So, in the week before I left for California for my apprenticeship at HSSV (which was TOTALLY AWESOME and I learned so much!) I got a begging message from the shelter we pull from that they were totally full. We had one empty quarantine cage so I made the trip and came home with 4 moderately healthy kittens, three at 6-7 and one at 10 weeks.
The day before I left I had to visit the vet with one of the former group, a blue tabby female. She had been lethargic for a day or two but we figured she was just incubating a URI. However when my partner woke her up to check on her, her pupils were doing tennis ball matches (the technical term for this is NYSTAGMUS). Rushed her to the vet, thinking seizure activity.
Vet did not agree with seizure hypothesis and instead proposed inner ear infection and possibly ruptured ear drums. Sent us home with Clindamycin for infection and Tresaderm topical for the ear mites she was cooking and also to help reduce inflammation in ears.
Returned from California. Nystagmus improved but the kitten is still disoriented and frequently anxious. Follow-up to vet revealed limited vision. She can track and follow movement, pupils are responsive to light, but she clearly can't see well, either. This made the vet think brain lesion or neuro problem of some sort.
I'm still wondering if she isn't having some sort of minor seizures. She will have 'episodes' where she circles tightly in the litter box and vocalizes loudly. Sometimes you can lure her out of there (she loves attention) and sometimes not. Clearly they are not tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures but I still think it may be something ictal. Her confusion and wobbliness, ear infection aside (and she is almost done with the Clindamycin too) reminds me of post-ictal behavior where they are kind of weird. She clearly gets overstimulated by too much sound as well.
We have transferred her to a 36" dog crate away from her sibs so I can monitor her intake and output, so to speak. Doesn't eat much and uses the litter box about the same. I can't tell if she's trying to play or if she's in distress or both. I have a feeling I'm going to be begging for funds to take her to a neurologist at some point.
At her recheck two vets looked at her and their decision was that because she was sweet and just on the wobbly side she would do fine as a special needs adoption, but they haven't seen her in meltdown mode. It really is worrying.
Does anyone have experience with this sort of behavior? She is as wobbly as a CH cat but since she wasn't like this always, it's not CH. Her original presentation was similar to vestibular disease but she's not a senior. Now with the limited vision she is definitely out there in neuro land.
If this weren't a nice kitten, I would have said bye long before now but she is just the sweetest and cuddliest little girl...but we can't hold her 24-7, she has to learn to self-soothe in the crate and it's tough.
Please remember this is a foster, not an owned kitten, and so we are limited on how much we can spend on her vet bills.
In summary, she is FeLV neg, 2 FVRCPs under her belt, not yet spayed. Treated 2x with Revolution but not timely enough to have been a trigger. No exposure to potential toxins. Inital Dx was ear mites, possible inner ear infection, possible ruptured ear drum(s).
Second Dx was neuro problems but instructed to continue antibiotics and Tresaderm to see if any improvement occurs. Delay spay and rabies until 4 months of age, deworm (thickened instestines).
My other thought is her neuro issues are VLM. YUCK YUCK EWWW but is there anything one can do for that? Already on Revolution (Selamectin) so I doubt ivermectin would do anything.
Poor sweet Quinley.
Also if someone wants to adopt a loving, wobbly kitten....
The day before I left I had to visit the vet with one of the former group, a blue tabby female. She had been lethargic for a day or two but we figured she was just incubating a URI. However when my partner woke her up to check on her, her pupils were doing tennis ball matches (the technical term for this is NYSTAGMUS). Rushed her to the vet, thinking seizure activity.
Vet did not agree with seizure hypothesis and instead proposed inner ear infection and possibly ruptured ear drums. Sent us home with Clindamycin for infection and Tresaderm topical for the ear mites she was cooking and also to help reduce inflammation in ears.
Returned from California. Nystagmus improved but the kitten is still disoriented and frequently anxious. Follow-up to vet revealed limited vision. She can track and follow movement, pupils are responsive to light, but she clearly can't see well, either. This made the vet think brain lesion or neuro problem of some sort.
I'm still wondering if she isn't having some sort of minor seizures. She will have 'episodes' where she circles tightly in the litter box and vocalizes loudly. Sometimes you can lure her out of there (she loves attention) and sometimes not. Clearly they are not tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures but I still think it may be something ictal. Her confusion and wobbliness, ear infection aside (and she is almost done with the Clindamycin too) reminds me of post-ictal behavior where they are kind of weird. She clearly gets overstimulated by too much sound as well.
We have transferred her to a 36" dog crate away from her sibs so I can monitor her intake and output, so to speak. Doesn't eat much and uses the litter box about the same. I can't tell if she's trying to play or if she's in distress or both. I have a feeling I'm going to be begging for funds to take her to a neurologist at some point.
At her recheck two vets looked at her and their decision was that because she was sweet and just on the wobbly side she would do fine as a special needs adoption, but they haven't seen her in meltdown mode. It really is worrying.
Does anyone have experience with this sort of behavior? She is as wobbly as a CH cat but since she wasn't like this always, it's not CH. Her original presentation was similar to vestibular disease but she's not a senior. Now with the limited vision she is definitely out there in neuro land.
If this weren't a nice kitten, I would have said bye long before now but she is just the sweetest and cuddliest little girl...but we can't hold her 24-7, she has to learn to self-soothe in the crate and it's tough.
Please remember this is a foster, not an owned kitten, and so we are limited on how much we can spend on her vet bills.
In summary, she is FeLV neg, 2 FVRCPs under her belt, not yet spayed. Treated 2x with Revolution but not timely enough to have been a trigger. No exposure to potential toxins. Inital Dx was ear mites, possible inner ear infection, possible ruptured ear drum(s).
Second Dx was neuro problems but instructed to continue antibiotics and Tresaderm to see if any improvement occurs. Delay spay and rabies until 4 months of age, deworm (thickened instestines).
My other thought is her neuro issues are VLM. YUCK YUCK EWWW but is there anything one can do for that? Already on Revolution (Selamectin) so I doubt ivermectin would do anything.
Poor sweet Quinley.
Also if someone wants to adopt a loving, wobbly kitten....
