Senior cat took a tumble — worried

[hoosiercatlady]

We have two 15 year old cats, both with health issues increasing as they age.

Liz has gradually escalating kidney dysfunction as is common in older cats, but she has also gotten progressively blind over the past year, due to detached retinas. The theory is this is connected to the high blood pressure she has and we medicate with amlodipine.

For months, she retained some slight sight. Enough to navigate our home. Lately, she's been moving around less. I though she was feeling sick, but she was still eating.

In the last two weeks, I've noticed her missing the trunk as the foot of our bed (what she hopes down from before reaching the floor). Then I noticed her bonking into walls a little more. Okay, I thought, she's losing more vision, but we'll cope.

Yesterday I found her just lying in the middle of our rug, which is not at all common for her. She has her spots and her routines, and this isn't one of them. I tried nudging her to see if she'd get up to walk around, but she wouldn't. I wasn't sure if it was fear of her world getting darker (if indeed it is) or weakness/pain.

I pulled her onto the bed. We cuddled. She purred. I gave her some baby food. She ate it. She was fine-ish most of the evening and through the night, just snuggled on the bed on the heating pad we keep on low for her.

An hour or so ago, I was in the living vroom and heard her cry out urgently (MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!), which is not like her. My husband, who was back in the bedroom where she was said he heard a thunk like she'd missed the trunk climbing down.

I picked her up to check and she seemed disoriented. I sat her down on the floor and asked if she wanted "turkey" (what we call the baby food we hide her pills in). It's actually chicken flavored right now because the stores are out, but whatever. She ate about 1/2 jar and went in her litter box. When she came out, she was walking weird. Like her whole back end was out of whack. Not like a sore leg, but a weak hind-end. I worried that she'd had a stroke. Maybe her blood pressure caused a stroke and that's what's caused her to walk into things and fall down.

I know we need to see a vet. Money is not the question. Covid is. I'm very afraid to take her in and have the staff handling her transfer the virus and come back to me (my lungs are already in bad shape). I'm sending a video of her walk to the vet right now to get her thoughts, but in the meantime, can someone just give me some reason to relax and not assume this is it for her and we'll need to say goodbye? I'm just so nervous about the changes in the past week and now this weird gait. If I have to take her in to the vet, we will go. I'm just so incredibly anxious. Between the quarantine, my status of maybe having already had covid but the chance that my recent lung infection was something else making me still vulnerable, to loving this cat so much for 15 years... I'm just emotionally whalloped...

 

[KarenKat]

What a stressful situation! So sorry that this is happening among all the crazy panic.

Obviously I can’t help diagnose or anything, and it sounds like you already did the best thing by sending the video to the vet. I can share that our kitty Gohan - who was more middle aged at around 8 - had some type of injury or fall once when we weren’t home. We think he fell off a cat shelf onto the hardwood floor. We came home and he was sleeping on the bed - an odd but not unheard of place for him - and when he finally came down he was walking with his rear ending in obvious discomfort, meowing sadly and had a completely limp tail. We rushed him to the vet and they did xrays. It was basically a pinched nerve due to some preexisting arthritis. He was put on crate rest and pain meds but generally it was a “time and rest will heal” situation.

So it’s definitely possible that Liz simply has an injury and she’s fine, but also the possibility of something more serious. I suggest working with your vet as you are already doing, take a deep breath and try and take things as they come. Hopefully it’s something minor that a little rest will help her recover from.

 

[Purr-fect]

I dont think its likely you will contract covid if your cat visits a vet.

We recently had to take one of our cats to the vet. The staff at the animal hospital were very cautious. No one is allowed in the clinic other than staff. We had to phone ahead to book an appointment. Upon arrival we had to call the vet from the parking lot and place our cat in a carrier on a table outside the clinic and wait in our car. When we picked up the cat, we had to call upon arrival and sit in our car. A staff member brought the cat outside, in its cage and placed it on the table along with its meds. When the worker was back in the building, we were allowed to get the cat and its meds. Consultation was only done with the vet by phone or email. Payment was made by visa over the phone prior to pickup.

I have recently heard from two experts that is unlikely to catch covid from a cat's fur as that type of surface is not a good host. It might be possible to catch it from a leash or collar. I would guess washing hands and the leash or collar would take care of that.

 

[fionasmom]

Fiona herself was unable to jump on anything in her old age. She was not in pain, but was arthritic which some vets think that cats do not get. I had little step stools all over for her to help her but as she "stiffened" the upside was that I was able to let her out in the courtyard when I was home as she was completely unable to jump. Don't go further down this road until you know something conclusive. It certainly could be a pinched nerve or something treatable.

Vets around here are following the same protocol as Purr-fect described. Very strict adherence to safety regulations; my dog's vet asks for all credit card info before hand so that they do not have to interact at all with the client. I am not downplaying your concern for your health at all but I think that the chances are unlikely that you will contract anything.

 

[di and bob]

Yes, try not to jump to conclusions here, just keep observing her and see if there is any improvement, no matter how small. She may very well just have a slight injury and will recover fine. Maybe it is time to build her a little something bigger and easier to navigate to get on/off the bed. I'll pray for that sweet girl to get better, just love her all you can, it is all she wants......

