What just happened to my cat?
August 21, 2015 10:48 AM Subscribe
I was having a play session with my cats and they all seemed to be enjoying it. Afterwards I was giving them treats and when I went to give them to Mamma she just stared at them and looked dazed and out of it. Usually she would gobble them up immediately. It really freaked me out!
I checked her out and she isn't limping and she did eat the treats and some food a little while later. I thought she may have hurt herself on the stairs but she came down by herself. She played with a twist tie a bit (somewhat half-heartedly) and swatted at another cat and sniffed a butt as she normally would. She let me pet her and rub her belly.
I take my cats to the vet whenever something is off but usually it is more me being anxious than there being anything wrong. We also recently spent thousands on one cat who has cancer so I am trying to be logical even though I usually go with better safe then sorry. Every time I go to the vet it seems to cost upwards of $300.
Has this happened to your cat? Any idea what may have caused it? Should I take her to the vet? Any other symptoms I should be looking for?
(Sorry about the wonky camera work.)
I checked her out and she isn't limping and she did eat the treats and some food a little while later. I thought she may have hurt herself on the stairs but she came down by herself. She played with a twist tie a bit (somewhat half-heartedly) and swatted at another cat and sniffed a butt as she normally would. She let me pet her and rub her belly.
I take my cats to the vet whenever something is off but usually it is more me being anxious than there being anything wrong. We also recently spent thousands on one cat who has cancer so I am trying to be logical even though I usually go with better safe then sorry. Every time I go to the vet it seems to cost upwards of $300.
Has this happened to your cat? Any idea what may have caused it? Should I take her to the vet? Any other symptoms I should be looking for?
(Sorry about the wonky camera work.)
This actually happened to me the other day with my crazy Boy Cat Crocket. He's a little devil and eats fast, plays hard, runs around like a bat out of hell....
We were playing insanely with the laser pointer which he loves, but once play time is over he gets a big pile of treats to indicate the end of play time.
I plonked them down, he's usually ALL over them within milliseconds, but this time he just stared and blinked and looked at me like I was a crazy weirdo. It DID have me worried for a second.
But he eventually ate them, was back to 'normal' within no time at all. I wondered if it was his way of saying "I want to continue playing please" or if he just got confused and wasn't sure what they were.
I don't know - I would say there's no need to overreact unless little kitty continues to act weird! I doubt you need to go to the vet at this time, just continue to monitor!
(cats are weird you know)
posted by JenThePro at 10:59 AM on August 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
We were playing insanely with the laser pointer which he loves, but once play time is over he gets a big pile of treats to indicate the end of play time.
I plonked them down, he's usually ALL over them within milliseconds, but this time he just stared and blinked and looked at me like I was a crazy weirdo. It DID have me worried for a second.
But he eventually ate them, was back to 'normal' within no time at all. I wondered if it was his way of saying "I want to continue playing please" or if he just got confused and wasn't sure what they were.
I don't know - I would say there's no need to overreact unless little kitty continues to act weird! I doubt you need to go to the vet at this time, just continue to monitor!
(cats are weird you know)
posted by JenThePro at 10:59 AM on August 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
Kinetic Jr in veterinary school says to call your vet and tell them for 2 reasons:
1. It could be something but also
2. Tomorrow is the weekend where if something does go south with Mamma, you're looking at the emergency vet office which is much more $$ than a check-in on a weekday.
posted by kinetic at 11:00 AM on August 21, 2015 [6 favorites]
1. It could be something but also
2. Tomorrow is the weekend where if something does go south with Mamma, you're looking at the emergency vet office which is much more $$ than a check-in on a weekday.
posted by kinetic at 11:00 AM on August 21, 2015 [6 favorites]
Staring and looking dazed is pretty vague; this could be anything on a scale from Cats Are Weird to a partial seizure. Epilepsy is rare in cats, but it exists. Maybe read up on partial seizures and see if that matches your experience.
posted by something something at 11:10 AM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by something something at 11:10 AM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's recently been discovered that high frequency sounds can cause seizures in some cats:
posted by jamjam at 11:18 AM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Sharp high-pitched sounds have been found to cause seizures in older cats. The most commonly reported triggers were the sound of crinkling tin foil, a metal spoon clanging in a ceramic feeding bowl, chinking or tapping of glass, crinkling of paper or plastic bags, tapping on a computer keyboard or clicking of a mouse, clinking of coins or keys, hammering of a nail and even the clicking of an owner's tongue.I would say based on your description that your cat probably did not have a seizure unless it was very mild, but could have had enough of a prodrome to affect her behavior, but that bell seemed like a very likely candidate for a trigger to me.
