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eleana · Nov 13, 2008, 02:48 AM

Hi there,

I am new to the forum so I wanted just to ask a few things about my cat. My cat is 5-6 years old and Persian She has an amazing character , very playful and full of life. However in the last few days I am out of my mind with worry as she has stopped behaving like herself. It all started when we took her to the vet two days ago for a check up as she had some skin problem. The vet gave us antibiotics for 12 days and we left as normal with the prospect of coming back in 12 days after the therapy finished. However, the same night she started being a very different cat. First she wobbled a lot not being able to keep her balance straight. Then she was behaving like she could not hear or see and she was trembling. It was late so I could phone the vet so we waited until the morning and we took her back. Vet said he could not find anything wrong with her clinically so we had to observe her fr 24 hours and see how it went. For 2 whole days now, she has not eaten anything, drink anything used the toilet and she is sleeping or sitting in a position for hours with open eyes like a zombie! That cat is not my cat! Its like she does not recognized me or my husband and I go close to her ear ad shout her name without seeing me and she does not respond! Like she is deaf or soething or alf dead!! I don't know what to do really... its very upsetting to see your cat that way. Does anyone have the same experience or has any clue on what is going on? Thanks

twinkiedooter · Nov 13, 2008, 05:36 AM

Take her to a different vet as soon as possible and tell them what happened with the antibiotics and the other vet. It may be too late to do anything to reverse the symptoms. If in doubt, check it out!

Fiona2003 · Nov 13, 2008, 06:33 AM

Absolutely, get her to a different vet. I have had 3 persians and even the one who suffered from pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure wouldn't miss the opportunity to pounce on a dangling string or play tricks on my himalayan.

A bit about persians: they do tend to have kidney problems as a breed. I know that it is expensive, but I think it would be well worth it to have an ultrasound done on her kidneys to check for something called PKD (polycystic kidney disorder). This is a condition where small fluid filled sacs called cysts form on the kidneys, impairing their function and causing lots of pressure/pain for the cat.

My other suspicion, which is less common in females, but still could be the case, is a kidney stone. This is more easily tested with a urinalysis (to look for blood / crystals) and a blood draw (to check creatinine levels that might indicate kidney failure).

Please take her to another vet as soon as possible! I wish you all the best and that your girl feels better soon.

linnealand · Nov 14, 2008, 02:36 PM

I don't know what is going on with your cat, but I did want to at least tell you about something that happened to my red persian, and it might be something to ask about.

We were taking my cat to the vet for a daily IV (over the course of a week or so) in which antibiotics were also administered. He was 14, and he had been suffering from an abscess under his chin caused by dental issues. My vet is open until very late (like 11pm). We went one night for the regular IV and antibiotic, and as soon as we parked the car, he started urinating on himself. His tongue was poking in and out, and his eyes were very, very weird, kind of glossed over, but staring hard into space, and pretty scared. While I tried to put him on the ground to finish peeing, his legs were sticking out, but he fell right over. I thought he was dying.

We thought about taking him right back to the vet, but we thought there was no time. If he was going to die, we didn't want it to be in a stressful car ride. We stayed there, and after awhile, he started to recover. He was okay, but groggy. We contacted the vet who explained their suspicions to us, and it looks like they were right.

A vitamin/combination of vitamins had been added to his IV/antibiotic, and it has that very serious and scary effect on some cats. It's not common, but it's possible. Ask your vet about it. When we brought him back over the following days, we made sure to tell them not to use the vitamins, and it never happened again.

Also, I am wondering if your cat could be allergic to the antibiotic that she is being given. I think you should definitely bring these questions to your vet, and contact another vet to get a second opinion right away.

I wish you luck.