Hi. Our cat Nola, (a 16 year young DSH female) has developed 2 unusual symptoms over the past month.
The first one is when she is relaxing and just before going to sleep, her whole body twitches. If she’s awake or sound asleep this never happens. If we touch her while it’s happening, she snaps right out of it.
The second symptom, about 2 – 3 times a week, she will drink what seems like a lot of water all at once. A couple of minutes later, she starts gagging. Nothing ever comes up, and she has no problem eating or drinking at other times.
I was wondering if someone may have experienced something like this and could offer some suggestions. We have an appointment with our vet this afternoon. Thanks
Dave B
Help with 2 unusual symptoms
Re: Help with 2 unusual symptoms
not sure about that, perhaps it's age related or dreaming (sorry, sounds like a silly answer i know)....i think davet or Traci could answer this one easily.Dave B wrote:The first one is when she is relaxing and just before going to sleep, her whole body twitches. If she’s awake or sound asleep this never happens.
could be simply drinking too much and not paying attention...maybe going too long between drinks. are you keeping an eye on the cleanliness of the water bowl? maybe she is getting picky and when she finally approves of the bowl/water, she sucks it down hard to the point of gagging. mine did similar things with their food for a while before i made changes to their feeding that better suited them.Dave B wrote:about 2 – 3 times a week, she will drink what seems like a lot of water all at once. A couple of minutes later, she starts gagging. Nothing ever comes up, and she has no problem eating or drinking at other times.
nothing jumps at me on either issue as being serious, but since you have an appt with vet today, be sure to mention this in great detail
Re: Help with 2 unusual symptoms
Dave, because you have two different symptoms going on, and due to her age, I would opt for a full blood profile done today for Nola, especially if this hasn't been done within the last year.
I'm not sure what the behavior before sleeping is, but do describe it best you can with your vet. As for the water consumption increase, this is why I suggest the bloodwork (plus urinalysis and thyroid function too please), to rule out potential early kidney disease, diabetes, etc. The gagging could be due to just about anything, be sure to mention it to your vet, ask him to check her esophagus, and ask him to take a good look at her teeth, potential for oral problems.
Let us know how the appt. goes....
I'm not sure what the behavior before sleeping is, but do describe it best you can with your vet. As for the water consumption increase, this is why I suggest the bloodwork (plus urinalysis and thyroid function too please), to rule out potential early kidney disease, diabetes, etc. The gagging could be due to just about anything, be sure to mention it to your vet, ask him to check her esophagus, and ask him to take a good look at her teeth, potential for oral problems.
Let us know how the appt. goes....
..........Traci
Re: Help with 2 unusual symptoms
Good News
The vet did a VERY thorough exam and felt there was nothing wrong with Nola. He took some blood for a complete workup but he told us not to worry. He felt the drinking and gagging problem was a case of forgetting what she was doing and just drank too much. (at least it’s only water
. If we are around when she’s drinking too much, he suggested removing the bowl for a minute or two just to break the cycle.
The twitching, he felt was probably due to her age and to keep an eye on it. He was reassured when we told him she snaps out of it when we touch her.
Thanks for writing and your encouragement
Dave B
The vet did a VERY thorough exam and felt there was nothing wrong with Nola. He took some blood for a complete workup but he told us not to worry. He felt the drinking and gagging problem was a case of forgetting what she was doing and just drank too much. (at least it’s only water
. If we are around when she’s drinking too much, he suggested removing the bowl for a minute or two just to break the cycle. The twitching, he felt was probably due to her age and to keep an eye on it. He was reassured when we told him she snaps out of it when we touch her.
Thanks for writing and your encouragement
Dave B
Re: Help with 2 unusual symptoms
Glad to hear your vet's assessment was normal....
Was the bloodwork ready there at the clinic yesterday or are you still waiting for results?
Was the bloodwork ready there at the clinic yesterday or are you still waiting for results?
..........Traci
Re: Help with 2 unusual symptoms
Hi Traci
I just received the results and the Doctor said everything was fine. The only item that was a little high is ALT(SGPT) which was 127 IU/L. He said to have it checked again in about 6 months. As far as thyroid goes, she had hyperthyroidism about 4 years ago and we went for the radio active isotope treatment. Subsequent tests showed everythjing was ok.
Let me know if you think I should be doing anything else and thanks again
Dave B
I just received the results and the Doctor said everything was fine. The only item that was a little high is ALT(SGPT) which was 127 IU/L. He said to have it checked again in about 6 months. As far as thyroid goes, she had hyperthyroidism about 4 years ago and we went for the radio active isotope treatment. Subsequent tests showed everythjing was ok.
Let me know if you think I should be doing anything else and thanks again
Dave B
Re: Help with 2 unusual symptoms
The ALT may have been elevated simply due to stress and is probably not worrisome at this point.
I would do as your vet advises and watch her closely. As for the twitching motions before sleep, I only wonder if she might be cold? Is there anything else that occurs right before? (hearing and vision are A-OK, yes?)
As for the water and gagging, keep an eye on her and maybe even a log of these incidents for a couple weeks or so. If she increases her intake more than the 2-3 times a week you mentioned before, then I would at least discuss a urinalysis with your vet. (especially if this wasn't included with bloodwork yesterday). A urinalysis can be a useful diagnostic combined with bloodwork to detect hidden illnesses like diabetes (looking at both blood and urine glucose), as well as early renal impairment. Hopefully, it is only as your vet suggested, drinking too much at a time and gagging as a reflex (you know how you feel when water-logged, your esophagus reacts and you might gag)
Lastly, if she has had any direct or sudden behavioral changes, then keep those in mind when monitoring her and consult your vet if you're worried about something in particular. (like litterbox aversion, withdrawal, or other noticeable changes in behavior)
I would do as your vet advises and watch her closely. As for the twitching motions before sleep, I only wonder if she might be cold? Is there anything else that occurs right before? (hearing and vision are A-OK, yes?)
As for the water and gagging, keep an eye on her and maybe even a log of these incidents for a couple weeks or so. If she increases her intake more than the 2-3 times a week you mentioned before, then I would at least discuss a urinalysis with your vet. (especially if this wasn't included with bloodwork yesterday). A urinalysis can be a useful diagnostic combined with bloodwork to detect hidden illnesses like diabetes (looking at both blood and urine glucose), as well as early renal impairment. Hopefully, it is only as your vet suggested, drinking too much at a time and gagging as a reflex (you know how you feel when water-logged, your esophagus reacts and you might gag)
Lastly, if she has had any direct or sudden behavioral changes, then keep those in mind when monitoring her and consult your vet if you're worried about something in particular. (like litterbox aversion, withdrawal, or other noticeable changes in behavior)
..........Traci