 

[hoosiercatlady]

What a stressful situation! So sorry that this is happening among all the crazy panic.

Obviously I can’t help diagnose or anything, and it sounds like you already did the best thing by sending the video to the vet. I can share that our kitty Gohan - who was more middle aged at around 8 - had some type of injury or fall once when we weren’t home. We think he fell off a cat shelf onto the hardwood floor. We came home and he was sleeping on the bed - an odd but not unheard of place for him - and when he finally came down he was walking with his rear ending in obvious discomfort, meowing sadly and had a completely limp tail. We rushed him to the vet and they did xrays. It was basically a pinched nerve due to some preexisting arthritis. He was put on crate rest and pain meds but generally it was a “time and rest will heal” situation.

So it’s definitely possible that Liz simply has an injury and she’s fine, but also the possibility of something more serious. I suggest working with your vet as you are already doing, take a deep breath and try and take things as they come. Hopefully it’s something minor that a little rest will help her recover from.

Thank you so much for that story about your Gohan. I'm so sorry that happened to him, but I'm very grateful you shared it here as it's calmed me down substantially.

 

[hoosiercatlady]

I dont think its likely you will contract covid if your cat visits a vet.

We recently had to take one of our cats to the vet. The staff at the animal hospital were very cautious. No one is allowed in the clinic other than staff. We had to phone ahead to book an appointment. Upon arrival we had to call the vet from the parking lot and place our cat in a carrier on a table outside the clinic and wait in our car. When we picked up the cat, we had to call upon arrival and sit in our car. A staff member brought the cat outside, in its cage and placed it on the table along with its meds. When the worker was back in the building, we were allowed to get the cat and its meds. Consultation was only done with the vet by phone or email. Payment was made by visa over the phone prior to pickup.

I have recently heard from two experts that is unlikely to catch covid from a cat's fur as that type of surface is not a good host. It might be possible to catch it from a leash or collar. I would guess washing hands and the leash or collar would take care of that.

Thanks. I'm hoping they'll at least implement some of those. I don't see them being quite that stringent (that's not really their whole vibe), but I'd love it if the are.

I read something similar about the virus not surviving long on fur, so that's a relief.

 

[hoosiercatlady]

Yes, try not to jump to conclusions here, just keep observing her and see if there is any improvement, no matter how small. She may very well just have a slight injury and will recover fine. Maybe it is time to build her a little something bigger and easier to navigate to get on/off the bed. I'll pray for that sweet girl to get better, just love her all you can, it is all she wants......

Thank you. Yes, the current trunk/ottoman at the foot of the bed is rather narrow. Not to sound grim, but once we get settled on whether we have more to our story with her, we will happily get a much longer one to leave lots of room for error of aim.

 

[hoosiercatlady]

Yes, try not to jump to conclusions here, just keep observing her and see if there is any improvement, no matter how small. She may very well just have a slight injury and will recover fine. Maybe it is time to build her a little something bigger and easier to navigate to get on/off the bed. I'll pray for that sweet girl to get better, just love her all you can, it is all she wants......

Yikes! Di, I think I accidentally hit "report" on your post instead of "purraise." If you get any feedback about that, it was just my flying fingers and scatterbrain.

 

[hoosiercatlady]

Fiona herself was unable to jump on anything in her old age. She was not in pain, but was arthritic which some vets think that cats do not get. I had little step stools all over for her to help her but as she "stiffened" the upside was that I was able to let her out in the courtyard when I was home as she was completely unable to jump. Don't go further down this road until you know something conclusive. It certainly could be a pinched nerve or something treatable.

Vets around here are following the same protocol as Purr-fect described. Very strict adherence to safety regulations; my dog's vet asks for all credit card info before hand so that they do not have to interact at all with the client. I am not downplaying your concern for your health at all but I think that the chances are unlikely that you will contract anything.

Thanks. I'm trying remind myself it could be anything. Gus, her brother/littermate, has walked with a hugely pronounced like in his hind end for years. X-rays never showed any problem, so we've assumed neuro causes. He gets around fine, just slowly.

Liz has just always been the agile, spry one, so she is not handling this current situation well. She's currently snuggled up with my husband in bed, purring, but clearly very confused about her world right now. As am I.

 

[hoosiercatlady]

Thanks so much, all. Still waiting to hear back from the vet and still at an anxiety high, but now better equipped to arm myself with the reminder that this might not be the end yet. We may just be moving to a new, new-normal.

This is a picture of the two of them the other day. Liz is on the right.

 

[hoosiercatlady]

Update: She's not wanting to walk and, although we put her down from the bed to eat and drank 30 mins ago (she stood gingerly and drank), she plopped down right where she stood after. My husband then sat her down right outside the litter box door, and she laid down on the mat right outside it (she'd never do that under normal circumstances). It's like standing too long is too much for her. I wish knew if it is pain from the fall or general weakness from another malady.

Really wondering why our vet hasn't called yet as they closed 2.5 hrs ago.

 

[di and bob]

It's not unusual to be more sore the next few days after an injury, but she really should be checked out. I would call the vet again and tell them it is not getting better.

 

[Purr-fect]

Please , let us know what happens.