...
Mark Lowrie and Laurent Garosi from Davies Veterinary Specialists and Robert Harvey from the UCL School of Pharmacy, London, decided to investigate, and compiled a questionnaire for owners to complete. Working with International Cat Care, and using the interest generated by the media, the story went worldwide (dubbed 'Tom and Jerry syndrome' after the cartoon character Tom who has a strong startle reflex and often reacts with involuntary jerks to sound stimuli). They received hundreds of replies from across the globe from people who had noticed the same problem in their cats in response to certain types of sound. These owners had also found that their local vets had no information at all about it, and often did not believe that a sound had triggered the seizure!
posted by jamjam at 11:18 AM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Another vote for Cats Are Just Weird.
Anecdotal evidence, as if the universe needs any more: A few weeks ago my completely chill, social, cuddly, easygoing cat all of a sudden wouldn't come out from hiding under my bed and absolutely nothing I did nor tempted her with was persuading her one eensy little bit. Very, very odd. I finally removed the mattress and box spring so I could grab her, and she was just... like, terrified. As soon as she could, she bolted from my arms like a bat out of hell into another room, another hiding spot. I honestly worried she was gravely ill. A while later she darted outside when I opened the sliding glass door (she's indoor/outdoor). When she was to come in for the evening hours later, I noticed her tepidly stepping into the house and immediately she took one glance towards the kitchen and hightailed it back outside. I followed her eye line and there it was: my mylar birthday balloon I had tied to the kitchen pantry door the day before. Apparently the stoopid cat was scared to death of my dumbass balloon, what with its menacing, slow meanderings and evil friction noises as it rubbed against the adjacent door.
Balloon was immediately slain by brave human; cat was back to her old normal self without pause. The end.
posted by lock sock and barrel at 12:16 PM on August 21, 2015 [15 favorites]
Anecdotal evidence, as if the universe needs any more: A few weeks ago my completely chill, social, cuddly, easygoing cat all of a sudden wouldn't come out from hiding under my bed and absolutely nothing I did nor tempted her with was persuading her one eensy little bit. Very, very odd. I finally removed the mattress and box spring so I could grab her, and she was just... like, terrified. As soon as she could, she bolted from my arms like a bat out of hell into another room, another hiding spot. I honestly worried she was gravely ill. A while later she darted outside when I opened the sliding glass door (she's indoor/outdoor). When she was to come in for the evening hours later, I noticed her tepidly stepping into the house and immediately she took one glance towards the kitchen and hightailed it back outside. I followed her eye line and there it was: my mylar birthday balloon I had tied to the kitchen pantry door the day before. Apparently the stoopid cat was scared to death of my dumbass balloon, what with its menacing, slow meanderings and evil friction noises as it rubbed against the adjacent door.
Balloon was immediately slain by brave human; cat was back to her old normal self without pause. The end.
posted by lock sock and barrel at 12:16 PM on August 21, 2015 [15 favorites]
Yeah, so we have in our house what can kindly be called a "large-boned" cat, who we love dearly, and we think he loves us maybe? But he loves food more, it is his favorite thing ever. A couple years ago, I realized he had not shown up for 8pm treats, and this was odd and unheard of, so I sought him out and offered him some and he just stared at me. I freaked the hell out and rushed him to the vet. It was the right call. (And he's fine now)
On the other hand, he didn't do what your girl did, and eat the treats a short while later, or act normal and play with other cats. He just sat there like a tuffet. Given that, I would wait and watch, but keep a close eye on the appetite.
posted by instead of three wishes at 12:21 PM on August 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
On the other hand, he didn't do what your girl did, and eat the treats a short while later, or act normal and play with other cats. He just sat there like a tuffet. Given that, I would wait and watch, but keep a close eye on the appetite.
posted by instead of three wishes at 12:21 PM on August 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I called 2 different vet offices. One of them said keep an eye on her and the other one said they can't really say unless I bring her in.
