Saddle Thrombus - Feline Hind Leg Paralysis

[1976Pianoman]

Plavix - 1/4 tablet daily plus a daily dose of blood pressure medication of your vet's choosing will prevent further incidents, assuming kitty recovers from the initial thrombus. You can NEVER miss a dose or kitty will thrombus again, and may not recover. This problem is due to cardiomyopathy. I have been able to successfully extend kitty's life far beyond what the statistics show with the latter mentioned meds, along with prayer, love and close attention.

Vets should know what this is!

[danieljh]

Its not just in older cats. My cat was only 2 years old and very healthy exept....I knew he had heart murmur and one day he got too exited and next thing you know it...he had NO rear leg traction. He was in very horrible pain and the vet said he had saddle thrombus due to a clot.. All we could do is to give him pain killers. His legs were already ice cold when I got him into the animal hospital. He lasted three days...and died peacefully in the company of people who loved him.

[Torgo1969]

Sweet kitty! I'm sorry for your loss. Saddle thrombus is usually agonizingly painful for the poor cat, but he's getting around fairly well for a cat with that. His hind leg gait could have been due to diabetes which causes "dropped ankles" in cats, but it makes people think Puss has had a stroke or a broken leg, etc.

Thanks for being a friend to cats. We have to carry the burden of losing our sweet kitties and saying goodbye and making the final decisons for them. Hug your new ones for me!

[fuzzpawz86]

I think you need to find a new vet...if they couldn;t figure that out...

Anyway, the saddle thrombus is a blood clot, which is caused by heart diseases, it is not 'pieces' of he heart breaking away and getting stuck somewhere

[kittehboidotcom]

Dis did happen to sisfurcat Chilipepper in 2002. She woke up wif her back end completely paralyzed. We took her to da veterinary hospital of the University of Pennsyvania and after a few days she could walk again. They were unable to tell us what it was, but we later concluded it was likely a blood clot like the one you describe.

[tesgnol]

My cat had this, couldn't use her back legs at all, but it happened right in front of me so I was able to take her to the vets within half an hour. 3 days later she was walking pretty much normally.

[learn2luvme24]

i'm more than positive my cat has this. he was fine last night but this morning we found him dragging his hind legs. i have to take him to the vet hospital later on today.. i feel so bad cuz i'm pretty sure they're gonna put him to sleep : (

[TheJamesstark]

:( :( poor kat

[ParadoxGamingLimited]

I lost a cat called Smudge who I loved and adored. I have sympothy for you and I know how much it is to lose a cat.

R.I.P Smudge

R.I.P Candy

[snocamo154]

@ParadoxGamingLimited If I could, I would go get my Candy Boy, as we called him. We miss him and have to acknowledge that there was no other cat like Candy and never will be. Abia, Zeb, and Pilgrim are great cats, but they can never be Candy. He was incredibly smart and was definitely a one in a million cat.

[ParadoxGamingLimited]

I lost a cat called Smudge who I loved and adored. I have sympothy for you and I know how much it is to lose a cat.

R.I.P Smudge

R.I.P Candy

[Extraspecialkay]

It's so sad that this happened to your cat and I'm sorry that she had to be put to sleep but I just wanted to thank you for posting this video up. I am studying to be a vet and it has helped me to learn what signs to look out for in a saddle thrombus. Although it's really sad that Candy lost her life and nothing can make up for a lost pet but it is positive that this video of her might help other people and vets help other cats in the future.

[314clcr]

Our 1 year old Mackerel Tabby had to be put down this morning. He was suffering all of the symptoms of saddle thrombus when we found him hiding under a table yelping early in the morning.

[afroschlan]

pinched nerve?

[Izzie4321]

My 15yo cat lost the use of his hind legs for 2 days in Aug & could not empty his bladder. The vet thinks he threw a clot that eventually passed. His hind leg function has come back & his bladder works with the help of drugs, but he is weaker & he also has cancer and kidney failure. I believe he "threw a clot" on 3 previous occasions that I witnessed but didn't recognize. I'm just grateful for each day I have with him at this point. Candy had a good life, sounds like he was a true soul cat.

[snocamo154]

@Izzie4321 You're right, Izzie4321, Candy was my soul mate of a cat. We've got new cats now (Abia, Zeb, and Pilgrim), but Candy is with us everyday. Candy was his own man of a cat, with his authoritive, firm nature, and I miss him.

Honestly, I hope I never have another cat like Candy. He was too unique, too special; those kind of pets are hard to forget. Their passing takes away something from life, something good.

