Let me first introduce myself and my family. I am Carla and I live in St. Catharines with my husband and 2 cats Dock (DLH) and Mace (sphynx). Mace is a 5 year old little hell raiser that keeps us on our toes, and likes to pester poor Dock. Dock is a 15 and a half year old long haired diva that could care less about Mace, but will tolerate him enough for the occasional wrestling or boxing match.
Dock has been pretty healthy until the last few years. She has early kidney disease, and has had surgeries to repair ruptured cruciate ligaments in both back legs. She has been on 2 pain medications for the arthritis associated with the surgeries, as well as monthly injections.
On January 12th, she started acute onset of odd behavior. I thought she may be going senile. She sleeps on the couch mostly, or in front on a particular heat vent, and does not travel upstairs much, except in the morning when it is time to wake us up for food. But this night, she came up about 4am, meowing her little head off and decided to spray the wall and urinate on some clothes. The next morning, she was having her mandatory sleep time, but on a pillow on the other side of the couch. Odd.... I didn't think too much of it, but I would be sure to check with my vet if this strangeness keeps up. That same day, she decided that my husbands sweater in the dining room corner would be the next greatest bed. Ok, now this is getting weird. Lastly, after being on the computer for a bit that night, I was unable to find her. A search of the house revealed her on the back of the couch in the basement (which we never use, and in her 15 years, she has never slept on).
Dock was also being more vocal, as well as more "sucky". She would insist on sitting in front of the computer screen and just stare at us. Putting her down, means she just has to jump back up again.
A chat with the vet on the Saturday meant I would need to bring her in for some testing. A few items on the diagnosis list was senility, possible organ dysfunction, pain induced behavior changes, or a possible neurological condition.
Monday saw me in the clinic with Dock. A number of tests were run including her thyroid, urine. Her kidney dysfunction, while stable, was now showing she was losing potassium. All other tests were normal. So B12 injections and potassium supplements on top of the other meds were started.
On Sunday the 14th, Dock had a small seizure, focused on her head. It was short, and would not have been noticed had I not been sitting beside her. That pretty much confirmed the diagnosis of Meningioma. Due to her age, we decided not to proceed with testing to confirm the diagnosis as it would be costly, and I do not think she would do well with a major surgery to remove the tumour. She is now on Prednisone to reduce the inflammation around the tumor, and she is doing well, though she is still sleeping in odd places.
Thank you for reading our story so far.
It's never easy when a family member is ill. When my furry boy Cody was getting up in years, I watched him like a hawk, unwilling to let him suffer. Losing him was awful.
ReplyDeleteI know Dock couldn't be in better hands than yours. I don't think you could be approaching this from a better place. Humor, clinical knowledge, love... It's sad she's ill, and I wish she wasn't, but she's lucky to have you. <3
Thanks for the love and Support Wendy!
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