Jamjam - that is weird and interesting. And now I am terrified to make any noise and am rather clumsy. We moved to this house a couple of months ago from the hood to the 'burbs. Instead of horns and your typical hood sounds there's lots of lawn mower and high pitched sounds. There was some weird sound earlier that was actually bothering me.
I will keep an eye on her and take her in if she's not her normal self soon. She sleeps with me every night and we are the only two chicks in a house full of 5 male cats + husband.
posted by mokeydraws at 12:24 PM on August 21, 2015
Jamjam - that is weird and interesting. And now I am terrified to make any noise and am rather clumsy. We moved to this house a couple of months ago from the hood to the 'burbs. Instead of horns and your typical hood sounds there's lots of lawn mower and high pitched sounds. There was some weird sound earlier that was actually bothering me.
I will keep an eye on her and take her in if she's not her normal self soon. She sleeps with me every night and we are the only two chicks in a house full of 5 male cats + husband.
posted by mokeydraws at 12:24 PM on August 21, 2015
I don't quite know what to make of it either, mokeydraws.
It's hard to believe cats' owners and vets wouldn't have noticed this long ago if it were a historical phenomenon.
If, on the other hand, this vulnerability has a more recent origin, I think a possibility for an underlying cause just happens to be the subject of another article on the same site and linked on the same page as my initial link:
Most of the pages I looked at which mention that hyperthyroid could cause seizures in cats (such as this one), go on to say that it's a rare one.
posted by jamjam at 3:43 PM on August 21, 2015
It's hard to believe cats' owners and vets wouldn't have noticed this long ago if it were a historical phenomenon.
If, on the other hand, this vulnerability has a more recent origin, I think a possibility for an underlying cause just happens to be the subject of another article on the same site and linked on the same page as my initial link:
Flame retardants could contribute to hyperthyroidism in older catsCalifornia mandated flame retardants in many consumer products some while back, and PDBEs were the default choice of many manufacturers throughout the world that wished to continue to have access to the large California market.
...
The researchers tested blood samples from pet felines in Sweden -- 37 hyperthyroid cats and 23 cats with normal thyroid function. They found that those with hyperthyroidism had elevated levels of flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Although the results don't prove that the compounds cause the disorder, the study suggests they could be linked.
Most of the pages I looked at which mention that hyperthyroid could cause seizures in cats (such as this one), go on to say that it's a rare one.
posted by jamjam at 3:43 PM on August 21, 2015
Cats are really weird and sometimes they just do weird, inexplicable stuff. Maybe she was seeing something behind you and she thought it was maybe a tasty bug, so she was fixated on that until she realized it wasn't a bug. Maybe she heard a weird sound that freaked her out. Maybe it was a little seizure of some kind... but if it was anything to worry about I suspect she wouldn't have snapped back into being normal so fast, and it would probably happen again.
Watch her, but try not to freak out. Sometimes cats are just weird.
Also, I don't know about where you live, but here in LA there are regular vets who have some Saturday hours. Even if she does start looking worse, this doesn't necessarily have to be some deal where you're rushing off to some 24-4 hour emergency place.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:19 PM on August 21, 2015
Watch her, but try not to freak out. Sometimes cats are just weird.
Also, I don't know about where you live, but here in LA there are regular vets who have some Saturday hours. Even if she does start looking worse, this doesn't necessarily have to be some deal where you're rushing off to some 24-4 hour emergency place.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:19 PM on August 21, 2015
Darn it. I meant this doesn't necessarily have to be some deal where you're rushing off to some 24-hour emergency place. A tiny typo nobody would ever care about, but it'll bug me if I don't say anything because I am awesome like that.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 7:37 PM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ursula Hitler at 7:37 PM on August 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:58 AM on August 21, 2015