[TopTouche]

It's so frustrating to watch this. Not being a vet and looking at your cats symptoms and knowing exactly what is wrong with her drives me insane. So many of the vets out there are half assed and don't care enough to get a higher education. I wish you would have seen a holistic vet. They just ran you through the ringer to make their money and that pisses me off! Your cat needed sub q fluids, potassium sup., & a few more things and she'd still be alive. :/ Pet foods r the biggest problem now.

[frostedsnowflakes]

This is around the same time that cats in Australia had the condition. From irradiated imported cat food.

[akaRubyHeart]

Except for the skin problem, this is exactly EXACTLY what happened to my cat, but it was misdiagnosed as FIP -- Feline Infectious Peritonitis, which is fatal. She was expected to die within 4 months, but that was 2 years and 10 months ago (November 2007)! So they're finally willing to say, yeah, maybe it wasn't FIP after all! She had an MRI and a spinal tap, trying to find the cause of the paralysis, but both tests were clear. All they found was the virus for FIP, but all cats have that. So...

[akaRubyHeart]

Shes still wobbly but she is still very mobile jumps on the bed, runs in her weird, wobbly way nothing stops her. I think she just had a mild stroke and the prednisone she was on fixed her up pretty well. It eventually gave her diabetes -- yeah, pred does that in cats! -- but otherwise, shes fine. And 15 years old!

[akaRubyHeart]

I just noticed your other video about Candy's last days. I'm so sorry! Did they ever find out the source of the skin condition, and whether it was related to the paralysis? I hope Candy wasn't in too much discomfort. It's clear how very much you loved him!

[snocamo154]

As Candy's kidneys were failing, the toxins in his blood were not being filtered out. The toxins were working themselves up through his body and into the dermis. This caused severe itching with Candy pulling out his hair or scratching himself till he bled to get relief.

In the future, if any pet of mine begins to show this behavior, I'm having it's kidney's tested immediately as well as tests for a skin disease such as a fungus or mange-type disease.

I miss you very much, Candy. 9/7/09

[tamiass]

I found this via a Google search as my 13 year old cat's hind legs suddenly became weak. The vet doesn't think it's saddle thrombus (she felt a pulse and his paws were warm), but we still don't know what's wrong.

I feel like I don't have much time left with him and my heart goes out to you because I now see how hard this is. I'm sure Candy knows how much you loved him.

[snocamo154]

Candy's bladder wouldn't work. He had to have a catheter inserted to empty it. Make sure your cat is able to pee properly because it's painful to have a bladder that's shut down and filling with urine and swelling up. His bladder got as big as an orange. Candy couldn't live without a catheter and coupled with the paralysis, we had him put to sleep. He was in a lot of pain. He kept pulling his hair out because of the kidney condition. Body toxins not eliminated and causing problems.

[snocamo154]

As I approach the first anniversary of Candy's death, I find myself thinking about him a lot. My eyes get all teary because I miss Candy every day. I miss his spirit and his presence. I love that bossy cat. Can't look at a can of tuna without thinking about him.

Bowhunter had to be put to sleep on 12/12/08. She had an intestinal tumor that ruptured. She's buried beside her sister Ernestine.

Bubba's still here. He's such a gentleman of a cat. A patient cat with other cats and humans.

[snocamo154]

Bubba was killed by a dog on 8/9/2009. The house is too quiet. There is too much grief.

I search the Holy Bible for answers as to where do the souls of animals go at death, but can only find they go into the ground at the moment of death. It's not much comfort.

My vet's office contacted me and told me of a man that has three 8-week old kittens he found. I adopted them with tears in my eyes from burying Bubba that day. I cry in sadness and in joy, for the loss and for the new life.

[kaysandesses]

We lost Pinks to this condition earlier this year. He was fortunate to not suffer any pain and passed in his sleep. He was almost 14 years old.

Don't fret about what the Bible says about animal souls. Just as you truly know God in your heart, you also know in your heart that all our animal friends have souls just as we do, and what's in the heart is really all that matters.

[afroschlan]

Did Bubba live a good life?

[snocamo154]

Bubba was spoiled continuously after he decided he wanted me to care for him. Lots of love, carresses, and tons of treats were showered on him. I miss him so much. Life was better when he was around.

[afroschlan]

Happy cat.. good life.. success!

[fuzzpawz86]

Quite literally the $10,000 from illness' before, Ginger lived to the ripe age of 16 years old...happy, healthy and loved by all who knew her.

[fuzzpawz86]

I am very sorry for your loss...sadly I know exactly what you have gone thru.

I also had to say goodbye to my beloved kitty, Ginger, who was diagnosed with a saddle thrombus. I treated up to the point I felt it was unfair to let her suffer. As much as I did not want to let her go, I knew it was what was best for her in the end....and I think she knew it too.

