Welcome to Sphynxlair! Connect with Sphynx owners & enthusiasts around the world!

My sphynx cat can barely move at times

tori2986

Lairian
Joined
Jun 17, 2018
Messages
6
Points
4
Recently my 3 year old sphynx cat started walking strange. He still eats like normal but has gotten to where he can barely move at times and often looses his balance if trying to stretch or move. I've taken him to multiple vet visits and blood work came back fine. Can sphynx cats get arthritis or has anyone had this issue with their sphynx? One day he seems like he's perfectly normal and the next he can barely move. The vet doesn't know what's going on with him and it breaks my heart.
 

Yoda mom

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 23, 2012
Messages
26,190
Points
653
Welcoming you and Lorenzo

Agree with a second opinion -
Brainstorming ideas based on my experiences I would ask to rule out idiopathic epilepsy - mini seizures - they can happen without the typical body movements we all associate with seizures - sometimes they can have mild almost unnoticeable seizures like a focal seizure?
and or to rule out the possibility of saddle thrombosis embolisms ?
(My kitty had those - she was fine one minute then not and then when the clot passed she would go back to her normal activity.)
Does lorenzo ever vocalize , lose bowels or seem pain in pain during the loss of balance?
My girl did this sometimes when she had incidents but not all the time . She just acts off.

You can ask your vet if he or she thinks it is neurological ?
Have they listened to Lorenzo 's heart for any murmurs?
I always ask the vet to take a good listen to the heart for any murmurs During any vet visits.

@tori2986 , just wanted to share, not to alarm in any way , just thinking outside the box since the vets are stumped -
Agree with a second opinion or referral to a specialist .

Positve vibes sent you get answers

Surely others will chime in too with suggestions

Head smooches to Lorenzo
Big hugs to you

Keep us updated often
 

tori2986

Lairian
Joined
Jun 17, 2018
Messages
6
Points
4
Welcoming you and Lorenzo

Agree with a second opinion -
Brainstorming ideas based on my experiences I would ask to rule out idiopathic epilepsy - mini seizures - they can happen without the typical body movements we all associate with seizures - sometimes they can have mild almost unnoticeable seizures like a focal seizure?
and or to rule out the possibility of saddle thrombosis embolisms ?
(My kitty had those - she was fine one minute then not and then when the clot passed she would go back to her normal activity.)
Does lorenzo ever vocalize , lose bowels or seem pain in pain during the loss of balance?
My girl did this sometimes when she had incidents but not all the time . She just acts off.

You can ask your vet if he or she thinks it is neurological ?
Have they listened to Lorenzo 's heart for any murmurs?
I always ask the vet to take a good listen to the heart for any murmurs During any vet visits.

@tori2986 , just wanted to share, not to alarm in any way , just thinking outside the box since the vets are stumped -
Agree with a second opinion or referral to a specialist .

Positve vibes sent you get answers

Surely others will chime in too with suggestions

Head smooches to Lorenzo
Big hugs to you

Keep us updated often
I appreciate your detailed feedback honestly I've been nonstop researching this. He's very vocal always has been. He is still vocal not as much tho. He still eats normal also. He just isn't active and sleeps all day until he eats then goes right back to sleep. He had GI issues a few months back where he had uncontrolled bowel movements and vomiting but he got 2 weeks of metronidazole and we haven't had any issues with him going to the bathroom since or any loose stools. The vet is trying to say they think it's still a GI issue but he eats normal and goes to the bathroom fine which makes me feel it's def not. He had a bout for 2 weeks within the last month where out of no where he was his normal goofy self bouncing off the walls like a kitten again and just a few days ago it stopped and he's back to barely being able to move. It does seem like he looses his balance easily at times but I guess I'll have to take videos of it to show the vet because they only see him still at the vet. I lightly rubbed his legs and hips like I was petting him and he didn't seem to be in any pain. I will def check into those conditions and get a second opinion with another vet and ask to check for those because I honestly don't think it's GI related like this vet is trying to tell me. Thank you again! I will keep you updated❤️
 

Yoda mom

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 23, 2012
Messages
26,190
Points
653
Do you have a video to share with us?

My adult boys sleep more as they get older too
Eat amd sleep by day then zoomies at night

I did switch their food from Acana to Nutrisource cat and kitten in the blue bag
no more poo issues or skin issues
My IBD kitty does great on it too! Switched her from Fromm Game bird recipe

Keep us updated often !

