What could this wincing/quivering be?

[kauzmo]

Hi,
First time poster, my cat Kauzmo has been thru the ringer the past 7 months. He had a hind leg amputation in Sept and seemed to be doing well after, then his vision started to go the past 2 months, he had a high blood pressure reading, so he was started on amlodipine, been about 5 weeks on that. I was hoping his vision would restore but it's still bad, no up close vision, he can track us from about 6-8 feet away, so maybe he can see shapes/shadows. Now he has been wincing/quivering. I took him back in for an X-ray and his lungs looked a little suspect but not bad and breathing was fine. The vet started him on a 21 day tapered course of Prednisone in case it was a breathing thing. He's tolerated that well but the same wincing/quivering around his shoulders continues. Just curious if it's pain related? He's 17, has upper end of stage 2 ckd. Appreciate any info. Hopefully the video is clear. Appreciate any info/insight.

 

[kauzmo]

I guess I couldn't upload the video.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi and welcome to TCS. The wincing/quivering could be just about anything. Any particular pattern or timing to it - such as when he is eating, drinking, sleeping, etc.?

Obviously, it would seem to be separate from anything the Pred can help with. Have you called and told the vet it is still happening? That is where I would start. I have a Stage 2-3 CKD cat and have not seen anything like that with her. Has your cat had his BP rechecked since starting the amlodipine, just in case his dose might be too low and possibly has something to do with this wincing? A too low of a dose could also impact his sight not returning, although sight restoration isn't always possible.

In the meantime, if you want to upload a video of it, use these instructions - How to upload a video | TheCatSite

 

[kauzmo]

Here's a YouTube link of his breathing. March 14, 2024

 

[kauzmo]

I did take him back in and his blood pressure was 165 to 170 and the vet said that looked good. He's a big kitty, close to 16 pounds. They have no idea when I've showed them the video, not a lot of answers from them.

 

[kauzmo]

The wincing/shoulder hunching is just random, a lot of times while resting or trying to sleep.

 

[kauzmo]

He's on half a tablet of amlodipine every 24 hours. It's a 2.5 mg tablet, so a dose of 1.25. I've wondered if he should be on a full tablet, so half a tablet every 12 hours. He was very relaxed at the last blood pressure check. I held him and he got a good dose a of Gabba before I took him in.

 

[FeebysOwner]

He's on half a tablet of amlodipine every 24 hours. It's a 2.5 mg tablet, so a dose of 1.25. I've wondered if he should be on a full tablet, so half a tablet every 12 hours. He was very relaxed at the last blood pressure check. I held him and he got a good dose a of Gabba before I took him in.

Although 165 to 170 for a BP is just a tad high, it would not warrant doubling the dose, IMO. Something to discuss with the vet, though My cat is also on amlodipine, and it is given every 24 hours, so I am guessing that is pretty much the standard timing of doses. She is only on 1/4 of a pill, and her BP runs around the same as your cat, so it has been left at that dose, as doubling it for her would likely be too much too.

I can't answer about your speculation of pain, but I think you would see it more often than just randomly if it were pain related, unless it were to do with how he is laying that causes discomfort. If he is doing it mostly when sleeping, it could have to do with his REM patterns. My cat has had mini tremors (I call them that because they can involve various parts of her body). They appear mostly when she is sleeping, but have occurred when I thought she was just resting too. She has had them for years. I usually touch her and they stop. I'd still push the issue with your vet about whether or not they could be tied to one of his conditions. The least they can do is tell you what they think about your question and why.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Here's a YouTube link of his breathing. March 14, 2024

I am not able to see much movement at all other than a breathing rhythm, and certainly not what I would describe as wincing or quivering.

Hopefully someone else will come along and detect something I could not.

 

[kauzmo]

appreciate the replies. The quivering isn't really captured on the video but he'll shiver/quiver and his head will twitch at times. But the shoulder/ upper back hunching/spasm is on that video and he never use to do that. The vet just said maybe muscle spasms. I thought it may be related to pain/arthritis attacks. It seems when he's in deep sleep he doesn't do it, just when he's resting and trying to get more comfortable, it's been more frequent and it causes him to shift positions a little, like he's uncomfortable. At this point I'm not sure what the prednisone is doing, I think it was only prescribed cause she felt like maybe asthma or something is a possibility and because the chest xray didn't look just right, so she felt prednisone could help/wouldn't hurt. He's a week in to a 21 day tapered course.
I was thinking after his prednisone course is over, if that joint pain shot solensia would be a good thing for him? The only thing he takes for pain management is a little bit of gabba but I hate giving that to him with how it zonks him out sometimes. Thanks for all the feedback. It kills me his vision is gone, even though losing a leg was devastating, he was doing very well getting around on 3 legs and had a good quality of life, so the vision loss really hurts. He's still eating/drinking, loves a treat, and he's using the litter box. I just want to make him comfortable as possible.

