Hi

I've just joined this forum, but already need some help with suggestions as to what is wrong with my cat.

To give you an idea, I'll list her details to begin with:

1. Her name is C-For (as in c for cat; d for dog etc. !)

2. She is 17 Y.O. - we've had her since she was a kitten.

3. She is both an indoor and outdoor cat.

4. We got her as a feral, but she completely adores me !!

5. She is constantly by my side.

6. Her health has always been fine up 'til about two/three months ago.

7. She has had her general innoculations, but no other medicines.

8. I won't go on holiday, as she's never been used to a cattery and I would never stress her out now, due to her age.

9. I give her cat-nip sometimes, in dried form.

10. She is eating/drinking/using litter-tray as normal.

The problem began about 2/3 months ago when she started "head-twitching" every now and then and also "staggering". This only lasts a few seconds and once she stops, she seems perfectly fine. It has been getting much more prominent lately.

A visit to the vet proved her physical health is perfect; also blood tests all came back negative.

"Cat Epilepsy" was also ruled out by the vet.

The only things the vet could think of was a possible brain lesion.

She doesn't seem to suffer in any way, but I hate to watch her take those "episodes". Initially they only occured after she'd been lying down, asleep, for a while, but they are becoming more random.

A friend of mine has given me samples of"Neem", "Pet Plus" and "Scullcap&Valerian" to try, but its a complete nightmare trying to get her to take it !!!

TBH, I have no idea what to do and hate seeing her this way, if anyone can help me and "My Bairn" I'd be extremely grateful !!! ???

Did the vet check in her ears?

If you think it's brain then an MRI scan will be the only way to investigate it, and they cost big bucks, and in an otherwise well cat it's questionable whether it'd be fair.

I'd keep a diary of her episodes and if they get worse then consider investigating it further, but if your vet has done blood tests etc then you've covered most bases.

BTW most epilepsy cases are idopathic, i.e there's no obvious causes, so if it's bothering you/her it may be worth talking to your vet about a trial of anti-epileptic drugs to see if they help

It sounds like some kind of tremor perhaps. I have heard, occasionally old cats will get a tremor and it has no 'horrible' reason behind it, but it is something obviously to keep an eye on, especially the staggering apart.xx

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Thanks Doolally !

Yes, the vet did mention a brain-scan, but he too said that because she is otherwise healthy it wouldn't be fair to put her through such trauma due to her age.

I'd imagine that the vet would've examined her ears as part of her general check-up, but I will ensure that this happened.

Your advice is much appreciated!

Thanks Gem16

Yes, that is exactly what her "episodes" look like - tremors !

Though she's obviously suffering no discomfort from them; they absolutely terrify me, I just hate seeing her so disorientated, even if for a few seconds !

I appreciate your kind thoughts.

Are these episodes increasing in severity/duration since the onset of symptoms? Any head shaking?

I'd also ask you vet to check blood pressure ( I know it's one of my favourites simply because soo many practices don't even have the equipment! ) because symtoms like this can also be due to high BP. If this is the case then its very easily treated. HP unfortunately is quite common in older cats but if left undiagnosed/untreated can lead to more serious things like strokes etc.

Failing that I would have an scull X-ray just to see if it reveals anything. Some middle ear infections or benign growths (polyps) can also cause similar symptoms particularly with balance.

Another thing - has the vet completely ruled out diabetes? Blood test alone is not conclusive, you need a urine test to confirm.

Yes Ianthi,

She gets quite severe tremors in her head, IE - Her head twitches to quite an extent when she is having an "episode" !!

She sometimes "head twitches" too between her "turns" but not to quite an extent.

After the few things I've been told about on here, and also on another forum, I really think that I should check back with the vet to see what exact tests they did on her !!

Thank you all !

I am just so very, very concerned about her !!!!

Yes, it's vital to know which tests and how extensive they were but do remember as well not all conditons show up in a blood test.

Another possibility might be Vitamin B1 deficiency ( Thiamine ) which can cause neorulogical problems. I think it's worth trying Brewer's Yeast first ( available from health shops ) and see if it makes any difference. It might just something simple like this and if she responds to BY then you'd have your answer without incurring any additional expense!

Hope you get it sorted soon!

Thank you Ianthi for your suggestions........I'm just so, so worried about her !!!