# Cats and Stress



## TheresaW (3 November 2015)

This might turn out long, so apologies in advance.

We are in the process of moving house,  so have boxes everywhere.

We have 3 cats, Ginger who we've had for 12 years.  He was a rescue, so no idea how old he actually is, but the rescue said he was a year or so old they thought when we got him.  We've also got Rosie, who we've had for 12 years, got her as a kitten.  There's also Ozzie, who is around 10, we took him on about 7 years ago when our neighbours emigrated.

Rosie and Ginger have been acting very out of sorts for the last few weeks. Started with Rosie first, she goes out a lot more than she's ever done.  She generally only goes out, does her business, then comes back in.  She now will go out for a couple of hours at a time.  Doesn't go far, but it's still out of character.  About 4 weeks ago, she had a fit and 9.30pm on a Sunday night.  For some reason, she's taken to sleeping on the kitchen worktop.  OH went out to make a cuppa, and she leapt as if she'd been bitten by something, then went into a full on seizure on the kitchen floor.  By the time I'd finished speaking to the emergency vet, she was back to normal, purring and cleaning herself.  She was checked over by the emergency, and went to our usual vet a couple of days later where bloods were run.  She has kidney disease, and was anaemic, so we've started her on prescription diet, and she is pretty much back to her old self. The vet wanted to refer her to a neurologist, but given her age, and it being unlikely we'd put her through any major surgery or something, we are happy to see how she is for the time being. She has always been a bit strange.  Is a tiny cat, vets always assume she was a runt of a litter, but she was the only one.

Now to Ginger.  He has always kept His distance, and although always happy for a fuss, keeps himself to himself.  He and Rosie are very close though, always have been.  Just lately, again, last few weeks, he has begun acting out of character.  Taken to climbing onto the tops of the kitchen cupboards and sleeping up there.  He's never been much of a climber. When he arrived at the rescue centre years ago, he had a pelvic injury, they guessed as a result of a run in with a car.  He is slightly arthritic, but nothing major.

The last two nights, he has poo'd on the kitchen floor.  Most unlike him, and we have a cat flap, plus the back door is more often open when we are at home at the moment.  He did it once whilst we were here, so we know it's him.  He's seemed fine in himself, still eating and drinking.  This morning, when I got up, he didn't seem to be around, so I made my cuppa and went up for a shower.  As I came back downstairs, I could smell cat poo.  Had a look around, and he was tucked away on top of one of the packed boxes out of sight.  He was lying on his side, breathing really heavily, and had soiled himself.  He was panting like a dog, and I honestly thought he was dying.  Got OH out of bed, and he came down and helped me move him and clean him up, and we laid him in the cat carrier where he seemed to calm down, and his breathing has returned to normal.  I have phoned work and taken an emergency days holiday, so can call our vet as soon as they open.  (When we took Rosie to her emergency appt, we drove almost an hour away, so think we will probably be quicker waiting for our vet to open).  He is now looking better, is purring if I stroke him, and has moved himself out of the cat box, and back onto the packed boxes.  He just seems really tired at the moment.  Have offered him some water, but he hasn't drunk anything.

I know they are getting older, and possibly have age related issues going on, but could any of this be stress related?  Just seems so strange that we've had two big incidents within a month, with 2 different cats.

They are all being fed the prescription diet now, as to be honest, it would be difficult to feed them all separately.  Could that have caused Ginger to have some sort of stomach upset?

Ozzie is fine, same as he's always been.  Rosie and Ginger moved to this house with us, whereas Oz has always lived either here, or next door, so never really moved before.

Sorry it's so long!

Edited to add.  On the day we moved to this house,  about an hours drive, Ginger did the panting thing in the cat box, but without any soiling. Not sure if it's relevant or not.  Have never seen him do it since, even on routine visits to the vets.


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## _OC_ (3 November 2015)

Moved 3 hours away to where we are now about 4 months ago....we have two brothers, which are three years old ........I think they pick up on the smallest thing......anything moved around will cause concern.....we had the smaller cat panting.....when we moved they went into our old cattery....just so they where out the way and because they went their regularly while we were on holiday and family visits....we did notice odd behaviour leading up to the move....I swear they just know, their on the move......after a week here at the new house, we went back to collect them we went to our old veterinary practice and picked up a spray to put into cat carrier to calm him as he would have panted all the way and appears to do this when stressed....I think they just don't like change and some will cope and some just won't....hopefully their all settled now....enjoy your new home


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## TheresaW (3 November 2015)

We haven't actually moved yet. Week after next all being well.

He's asleep at the moment, vets this afternoon. I just know they're going to want to run loads of tests, and not sure that won't stress him out more.

Hope yours are settled now. X


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## Meowy Catkin (3 November 2015)

Our tabby started to get fits in his old age. Sadly they became more frequent so PTS was the only option. Sorry it's not a more positive experience. 

We also had a 'feral' turn up here that was so friendly that we have no doubt that he was an abandoned/lost/former pet. He had funny turns that weren't full on convulsive fits like the tabby had, but sadly he was also PTS as he was suffering due to them. He would really pant and have a really high heart rate after one of his turns.

