very slight a few hours later.

I was wondering if it could a tramadol side effect? She is looking brighter today and seems to be bouncing back. How long did it take your Samba to get better Lynx?

I will give the vet clinic a call today and see what they say.

She must be feeling better though, shes currently charging around the house with the zoomies

 

[Lynx Rufus]

Samba was getting these tremors periodically for at least two months I would say. Her first bout of antibiotics were not successful and so she was put on a stronger antibiotic for another few days. I made sure she was getting plenty probiotics while she was on this, but I still get very nervous putting my girls on any antibiotics. She has been battling pancreatitis for about three years and was just this year diagnosed with IBD and they discovered she has a heart murmur. Her health has been improving over the last few months through veterinary advice and holistic approaches as well. I make sure she gets her digestive enzymes and probiotics every day. I started both my girls (Kia is the other and is 18) on CBD oil a couple months ago and really do think it has had a very positive effect on their overall health, but of course they have their off days here and there still. They've always had wet and dry food, but the majority of their diet is wet these days, and it is all grain free. I wish I had known better when they were younger and started them early on an all wet grain free diet, but at their age and with their issues I will give them anything they are willing to eat. They can be very picky. Even though we thought we were buying high quality cat food for the first half of their lives I am sure that junk was a major contributor to Samba's health issues. They both get a shot of B12 at home every two weeks. It's hard seeing them get old, but my wife and I do everything we can to make sure they have the best quality life possible, and for the most part they are very happy and comfortable, and they still love attention and give the best cuddles of all time!

 

[Elenya Rose]

I am sorry to hear that your Samba has had such a tough time. How do you administer the probiotic? Is it in their food or a pill? What is CBD oil?

I called Merry's vet yesterday and explained what was happening with the tremors. She was unsure of what it was but because she seemed happy for now, apart from this, we decided to save her the stress of bringing her in for a visit. The poor love has been in and out of the clinic recently and gets so stressed.

It may sound silly but I can't help but wonder if it is when she is getting cold. She had half of her belly fur clipped for the ultrasound and a large portion of her side, so they could treat the wounds. The tremors tend to settle when she is cuddled up to me.We are heading into winter in Australia and I am in one of the more cold areas. We don't get snow but we do get negative temperatures overnight. We have decided to leave our heating on during the day when we are at work, to see if this helps.

Both her and Pippin both give great cuddles as well. They are both total snuggle bunnies

 

[catsknowme]

Do you have a K&H heated pet mat for her? I use the 4 watt model. It does not have a power switch nor a thermostat - you have to unplug it to turn it off. But other than that, I love using it. I actually have 3.

 

[Elenya Rose]

I have been thinking of getting something like that. I was actually just looking at this . Are they safe to leave on during the day? Something to keep them both snuggly while we are at work would be great.

I also think the heat would be good for Merry's arthritis. I have arthritis, so I know her pain!

 

[catsknowme]

I leave my cat Lance's on all day but I am at home full-time. Because it is only 4 watts, I plug it into a power strip that has the auto-shutoff feature if it senses overheating. Obviously, you wouldn't want to do that with a heater. I keep my eye out for salesat chewy. com and have bought 2 @ $14.99 each. The medium 6watt is on sale right now for $11.65 @ chewy.

 

[Lynx Rufus]

The probiotic I give is a human grade probiotic called VSL #3. It ain't cheap, but it's easy to find. It's a powder in a capsule. I break the capsule open and mix half of one into each of their wet food. I also give them plain goat milk kefir a few times a week which is very high in probiotics. I take it myself as well because it has great health benefits. Cow milk kefir is fine if you can't find the goat stuff as long as your kitty can tolerate it. I give them about a tablespoon of the stuff. CBD oil is cannabidoil derived from the cannabis plant. It is legal and has no THC. They do not get high from the stuff. It has many benefits from helping with anxiety to helping fight cancer. It's great for arthritis, nausea, pain, and is believed to work well with neurological issues. My vet recommended it, and I honestly believe it has made a difference in both my cats. I give them about half the recommended dose twice a day because it seems to be all they need. I just drop it on their paws and they lick it off. They have actually grown to like the taste. There are many brands and websites that sell the stuff. The brand I get is CBD Pet. They are third party tested, have very good customer service, and have a lot of great reviews, but there are a ton out there, so I recommend researching a bit. Supposedly some brands are better for certain ailments.
It could definitely be as simple as your kitty being cold as well! I hope she is doing well. Keep us all posted.

 

[Elenya Rose]

Hi everyone,

I thought I would give you all an update on my Merry. She is doing really well and the tremors have slowed down a lot, Im sure it was something to do with her being cold. Heated cat beds have been ordered for her and her sister to fight over
The tramadol has made a big difference to her. She is running around the house like a kitten, instead of a sedate old lady of seventeen!

Thank you to everyone who posted for your support, it meant a lot

Here is a photo of my girl because I use any excuse to show off my kitty

and here is her sister Pippin, so she doesn't feel left out

 

[catsknowme]

What a wonderful update! Merry looks so elegant. I am happy to read how well she is doing

 

[Elenya Rose]

Why thank you, she is skilled at giving a defiant look of disdain when she doesn't get her own way