Saddle Thrombus / Feline Aortic Thromboembolism / FATE

[Crockettandtubbs]

I am the person mentioned above, so I should post an update here on my cat Mojo. She has now survived two saddle thrombus events. She had a second saddle thrombus about two months after the first one. Each time, the blood clot paralyzed both her rear legs, and she was hospitalized. Recovery from the second saddle thrombus was difficult—she had acute renal injury. But she did recover and regained normal use of her legs. After her second saddle thrombus, Mojo started taking rivaroxaban (Xarelto), which is an anticoagulant, and after starting this med, she has not had another clot. It appears that the rivaroxaban is working.

It is now almost 11 months after the first saddle thrombus, and Mojo is doing well under the circumstances. The cardiologist has been surprised at Mojo’s good renal test results at her checkups. She has a good appetite, enjoys cuddles, plays with toys, monitors the squirrels through the window—good quality life. She runs up and down the stairs, and jumps on the kitchen counter. Her back legs are not quite as strong as they used to be, but only a cat-mom would notice. The grim HCM prognosis stands, but I will continue to support her in every way that I can. I will not sugarcoat it: the vet bills for two hospitalizations and ongoing checkups, and cost of medication, are very expensive. Giving a cat five different medications per day takes commitment. Dealing with a cat’s terminal health condition that is like a ticking time bomb is emotionally draining. And I don’t regret any of it. My Mojo is sleeping comfortably beside me right now. It feels like a miracle. One day at time - each day is a gift.

How is beautiful mojo doing

 

[Bird]

How is beautiful mojo doing

Mojo is doing fine! She is getting a little less active now, but still has good quality of life, still enjoys the same things. It is now one year after her first saddle thrombus caused by HCM. The cardiologist originally gave her 6 - 12 months to live, so she has beat the odds. She has shown such resilience. Here is a pic from last week. My beloved Braveheart. I treasure each day.

 

[Crockettandtubbs]

Ah thank you for the update. Its lovely to hear a positive story.

We lost our beloved Crockett to FATE one year ago tommorow. It still haunts me that after his loss use of his back legs on the sunday, we were never able to give him the chance to recover, he was put to sleep on the weds. I often wonder should we have given him more time- should we have gone against the vets advice and taken him home. He was at a specilist vet - his vitals were all over the place, his breathing bad - so we had little choice. I miss his little face everyday.

 

[Shipish]

I am the person mentioned above, so I should post an update here on my cat Mojo. She has now survived two saddle thrombus events. She had a second saddle thrombus about two months after the first one. Each time, the blood clot paralyzed both her rear legs, and she was hospitalized. Recovery from the second saddle thrombus was difficult—she had acute renal injury. But she did recover and regained normal use of her legs. After her second saddle thrombus, Mojo started taking rivaroxaban (Xarelto), which is an anticoagulant, and after starting this med, she has not had another clot. It appears that the rivaroxaban is working.

It is now almost 11 months after the first saddle thrombus, and Mojo is doing well under the circumstances. The cardiologist has been surprised at Mojo’s good renal test results at her checkups. She has a good appetite, enjoys cuddles, plays with toys, monitors the squirrels through the window—good quality life. She runs up and down the stairs, and jumps on the kitchen counter. Her back legs are not quite as strong as they used to be, but only a cat-mom would notice. The grim HCM prognosis stands, but I will continue to support her in every way that I can. I will not sugarcoat it: the vet bills for two hospitalizations and ongoing checkups, and cost of medication, are very expensive. Giving a cat five different medications per day takes commitment. Dealing with a cat’s terminal health condition that is like a ticking time bomb is emotionally draining. And I don’t regret any of it. My Mojo is sleeping comfortably beside me right now. It feels like a miracle. One day at time - each day is a gift.

Can I ask how long it took for her to recover and was it a slow recover (i.e. regaining control of her legs slowly) or was it a sudden event?

I am currently experiencing something similar and I could use some help/advice/hope.

 

[Bird]

Can I ask how long it took for her to recover and was it a slow recover (i.e. regaining control of her legs slowly) or was it a sudden event?

I am currently experiencing something similar and I could use some help/advice/hope.

After the first saddle thrombus, she recovered quickly. It took about 3 days for her to be walking around again. I think it took about 5-7 days for her to really start feeling better and normal. The second saddle thrombus was much worse, unfortunately. (She was experiencing acute kidney injury as a result of the blood clot) It was about 3 months for her to recover and walk normally again, but she did regain full mobility. It was a slow process, where every week she gained a little more movement and control over her legs. We also had to syringe-feed her initially because she didn’t want to eat. I think the kidney injury was making her nauseated, so I asked for Cerenia, which helped greatly with that - she started eating again on the Cerenia. It was a difficult recovery and required a lot of constant care.

