My Senior Cat Had a Stroke

 On Friday my husband decided to groom our senior cat since she wasn’t grooming herself. Our veterinarian gave us medication to relax her and we followed the instructions that were provided.  Our cat had no problem with the grooming, in fact, she was such a good girl purring when my husband used the hair mat remover tool. When the grooming was completed, she went to lie in her bed and overnight she must have had a stroke.

My cat Sally (Calico) takes care of Franny

The following morning my cat did not come to greet me, she normally will sit on my chest when I am sleeping and make a vocal sound that sounds like “nip”.  If I don’t respond she will tap me on my nose with her paw.  This method of waking me up in the morning is adorable. But on this morning she did not do it, I slept in and awoke wondering where my cat was.

Both my husband and I looked for her and finally found her in the laundry room.  Something was wrong as she tried to come to us but her back legs were not working.  It was frightening to see my cat not being able to walk, she had a stupor look on her face, and every time she tried to come to me she fell over to her side and her head looked tilted.

 

Sally my calico cat will not leave Franny, Sally is so caring

I told my husband that our 18-year-old rescued cat was having a stroke.  Normally we would rush her to the veterinarian but since none were open on the weekend and the closest ER vet was two hours away. We put her in her heated bed, I gave her fluids and we hoped for the best.

 

In the past, my other rescued senior cat had a stroke and I knew that there was no specific treatment for strokes in cats and dogs.  At the time I had called my veterinarian at his home and he told me to keep my cat comfortable and that most pets tend to recover in a few weeks.  Unfortunately, he was no longer my veterinarian so I had to take care of our cat from what I knew from experience with previous cats.

I confined Franny to our guest bathroom, as it is a room that she likes.  I provided her with a litter box, her heated bed, food, and water.  I gave her fluids through a syringe and put wet senior cat food on the plate for her to eat.  Our cat was still eating and drinking and by Sunday she regained her feeling in her legs and used her litter box. Before Sunday she was going on a wee wee pad that we bought at Pet Smart and I was cleaning her.

 

Franny is coming out of a stroke and has the will to live.  But her eyes look different to me and her gait is not the same.  I know that she is past her life expectancy as the average lifespan for a cat is age (13 to 15).  My cat seems to be extraordinary as she is age 18 with only slight arthritis and cataracts before her stroke.

We plan to take her to the veterinarian first thing on Monday morning. Until then I will continue to take care of my cat by providing her with privacy away from other cats and the dog, and I will sit with her, talk to her, and pet her.  Also, make sure that she is getting enough fluids and wet food to eat.

 

** Franny was abandoned by her people when she was approximately 15 years old. We found her sitting in the rain in our side yard.  She had cataracts on her eyes and seemed disoriented, no collar, and no chip we took her in and cared for her.  Both my husband and I wanted to give her a good end-of-life experience.