 

[IndyJones]

A blind cat will use their whiskers like a blind person uses a white cane. Just don't move your furnature too much and keep things consistant. He will adapt.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I was thinking after his prednisone course is over, if that joint pain shot solensia would be a good thing for him? The only thing he takes for pain management is a little bit of gabba but I hate giving that to him with how it zonks him out sometimes.

I asked another TCS member about your video, and they did see the shoulder related movement, and they called it 'tensing up', but had no idea what it might be. The Solensia shots are getting varied opinions, but seem to be working for some. Feeby had 6 shots before I stopped. They did seem to help a bit by the 3rd shot, but she developed an unexplained itchiness that went away after we quit giving them to her. There is another arthritic pain control injection called Adequan (been around a lot longer than Solensia) that you could also ask your vet about.

Has the vet taken x-rays of your cat's spine/neck and legs to see if there are any signs of arthritis?

 

[Kieka]

I see the movement you mention, it seems to be in conjunction with breathing so maybe some sort of pain reaction in relation to chest/lungs? It reminds me of humans in asthma distress a little TBH. I know prednisone can have some weird side effects so I'd wait to see what happens after he's off that. Maybe ask your vet to check lungs at your next appointment.

Solensia is indicated for arthritis and it is a pretty hard hitting medication. My boys been on it for a few months now and he always has side effects the first week or so until it levels out some. Nothing bad enough to stop Solensia but I'd definitely try other options first.

 

[kauzmo]

I asked another TCS member about your video, and they did see the shoulder related movement, and they called it 'tensing up', but had no idea what it might be. The Solensia shots are getting varied opinions, but seem to be working for some. Feeby had 6 shots before I stopped. They did seem to help a bit by the 3rd shot, but she developed an unexplained itchiness that went away after we quit giving them to her. There is another arthritic pain control injection called Adequan (been around a lot longer than Solensia) that you could also ask your vet about.

Has the vet taken x-rays of your cat's spine/neck and legs to see if there are any signs of arthritis?

There hasn't been a specific X-ray done for arthritis. They did just a chest X-ray to look at the lungs.

 

[iPappy]

If you gently massage the area that's quivering, does he tense up? Be sure to gently massage above and below the area, too, and see what he does.
I hope he feels better. He looks remarkable for 17!

 

[kauzmo]

If you gently massage the area that's quivering, does he tense up? Be sure to gently massage above and below the area, too, and see what he does.
I hope he feels better. He looks remarkable for 17!

He's been pretty ageless up until 6 months ago. He's a tough kitty. He doesn't seem to mind when I rub/feel around his back/shoulders, so I'm not sure. He was getting around pretty well but now he won't use any of the ramps or jump off the couch, we have to let him down. I just don't know if he's shutting down or he's injured something or if his vision is completely gone and doesn't trust himself. He was using the litter box 3-4 times a day and that was normal all his life, now he only uses it twice. I'm hoping that has something to do with the Prednisone affecting his litter habits.

 

[kauzmo]

He went 19 hours yesterday without urinating. I wonder if he has a UTI? He doesn't meow when urinating and doesn't ever go outside the litter box, so no real UTI symptoms. But being a tripawd, he sometimes ends up laying in the litter to urinate and getting it all over him. Also wondering if it's the Prednisone maybe also? At how many hours of not urinating should I get to a vet? 24 hours?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Is he really on prednisone or prednisolone - that latter being the one preferred for cats, because there is some question if cats are able to convert the former to prednisolone for proper absorption. Nonetheless, steroids generally cause increased drinking and therefore increased urination, as well as increased appetite. So, I am thinking something else may be going on and advise you to tell the vet about him not peeing even for this long.

Is he prone to UTIs? Has he had crystals before? The concerning part is that if he has had crystals before, an accumulation of them can cause a blockage, especially in male cats.

Please give your vet a call.

 

[Biomehanika]

Like Feeby said, a side effect of Pred is increased drinking and increased urination. If this is not happening… besides a blockage… my concern is that he could be retaining water/ have fluid build up starting, which is not good news. His odd breathing/muscle movement in the video you posted yesterday could also be linked to that.. At his age I would be extra cautious about this and call/see the vet.

 

[kauzmo]

Thank you for the replies. This is his med.