Frosty
Member Since 2012
I just wanted to drop in and say hi to everyone and post an update on Ole' PurrFace.
As some you know PurrFace suffered a stroke at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday February 2, 2014. The poor little guy attempted to jump onto the arm of the sofa, as he had done thousands of times before, and just sort of slide/fell to the floor. When he got up he walked as if he was drunk. We took him to the ER but they couldn't determine what had happened so we took him home. Within 2 hours from the time of the stroke he had declined to the point of not being able to walk, stand or hold his head up. He was basically a lump of fur on the floor. We returned to the ER but got the same thing...don't know what happened and nothing we can do. I mentioned that I suspected a stroke and was told cats don't have strokes. The following morning we took him to our vet. He looked at him and immediately sent us to a specialist clinic. He stayed there overnight and had an ultrasound done. They said they wanted to do a CAT scan and possible spinal tap. Unfortunately they did not have a board certified Neurologist or Neurosurgen on staff or an MRI machine. They agreed that a MRI would be the best way to go. Thanks to some research done by Sienne and Marje we learned about a Neurology/Neurosurgery clinic in Houston but they only accepted referrals. I asked the vet for a referral there because they had board certified Neurologist and Neurosurgeons on staff and had an MRI machine. He gladly called them and got us an appointment for Thursday..2 days away.
The vets at the Neurology clinic were great. I asked about a stroke and was told it was extremely unlikely in a cat but the MRI would tell. They did the MRI and found that he did in fact have a stroke. The area of the spinal cord that it occurred was just a little past the base of his neck. The Neurologist said it is extremely rare for a cat to have a stroke and that there wasn't anything on feline strokes in her journals. She did a spinal tap to rule out cancer etc and it all was well there. She recommended physical therapy.
We took PurrFace to their specialty hospital to see the Physical Therapist. She was great also. She worked with PurrFace for an hour and then instructed us on how to do the exercises with PurrFace. She said to work with him for 2 weeks and we'll see how he does. The work we did with him combined with his determination to get back on his feet produced remarkable results. At the end of the 2 weeks he was walking, very wobbly but walking and sitting. He could hold his head up kind of lopsided for about 3 minutes at a time. We still had to place him in the LB and hold him while he did his business because he didn't have good balance. When we returned in 2 weeks the Neurologist was very happy with his progressed and said she didn't need to see him for 2 months. The Physical Therapist was very happy with what he had accomplished. She said he was at the stage of recovery she was hoping for at the end of several months of work. She showed us some more advanced exercises for him and said she didn't need to see him again unless he relapsed.
It was very demanding having a cat that was completely paralyzed. We had to guess when he needed to use the LB, carry him to the LB and place him in it and hold him while he went. I would never have thought a cat would go while a human was holding him up. We continued with his physical therapy exercises and he worked very hard and each day improved a bit more.
He is now walking. He's slower than before but gets to where he's going. He has full control of his neck and head also. He canjump leap onto the sofa. I say leap because he leap up like a frog. He lands on his butt and front feet. He is able to jump up on his cat tree like a normal cat. He was so proud of himself the first time he got into the LB, did his business and buried it all by himself. He still doesn't have his voice back. We have heard 3 or 4 meows from him since the stroke. He moves his mouth but nothing comes out.
We are so proud of him. We thought for sure that we were going to lose him. It's amazing how much an animal can accomplish when they are determined to do it.
I'm sorry for being so long but wanted to update you. We've been pretty busy and taking care of some health issues so I haven't posted a condo but I have been checking in occasionally. Please know that I think of all of you and your fur babies every day and we keep you all in our Prayers.
Have a great evening and thank you to all that helped us.
As some you know PurrFace suffered a stroke at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday February 2, 2014. The poor little guy attempted to jump onto the arm of the sofa, as he had done thousands of times before, and just sort of slide/fell to the floor. When he got up he walked as if he was drunk. We took him to the ER but they couldn't determine what had happened so we took him home. Within 2 hours from the time of the stroke he had declined to the point of not being able to walk, stand or hold his head up. He was basically a lump of fur on the floor. We returned to the ER but got the same thing...don't know what happened and nothing we can do. I mentioned that I suspected a stroke and was told cats don't have strokes. The following morning we took him to our vet. He looked at him and immediately sent us to a specialist clinic. He stayed there overnight and had an ultrasound done. They said they wanted to do a CAT scan and possible spinal tap. Unfortunately they did not have a board certified Neurologist or Neurosurgen on staff or an MRI machine. They agreed that a MRI would be the best way to go. Thanks to some research done by Sienne and Marje we learned about a Neurology/Neurosurgery clinic in Houston but they only accepted referrals. I asked the vet for a referral there because they had board certified Neurologist and Neurosurgeons on staff and had an MRI machine. He gladly called them and got us an appointment for Thursday..2 days away.
The vets at the Neurology clinic were great. I asked about a stroke and was told it was extremely unlikely in a cat but the MRI would tell. They did the MRI and found that he did in fact have a stroke. The area of the spinal cord that it occurred was just a little past the base of his neck. The Neurologist said it is extremely rare for a cat to have a stroke and that there wasn't anything on feline strokes in her journals. She did a spinal tap to rule out cancer etc and it all was well there. She recommended physical therapy.
We took PurrFace to their specialty hospital to see the Physical Therapist. She was great also. She worked with PurrFace for an hour and then instructed us on how to do the exercises with PurrFace. She said to work with him for 2 weeks and we'll see how he does. The work we did with him combined with his determination to get back on his feet produced remarkable results. At the end of the 2 weeks he was walking, very wobbly but walking and sitting. He could hold his head up kind of lopsided for about 3 minutes at a time. We still had to place him in the LB and hold him while he did his business because he didn't have good balance. When we returned in 2 weeks the Neurologist was very happy with his progressed and said she didn't need to see him for 2 months. The Physical Therapist was very happy with what he had accomplished. She said he was at the stage of recovery she was hoping for at the end of several months of work. She showed us some more advanced exercises for him and said she didn't need to see him again unless he relapsed.
It was very demanding having a cat that was completely paralyzed. We had to guess when he needed to use the LB, carry him to the LB and place him in it and hold him while he went. I would never have thought a cat would go while a human was holding him up. We continued with his physical therapy exercises and he worked very hard and each day improved a bit more.
He is now walking. He's slower than before but gets to where he's going. He has full control of his neck and head also. He can
We are so proud of him. We thought for sure that we were going to lose him. It's amazing how much an animal can accomplish when they are determined to do it.
I'm sorry for being so long but wanted to update you. We've been pretty busy and taking care of some health issues so I haven't posted a condo but I have been checking in occasionally. Please know that I think of all of you and your fur babies every day and we keep you all in our Prayers.
Have a great evening and thank you to all that helped us.
