disorientation and fearfulness

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Marshmallow's Mom

Marshmallow's Mom

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I'm starting to wonder if my cat Marvin might have the issue with Cushing's disease.

Something that has been bothering me a lot is that recently he has become much more skiddish. He spends nearly all of his time now in the basement under the bed in the guest bedroom. Once in a while he'll come upstairs, but he acts disoriented and fearful. And when he sees me, sometimes he just give me a fearful look and run.

It breaks my heart. He didn't use to be like this. I thought that maybe it was the insulin and all the testing and shots, but he actually takes all that pretty well - in stride.

Poor guy. I'm not sure what to do next. I'm wondering if I should have him tested for Cushing's, if there is a way to test.
 
Marshmallow's Mom said:
I'm starting to wonder if my cat Marvin might have the issue with Cushing's disease.

Something that has been bothering me a lot is that recently he has become much more skiddish. He spends nearly all of his time now in the basement under the bed in the guest bedroom. Once in a while he'll come upstairs, but he acts disoriented and fearful. And when he sees me, sometimes he just give me a fearful look and run.

It breaks my heart. He didn't use to be like this. I thought that maybe it was the insulin and all the testing and shots, but he actually takes all that pretty well - in stride.

Poor guy. I'm not sure what to do next. I'm wondering if I should have him tested for Cushing's, if there is a way to test.
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Try adding some feliway diffusers to your house. They can help some cats feel less stressed.
 
Good call. I just checked and both Feliway diffusers were out. I replaced and reordered. And also added some drops of Rescue Remedy to his water bowl.

Hopefully he will feel more peaceful.
 
Those are not really symptoms of Cushing's disease. How has his blood sugar been? Is he eating and drinking a lot? Developing a big belly with muscle wasting else wear? How is his coat? Any hair loss? Problems with wound healing or wounds that develop with minimal trauma?
 
Hi Ana, His blood sugar has been consistently high. I've been up-ing his dose of Prozinc every few days, currently at 4.0 and there hasn't been much correlation with reduction in blood sugar yet. I'm still hoping to hit that breakthrough dose where things start to improve.

As far as the symptoms you mention, yes, he does eat and drink a lot. He wants to eat every 2 hours. His belly is big and he has lost muscle in his back and shoulders in the last 3 months or so. He has patchiness hair loss, and his coat looks worse now than it ever has. He seems frail. He acts exhausted and irritable. He has had some strange wounds along his spine. Not bloody, but crusty (see URL image link below). They have mostly gone away. But there have been other little skin issues in the last months that seem strange. He had a bloody spot on his head near his ear a month or two ago that appeared out of no where.

Another thing - I have noticed in the last months he has held his mouth funny. Almost like it doesn't close all the way. Could that be the thickening jaw?

Once he was diagnosed with diabetes, I chalked all of this up to that. And have been waiting for these things to start to abate with the insulin treatment, but so far things seem to not be improving at all. Maybe even getting worse.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mM_a8Xb2tVg5Npc7wS7Y8jGbJTfnUgsP
 
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Maybe time for another vet visit? Could be his mouth is telling you he needs a dental. Thickening jaw is more an acromegaly symptom, but acros tend to develop muscles and look like little football players. Growth hormone and IGF-1 are produced in excess, and those are used in muscle development. They also have pot bellies and ferocious appetites. But typically not skin issues.
 
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