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Old January 7th, 2013, 03:16 PM
Bayham12 Bayham12 is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 1
Angry same problem with midnight

Quote:
Originally Posted by NWMoomin View Post
I found this forum after hours of Googling the same symptoms others have discussed. My then-7 mo. old rescue cat, Ponchik, developed weak hindquarters -- first just sort of clumsy, then losing all muscle tone. He'd jump down from a sofa and his hind end would just collapse. He began sleeping more, lost his appetite, and instead of raising his rump when pet, he would seem to "melt" under the slightest touch. He'd had a severe ear mite case leading to infection, so we originally thought it might be neurological damage. (Switched vets during the course of the issue, and turned out he was also allergic to that antibiotic ... new vet was *far* better & cat specialist.) Nothing helped him improve -- not antibiotics, not prednisolone, not anti-inflammatories, nothing. He continued to grow weaker. His hind legs just weren't working.

Our vet ran tests after tests. Nothing showed up. Then I found this thread, read the posts by Ryebread, and I looked more closely at my cat. After some research into traits and characteristics, and looking at pictures, I realized Ponchik was obviously part-Burmese. I went back to my vet with some of this information, but he said that my cat didn't look Burmese (except for his coat), that his potassium and CK serum levels were normal, and that he had no cervical ventroflexion (dropping his head/neck, which is supposedly the classic symptom of hypokalemia). So I kept researching, while my cat kept declining -- and by now, he had a major eye inflammation that wasn't responding to treatment, & it was getting redder and more closed. He also started peeing outside the litter box around the house because he'd wake from sleep & be too weak to get himself to the box in time.

I found another link to an article on vet site that discussed how hypokalemia could occur with or *without* the cervical ventroflexion (http://www.thecatclinic.com.au/category/info-for-vets/). At the end of my rope, I took that to my vet, who said we could try a low dose of potassium as a last ditch effort. (My cat was now 10 mo. old, and she thought he was declining too rapidly and we might have to discuss "other options," i.e., euthanasia.)

It's now been less than two weeks, and like Ryebread's posts, my cat is improving drastically. He gets 1/2 tablet of potassium 2x/day. His back legs are gaining strength fast, and while he's still a touch clumsy, he climbed up into my child's top bunk yesterday, and he's been playing again (chasing a string down the hall). His appetite is back & he's gaining weight. He'd stopped talking, and now won't shut up -- and his voice is stronger (talkiness is also a main Burmese trait). He follows us everywhere and simply seems SO much happier. Our other two cats, who had started ignoring him, are now interacting with him again. His recovery is absolutely amazing. Ryebread talked about the major improvement of her Burmese kitten in 3 and 6 weeks. I feel as though if mine has improved this much in less than 2 weeks, I have real hope that he's going to be "normal" again.

I am so thankful that I pursued this course of treatment, and that I found these resources through Google and kept searching. If not, my cat would probably be dead by now. I don't know if this will help anyone else. But if you suspect your cat is even part Burmese, and he/she shows any weakening, weight loss, etc. (do a search on Ryebread's posts for a great description of symptoms), talk to your vet about potassium supplements -- EVEN if your cat isn't dropping its head/neck, and EVEN if the potassium level, white blood count, CK level are all normal. The bottom line is that a low dose won't hurt, and it's meant the difference between life and death for my kitty. We are so, so happy!
Having same problem with my cat. He adopted us about 5 mo ago .we do know him for about 2+ years .a very sweet neighborhood kitty. Took him in he needed a home. He looks like Burmese cat and has all the characteristics of one . Well a week ago i noticed a limp in one back leg the next day the other leg and now he is very weak in the back legs. He eats great and does use his box and wants to play but not like he normally does he has to be laying down on his side .he is at the vet now. Has to be sedated cause he will not let anybody touch his back side. I did ok all the normal tests to be done but i think i know what the answer will be. I hope i am wrong. I was up most of the night reading you postcard learned a lot. Printed out the article that rybread shared and i am taking it to the vet wjem i pick up midnight today.because she said she will not give him potassium she said it will kill the cat .she will do the test but if not lol she will not give it to him. It worked for you guys. Now did you get your vet to just agree to it.help i love this little guy and want him healthy and back to normal. By the way this all started after i gave him his 3rd mo treatment of revolution. Never again

Last edited by hazelrunpack; January 19th, 2013 at 09:27 PM.
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