Mojo lived for over 2 years following her second saddle thrombus. She was an amazing, strong and resilient cat. A miracle. She had a good two years, and I am so lucky to have had that time with her. But her heart‘s condition had further deteriorated in recent months and she was in congestive heart failure multiple times. We were no longer able to control the CHF with medication and chest taps. We couldn‘t give her more good days - it was a downhill slide. So we made the heart-breaking decision to put her to sleep a few days ago. That‘s why I came here, to post an update. She passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, surrounded by her loved ones.

Mojo’s story is not a sad one. Mojo’s story is all about hope and love and the resiliency of a sweet, special cat. We did everything we could to treat her and give her the best of care. My life revolved around her care for a long time. It was exhausting in every way, and very expensive. And I don’t regret a thing. It was worth it. Mojo brought so much love and joy to us. I would do it all again, for her. On her last day on earth, I told Mojo that she had reached the finish line and she won. She beat the odds. Rest in peace, my beloved.

 

[Shipish]

After the first saddle thrombus, she recovered quickly. It took about 3 days for her to be walking around again. I think it took about 5-7 days for her to really start feeling better and normal. The second saddle thrombus was much worse, unfortunately. (She was experiencing acute kidney injury as a result of the blood clot) It was about 3 months for her to recover and walk normally again, but she did regain full mobility. We also had to syringe-feed her initially because she didn’t want to eat. I think the kidney injury was making her nauseated, so I asked for Cerenia, which helped greatly with that - she started eating again on the Cerenia. It was a difficult recovery and required a lot of constant care.

Mojo lived for over 2 years following her second saddle thrombus. She was an amazing, strong and resilient cat. A miracle. She had a good two years, and I am so lucky to have had that time with her. But her heart‘s condition had further deteriorated in recent months and she was in congestive heart failure multiple times. We were no longer able to control the CHF with medication and chest taps. We couldn‘t give her more good days - it was a downhill slide. So we made the heart-breaking decision to put her to sleep a few days ago. That‘s why I came here, to post an update. She passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, surrounded by her loved ones.

Mojo’s story is not a sad one. Mojo’s story is all about hope and love and the resiliency of a sweet, special cat. We did everything we could to treat her and give her the best of care. My life revolved around her care for a long time. It was exhausting in every way, and very expensive. And I don’t regret a thing. It was worth it. Mojo brought so much love and joy to us. I would do it all again, for her. On her last day on earth, I told Mojo that she had reached the finish line and she won. She beat the odds. Rest in peace, my beloved.

Thank you for this! I am so glad your cat was resilient and was able to live two more years!

My cat Bella is 5 years old and she had her first episode and it got resolved in a day, they even thought it was a nerve pinch and now she is going through her second one after a month but this time is a lot more severe. Since Monday she wasn't able to move her legs at all, now there is a pulse but no movement in one leg and the other is cold and has no pulse that can be felt, her toe beans are stiff and part of her skin is even slowly dying. Did this also happen to your cat? I could really use your insight on this. Bella is also resilient, so I am hopeful but also I need a bit of hope.

 

[Shipish]

After the first saddle thrombus, she recovered quickly. It took about 3 days for her to be walking around again. I think it took about 5-7 days for her to really start feeling better and normal. The second saddle thrombus was much worse, unfortunately. (She was experiencing acute kidney injury as a result of the blood clot) It was about 3 months for her to recover and walk normally again, but she did regain full mobility. It was a slow process, where every week she gained a little more movement and control over her legs. We also had to syringe-feed her initially because she didn’t want to eat. I think the kidney injury was making her nauseated, so I asked for Cerenia, which helped greatly with that - she started eating again on the Cerenia. It was a difficult recovery and required a lot of constant care.

Mojo lived for over 2 years following her second saddle thrombus. She was an amazing, strong and resilient cat. A miracle. She had a good two years, and I am so lucky to have had that time with her. But her heart‘s condition had further deteriorated in recent months and she was in congestive heart failure multiple times. We were no longer able to control the CHF with medication and chest taps. We couldn‘t give her more good days - it was a downhill slide. So we made the heart-breaking decision to put her to sleep a few days ago. That‘s why I came here, to post an update. She passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, surrounded by her loved ones.

