I had started a thread the other day about my cat, Stilton, having muscle spasms in his back legs. The ultra sound and xrays didn't show anything unusual in his leg or back. The vet got the bloodwork back yesterday and it shows that he might be hyperglycemic (glucose 256). It also shows slight hemolysis (?) and his tryiglycerides are high. I am taking him back into today so they can try to get some urine. I am baffled. He has no other signs of diabetes (although this morning, for the first time, he was drinking water out of the bowl in my sink). He throws up sometimes but it is usually more like binge/purging and he hasn't even done that for months. He has been using the litter box as near as I can tell (I have two other cats but the amount I scoop out has remained pretty consistent). The vet said his weight was perfect. I feed them wet food that is either grain free or low grain content. He is only about 5 years old. If it is diabetes, I will treat it but this whole thing has really thrown me for a loop.
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hyperglycemia causing muscle spasms?
- Thread starter dahlia
- Start Date
It's mysterious, and hopefully you will get more info. Please keep us updated.
It's normal for stressed out cats to have really high blood glucose levels. 256 isn't an unusual one time reading done at the vet's office. The vet can do a fructosamine test to determine if your cat is diabetic or not.
A high blood glucose level doesn't cause muscle spasms. Can you get a second vet opinion?
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- #4
Stilton is at the vet again right now so they can get some urine and do some further testing to see if it is diabetes. If it isn't that, I am not sure what else we can test to try to figure out the spasms. Poor Stilton was miserable last night and kept having the spasms.
Untreated diabetes can result in muscle weakness in their legs where they walk on the backs of them but I've never heard of spasms. I suppose it's possible but this isnt a diagnosis you want especially in such a young cat. The glucose is high but not that high. You will know your cat is diabetic in the litter box and it's unmistakeable the clumps are 6 or 7 inches wide and weigh a couple lbs. it will make you look at it in disbelief that your cat can hold that much urine. Also weight loss is very common. Doesn't look like you have these common symptoms. Your kitty is young and he has that on his side I hope the vet can get to the bottom of it.
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- #6
You all were right, the high glucose was just from stress. No glucose or protein in the urine and he did a quick glucose blood test and it was normal. Stilton has slight anemia and the beginning of a UTI so he got an antibiotic shot and is now on a multivitamin. However, none of this has fixed the leg spasms. He did it again last night and I can tell he still isn't feeling normal. The vet is baffled.
Hopefully the vitamins can help. How old is your kitty? He could have thrown out his back but it's not showing in the X-rays that can happen. Happened to my brother. I now he is a human and you have a cat but he got really bad spasms down the back of his legs from yard work he apparently injured his back. In the meantime you may want to try a heating pad on and off his low back and legs and maybe try to message the legs and back and stretch out the legs. If the anemia resolves and he still has this which it should in a couple days with the vitamin drops Id ask the vet to treat this as a possible back injury. It is baffling but if it's not the insides of the cat it must be something on the outside like the back or muscles and nerves.
I have videoed my cats doing things and brought it to the vet you may want to consider that if the vet has never seen the spasm. Hoprfully it doesn't happen again..
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- #10
Thanks for the ideas everyone. As of last night, he was still doing it. I am going to wait and see if the vitamins make a difference and I think I may try massage or a rice bag. I like the idea of the video and will do that if it doesn't improve.
Keep us posted. Hopefully he will be better tomorrow.
Has the cat's vitamin levels been checked? Abnormal potassium levels (too low or too high) can cause twitching. I found the info here: http://www.felinecrf.org/potassium.htm#twitching and here http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+1400&aid=699
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- #13
I can't remember if his bloodwork showed potassium or not. I will check that. Thank you for the info. He seems to be about the same, not better but not worse. When we first go to bed, I have a heated up rice bag and will put that around him when he starts to spasm and it seems to stop it. Oddly, it doesn't seem to be the heat, so much as the weight of the rice bag (which I put around his back and over his flank). It seems to have the same effect if I do it later in the night when he starts and the rice bag is no longer warm.
That's a good point. I knew a dog that had low potassium and she had spasms and actually collapsed one day.
