This happened to me this past weekend....
I went to bed early one night but was awakened by my little 15 yr old calico Gypsy. She had jumped up on the bed and was nudging me and meowing persistently. Over and over she kept nudging me with her nose and meowing. I didn't know what was going on with her. I initially thought is she really really hungry? at this hour?
It was just after midnight that she woke me up. I couldn't get back to sleep because she had been so persistent in waking me. So I just got up and went to the the den to watch TV until I was sleepy again. Gypsy followed me instead of running ahead into the kitchen (which is what she would have done it she were hungry).
So I turn on the TV and see she is in the middle of the room watching me intently. I go to call her to me to join me on the couch so we can snuggle together. But all that came out was total gibberish. I tried calling her again and again just gibberish came out. By then I was starting to freak a bit. So I tried again to say her name and call her to me. Not a single word was right, it was all gibberish again. So I realised I was having a stroke and got pretty scared.
I went to the bathroom mirror to see if my face was still the same or had started to slack/slump at all. Nothing. I was not confused, numb, disabled, dizzy, nothing. No symptom other than my speech was garbled. I was only able to speak if I did it very slowly and articulated very clearly. I found that to be exhausting and still had difficulty with single syllabled words and especially words with an "r" in them.
So next I went to my computer to see if I could type ok and think clearly of what I wanted to type out. No problem thinking or typing sentences or thoughts clearly. I didn't feel confused at all either.
Next I did a bit of research and realized I really did not have the usual symptoms of stroke other than my speech. Upon further research I found out that a new supplement I was taking had a specific combination of ingredients that could cause heart palpitations and or stroke if taken in high doses. I am the kind of person that only needs one aspirin for pain or fever. The normal dose of two is too much, So I stopped taking the full dose of my new supplement and now only take a quarter of it every other day and still get the benefits.
But most of all I am blown away at how my little furball was able to tell in advance and warn me a few minutes ahead of this stroke I had. She is my hero and it just makes me love her more if that is possible! I keep thinking how do they know this? Some sort of chemical or hormone my body releases prior that she can smell or pick up on? And how would she now it was a warning sign of danger? She is not a trained or therapy cat at all. So she has had no prior experience that I am aware of. She is a shelter cat but her life prior to being adopted by me she spent in the shelter system in more than one shelter.
Cats never cease to amaze me and she is no exception. Up until this happened to me it was only something I had read in papers or saw on TV..... news stories about someone's pet saving their lives or warning them about a health issue before it happened. What a little miracle she is and I am so proud of her and love her so much! Now I thank God I have her to protect me!!!
Sorry this was wordy but I just had to share my story about Gypsy. I am one proud cat mom!
I went to bed early one night but was awakened by my little 15 yr old calico Gypsy. She had jumped up on the bed and was nudging me and meowing persistently. Over and over she kept nudging me with her nose and meowing. I didn't know what was going on with her. I initially thought is she really really hungry? at this hour?
It was just after midnight that she woke me up. I couldn't get back to sleep because she had been so persistent in waking me. So I just got up and went to the the den to watch TV until I was sleepy again. Gypsy followed me instead of running ahead into the kitchen (which is what she would have done it she were hungry).
So I turn on the TV and see she is in the middle of the room watching me intently. I go to call her to me to join me on the couch so we can snuggle together. But all that came out was total gibberish. I tried calling her again and again just gibberish came out. By then I was starting to freak a bit. So I tried again to say her name and call her to me. Not a single word was right, it was all gibberish again. So I realised I was having a stroke and got pretty scared.
I went to the bathroom mirror to see if my face was still the same or had started to slack/slump at all. Nothing. I was not confused, numb, disabled, dizzy, nothing. No symptom other than my speech was garbled. I was only able to speak if I did it very slowly and articulated very clearly. I found that to be exhausting and still had difficulty with single syllabled words and especially words with an "r" in them.
So next I went to my computer to see if I could type ok and think clearly of what I wanted to type out. No problem thinking or typing sentences or thoughts clearly. I didn't feel confused at all either.
Next I did a bit of research and realized I really did not have the usual symptoms of stroke other than my speech. Upon further research I found out that a new supplement I was taking had a specific combination of ingredients that could cause heart palpitations and or stroke if taken in high doses. I am the kind of person that only needs one aspirin for pain or fever. The normal dose of two is too much, So I stopped taking the full dose of my new supplement and now only take a quarter of it every other day and still get the benefits.
But most of all I am blown away at how my little furball was able to tell in advance and warn me a few minutes ahead of this stroke I had. She is my hero and it just makes me love her more if that is possible! I keep thinking how do they know this? Some sort of chemical or hormone my body releases prior that she can smell or pick up on? And how would she now it was a warning sign of danger? She is not a trained or therapy cat at all. So she has had no prior experience that I am aware of. She is a shelter cat but her life prior to being adopted by me she spent in the shelter system in more than one shelter.
Cats never cease to amaze me and she is no exception. Up until this happened to me it was only something I had read in papers or saw on TV..... news stories about someone's pet saving their lives or warning them about a health issue before it happened. What a little miracle she is and I am so proud of her and love her so much! Now I thank God I have her to protect me!!!
Sorry this was wordy but I just had to share my story about Gypsy. I am one proud cat mom!