Mojo’s story is not a sad one. Mojo’s story is all about hope and love and the resiliency of a sweet, special cat. We did everything we could to treat her and give her the best of care. My life revolved around her care for a long time. It was exhausting in every way, and very expensive. And I don’t regret a thing. It was worth it. Mojo brought so much love and joy to us. I would do it all again, for her. On her last day on earth, I told Mojo that she had reached the finish line and she won. She beat the odds. Rest in peace, my beloved.

I should also mention Bella doesn't have a kidney issue as of right now.

 

[Bird]

Thank you for this! I am so glad your cat was resilient and was able to live two more years!

My cat Bella is 5 years old and she had her first episode and it got resolved in a day, they even thought it was a nerve pinch and now she is going through her second one after a month but this time is a lot more severe. Since Monday she wasn't able to move her legs at all, now there is a pulse but no movement in one leg and the other is cold and has no pulse that can be felt, her toe beans are stiff and part of her skin is even slowly dying. Did this also happen to your cat? I could really use your insight on this. Bella is also resilient, so I am hopeful but also I need a bit of hope.

There was an area on Mojo’s left lower leg where the fur fell off and the surface of the skin sloughed off. So it looked like a raw pink patch of skin. Basically, that area was getting no blood circulation, and had the worst nerve damage. It got to a point where we had to prevent her from licking it, or it would bleed. She had to wear a cone for a short period because of the licking. It did heal eventually. That patch of skin was one of the particular problems in her recovery that required special attention. I believe we wrapped it gently in a bandage at some point, and used Veterycin antimicrobial spray on it.

 

[Bird]

I should also mention Bella doesn't have a kidney issue as of right now.

You should join the group on Facebook called “Special Hearts: Cats with Heart Defects or Diseases”. I learned a lot from that group.

 

[fionasmom]

B Bird I am so sorry for your loss of Mojo. The story of her survival for two years and your care of her for that time is amazing. You both won that extra time against very tough odds.

 

[Meowmee]

After the first saddle thrombus, she recovered quickly. It took about 3 days for her to be walking around again. I think it took about 5-7 days for her to really start feeling better and normal. The second saddle thrombus was much worse, unfortunately. (She was experiencing acute kidney injury as a result of the blood clot) It was about 3 months for her to recover and walk normally again, but she did regain full mobility. It was a slow process, where every week she gained a little more movement and control over her legs. We also had to syringe-feed her initially because she didn’t want to eat. I think the kidney injury was making her nauseated, so I asked for Cerenia, which helped greatly with that - she started eating again on the Cerenia. It was a difficult recovery and required a lot of constant care.

Mojo lived for over 2 years following her second saddle thrombus. She was an amazing, strong and resilient cat. A miracle. She had a good two years, and I am so lucky to have had that time with her. But her heart‘s condition had further deteriorated in recent months and she was in congestive heart failure multiple times. We were no longer able to control the CHF with medication and chest taps. We couldn‘t give her more good days - it was a downhill slide. So we made the heart-breaking decision to put her to sleep a few days ago. That‘s why I came here, to post an update. She passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, surrounded by her loved ones.

Mojo’s story is not a sad one. Mojo’s story is all about hope and love and the resiliency of a sweet, special cat. We did everything we could to treat her and give her the best of care. My life revolved around her care for a long time. It was exhausting in every way, and very expensive. And I don’t regret a thing. It was worth it. Mojo brought so much love and joy to us. I would do it all again, for her. On her last day on earth, I told Mojo that she had reached the finish line and she won. She beat the odds. Rest in peace, my beloved.

So sorry for your loss of Mojo, run free sweet girl You did an amazing job caring for her, she was very lucky She has set a record for cats with this condition and it will help other cats in the future who have these clots.

 

[jenna888]

My 3 year old baby cat just got diagnosed with it. I brought her to the vet immediately. She is in the critical care unit now. nightowls , is your cat still alive and well?

 

[fionasmom]

nightowls has not been here for a few months, so it is not possible to be sure that you will get a response. What is going on with your cat now?

 

[jenna888]

she has some return of function to the left leg but right she is dragging and may not recover and may need ampitation. They overdiuresed her and she now has an aki. she isn't eating or drinking at the hospital (i think because she is scared, she is not socialized), so they placed an NG tube.

 

[fionasmom]

Surgery is a huge risk for a cat with heart problems, so get all the information you can. B Bird mentioned that Mojo recovered the use of the legs, also suffering from an AKI. She is not feeling at all good, but it is true that a scared or upset cat will not eat at a hospital in many cases.