Head smooches

Is he on a Raw diet? Or kibble ? Just asking bcz if feeding raw need to make sure all nutrients and supplements are given
 

tori2986

Lairian
Joined
Jun 17, 2018
Messages
6
Points
4
Hello. Sorry it's been a while since I have updated on my Lorenzo. Unfortunately not much has gotten better. I got a second opinion and they are at a loss as well. My vet did do all bloodwork they could test for. They even sent off antibodies to a special lab out of state and everything came back normal. They thought he had baronella which the antibody labwork would show but it came up negative. They even retested for feline leukemia and it was negative. So far the only relief he gets is when we have him on Clavamox. He seems to return to normal while on it but when finished he slowly Day by day gets back to where he can barely walk without falling over. They tried 3 other antibiotics as well and steroids which none seemed to help. They see no ear issues or dental and no infections in his bloodwork which is why I'm confused why clavamox treatment seems to help. They are saying it's neurological and he would need to see a specialist but I can only imagine the cost. I'm already almost $2000 in and have no answers. I feel so bad for my boy. He's only 4 he should be loving life


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

bittirsweet

Lairian
Joined
Jun 10, 2014
Messages
16
Points
14
Hello,
Did you ever get any answers with your boy? I ask because I'm going through a similar issue with my eldest and am trying to figure out what could be causing it.
I hope you are well <3
 

Condo commando

Gold Lairian
Notable Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2014
Messages
4,070
Points
568
I was going to suggest seeing a specialist vet. If there's an animal hospital near you, they will have all the specialties under one roof and that's your best bet so you don't have to guess what kind of specialist to see.

I understand your frustration because $2000 is a lot of money. Unfortunately it sounds like they are guessing; it would be nice if they would refer you to a specialist but they want you as a client so.....anyway don't assume that it will be more expensive with a specialist. It really depends on what they find. For example I had a cat go through chemo for cancer and that was expensive, but a couple of times I've had cats that needed a tumor to be removed and that was all. It really depends on what is causing the problem. Wishing you all the best.
 

tori2986

Lairian
Joined
Jun 17, 2018
Messages
6
Points
4
Hello, sorry I haven’t been on to update about my Lorenzo. A day or so after my last post my boy fell down the stairs and broke his tail. I immediately took him to the emergency vet it was a Sunday night so my normal vet was closed. They did x rays and she immediately recommended us to see the neurologist. Being we had tried everything and obviously he wasn’t getting better I called first thing in the morning and they had an opening that morning. We found out he was born with a degenerative disk disease I think they called it. Basically his spine near his neck was pressing against itself and when it got bad is when he couldn’t walk. The nerves in there neck/upper spine actually control the back legs and bladder/bowels. Long story short we were told there isn’t much of anything that could be done and that this type surgery is very hard on these cats and a lot of the time they don’t heal correctly and he said being 100% straight with you if it was my cat I wouldn’t put him through the pain of surgery with the odds. They said he’s always been clumsy because his body is trying to compensate for the spine alignment issue he was born with and has always had but after so long the other parts of there body can only compensate for so long before getting weak or also injured. It seems the antibiotics were just an unfortunate coincidence when it seemed he was getting better. When his spine would press together is when he would loose the feeling in his back legs and also feeling to his bladder/bowels which is why he was going to the bathroom everywhere without being able to control it. It was a very sad and hard day of decisions and we decided to not do surgery and try high dose of prednisone and gabapentin twice a day to see if that helped him. Other then his tail being broke he never seemed to be In Any pain he just couldn’t feel his back legs. Thankfully after about 3 days we noticed he was starting to seem himself again. Luckily this medicine combo has been working and he is doing well. I asked about the side effects of this because I know prednisone isn’t recommended for long term use but the vet said when it comes to instances like this if the meds work they prefer to stay on long term because if not on them he wouldn’t be able to walk and will eventually become paralyzed and we would end up having to put him down. The neurologist visit cost us almost $2,000 which is why we were trying everything else first. My other half had been out of work from emergency surgery for 3 months and I was the only one working and we also have a boy with autism so money is very tight. I’m happy we got answers and happy he’s doing better. It’s only a matter of time before it worsens but we are dealing with it day by day. As long as he’s not in pain and able to live and walk comfortably we will continue his meds and give him the best life we can. He’s such a sweet boy and deserves the world. I only wish I could fix him but the odds with Sphynx cats and this extremely risky and expensive surgery there are more cons than pros. Thank you for all of your recommendations and helpful thoughts and opinions. I will keep updated and in touch.
 

tori2986

Lairian
Joined
Jun 17, 2018
Messages
6
Points
4
i have videos I got of him trying to walk when it was really bad but it keeps telling me the file is too large. Does anyone know how I can upload it without it saying it’s to big? I even cut the video down to 5 seconds and it still says too large
 

tori2986

Lairian
Joined
Jun 17, 2018
Messages
6
Points
4
IMG_7134.jpg

This is him currently comfy and sleeping on 1 of his 5 soft fleece blankets he lays in. Spoiled and so loved!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Catzzzmeow

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 16, 2011
Messages
35,017
Points
673
Glad to hear the meds are working. Bless that baby and you for doing everything you can to make his life comfortable.
 
Back
Top