My spotty boy has had a couple of panic attacks and he had the panting and high heart rate, but without any odd behaviour, fits/funny turns or other neurological symptoms. For example he's not wet or soiled himself and is obviously still aware of his surroundings and who I am. In fact he wanted to sit on my knee and stroking him and talking to him calmed him down. He had just been very, very frightened.


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## TheresaW (3 November 2015)

Thank you. We have been keeping a close eye on Rosie since she had her fit, and she's shown no signs of having anything since. This morning with Ginger was out of the blue, and again he seems fine now. We had already discussed having Rosie PTS if/when she deteriorates, and would do the same with Ginger. I just feel that stress is playing a big part at the moment, and not sure what we can do to help them. 

I have ordered a couple of feliway diffusers, and will ask the vet about a spray for when we actually move, as we are moving 2.5hrs away.

Although Ozzie is fine in himself, he doesn't travel well, and often has panic attacks in the car on the way to the vets, which is only a 10 minute drive.


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## Meowy Catkin (3 November 2015)

They're such a worry. 

I really hope that everything is OK for both cats.


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## hackneylass2 (4 November 2015)

So sorry to hear of your cats.  I can only comment on Ginger's symptomsin depth, although one of my cats had a couple of fits, full siezure and biting the carpet and fully recovered and lived on for six or so years with no recurrence.

Ginger's symptoms  mirror my Oriental boy.  First symptom was pooing in the kitchen, no other symptoms.  A couple of days later we found him laid on his side, panting and exhausted having poohed, which contained blood. Rushed him to vets who suspected IBD, and took blood for tests.  He then took to sleeping on top of the kitchen units, having previously been a snugglepuss.  He was found to have bartonella and borderline hyperthyroidism for which he had medication.  He was off and on for months, mostly being his lively self, staying with us closely as normal  and eating very well then 'crashing' out of the blue- two more collapsing episodes with blood in poo and panting, his heart rate was really fast even at rest.  Pancreatitis/triaditis was then diagnosed (as best as vets can diagnose this) and I am sorry to say that after a few months him being fine and dandy and then crashing again, he did not recover from the last crash well despite vet care and became withdrawn, at that point we had to let him go.   I dont know what your vet has said but IBD is treatable, not curable, pancreatitis /triaditis has a poor prognosis.  I sincerely hope that Ginger can be treated and its IBD, which can have alarming symptoms but can be controlled with diet etc. These episodes really do take a lot out of the cat, but they can recover and be right as rain a couple of days afterwards.  The problem I found was that hyperthyroidism had clouded the issue. Maybe our boy had all these illnesses at once.  I wish you and your catties well , I know how you must be feeling xxxxxxx


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## pines of rome (4 November 2015)

I have had this with my old boy, who I sadly lost three days ago! He was nearly 19 and was blind after having a stroke about a year and a half ago, the vet put him on blood pressure pills, which kept him stable for quite a time.
 He was bad going to the vets though and would poo in his carrier and pant. The last few months he had started howling in the night  and  knowing he also had kidney failure, I knew we would soon have to let him go. Then Sat morning I fed him and noticed he looked a bit wobbly and then he suddenly just crashed into a seizure, but he did not come out of it, we took him to the vet, by which time he was quite out of it and he was pts. I miss him terribly!
Two of my other cats have both had pancreatitis and although they were both critically ill, one was in a coma, they both recovered.


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## TheresaW (4 November 2015)

Thanks for all the replies. We are waiting for blood results, should get them today. His physical examination didn't show anything other than a slightly low temperature, but nothing to worry about. She couldn't really hear his heart because of his loud purring!

She had a good look at all Rosie's notes, and has said, there probably are underlying health issues due to age, but stress could be a cause as both have had one form of seizure or another in such a short space of time.

Ginger did have another turn last night, I was scared to come downstairs this morning, I won't lie.  Our new sofa was delivered to home yesterday evening, and it happened a couple of hours after.

Have spoken to the vet this morning, and if it happens again, he's to go straight in. She said when we're packing, moving stuff about etc, to shut him and Rosie away, somewhere quiet.  She also said, on actual moving day, if we take them in a couple of days before, she will give us a mild sedative for them for the journey.


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## TheresaW (4 November 2015)

Sorry you hear about your cat Pines of Rome xx


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## pines of rome (4 November 2015)

Thank you TheresaW , it was hard saying goodbye to him, he had been with me such a long time! I still have his sister  and two others who are all getting old, they are such a worry! I hope yours will be ok. x
This was Helby, such a sweet gentle boy.
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=ad09326eab99858e6bad3cbc8b57db84&oe=56C5BE35


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## TheresaW (4 November 2015)

He was beautiful xx


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## TheresaW (6 November 2015)

A little update. He's been fine since Tuesday, no more seizures or messing indoors. His bloods showed kidney, liver etc are good. His phosphorous levels are low, but his calcium was normal. They've taken more bloods to test the ionised calcium or something, and waiting for the results, as they had to be sent away.

X


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## hackneylass2 (7 November 2015)

Fingers crossed for him!


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