[onebourbononescotch]

I just took my cat to the emergency clinic last night because she was limping and half-dragging her back legs and they think she has a saddle thrombosis but her heart and lungs sound fine. Today they are giving her an ultrasound to see if she has a blood clot in her heart. She is also 13. So sorry to hear the poor thing had so many health problems. She is in kitty heaven now.

[sltwitness]

I am so sorry to read about Candy. Thank you for your posting; I think our cat has the same affliction. After an acute episode Monday; took him to the vet, no diagnosis. He is now weak, but in no pain. We now suspect  heart disease & will see if it can be treated. I hope your other two kitties are being your buddies. I am so sorry for your loss--we had to put our 21-year old cat down two years ago, and still cry about that.

[yocomomototo]

Was it actually a saddle thrombus that caused the paralysis? My cat had that and she instantly lost all lower limb function. Not that it matters now anyway. I feel your pain. My cat recovered from the thrombus and has almost full use of her limbs, but for some reason she has stopped eating and I'm beginning to doubt that she will survive. I'm gaining some comfort knowing that other people have experienced this as well; it is such a horrible thing to watch your beloved pet go through.

[snocamo154]

Simply, blood clots blocking veins in the back legs or kidneys. It was the kidney blockage that eventually caused us to put Candy to sleep. He couldn't live without a catheter anymore and Mom's too old at 90 to take care of him all day while I am at work.

The blood clots are pieces of heart tissue tearing off the heart wall and finding their way through the blood stream till they get blocked by narrowing veins in the rear of the body.

[yocomomototo]

I know all that, I've just never heard of the paralysis being progressive rather than instant... I sincerely hope that my cat doesn't get a thrombus in her renal arteries! That must have been so painful. I think putting Candy to sleep was ultimately the best thing you could do for him.

[snocamo154]

I dreamed of Candy last night. He was sleek and his yellow coat shined like a new penny. He played and pranced around and I was so happy to see him. He went to Mom and she petted him. The dream seemed so real that I can't forget it even now hours later. I sure do miss Candy and still grieve deeply for him. In time, I know I'll learn to live with it. Candy was special. He was a one-in-a-million cat and dear dear friend.

[yocomomototo]

My cat died yesterday. I'm glad I didn't have to make the choice to put her down, but her death was so sudden.

[snocamo154]

I know it's tough to lose a loved one. My cats are family. At least it was quick. Poor Candy suffered as we tried different methods to regain his health.

[sueishere25]

I am sorry for your loss. Anyone who has had to put a friend down knows what you're going through. We once had a cat that had 3 legs. She was the sweetest thing. She was 100% love. She lived to be 20, and had to be put down because she started having seizures. I didn't think I'd ever find another loving cat like her, boy was I wrong!! God bless you and I know another great friend will find you.

[scuppy69]

hi

I am so sorry about your Candy. I have just had the same happen to me five days ago to my cat Scully, who was the love of my life. She was the most clever/funny/intelligent cat ever and the house is so empty. I miss her so much.

It happened very suddenly- at 2.40am she was fine and asleep and at 7am she could not walk and we had to rush to vet, where she was put to sleep. I am heartbroken and still in such shock.I could not believe it and still cant.

My thoughts go out to you all too

[snocamo154]

I woke up this morning missing Candy. He should be beside me now all curled up with one paw touching me as I drink my morning coffee. He would be planning out my day for me. This of course would be to tell me to feed him first, pet him often during the day, tell him he's the most handsome of the three cats, and make sure to tell Bubba and Bowhunter that he's the alpha male and deserves that level of respect/homage. I miss my little boy very very much.

[Shokara2]

I'm so sorry about your kitty! I know it wont make you feel any better, but you did the right thing. *hugs* I'm so sorry for your loss!

[snocamo154]

Thank you for your kindness. It is hard losing a cat. Even harder to lose one like Candy. He was sooooooo smart. We wondered at times if he was a short human wearing a cat suit.

[sweetvegan74]

I'm very sorry about Candy. I lost a cat to the same illness (heart failure, loss of moment in rear legs) in 2004 losing Tugger was one of the worst moments of my life. He was so gentle and loveable. I never knew a cat with a heart so big could ever stop beating. You did your best for Candy and you'll see him again running across the bridge to greet you.

[snocamo154]

His death has affected me even to today (9-4-08). I still grieve for Candy and miss him terribly. Candy was Mom's boon companion and this has really hurt her. She is very lonely and my cat Bubba stays with her constantly. He senses her pain.

I hope to see Candy again one day. Running, playing, and just being Candy with the Candy look of authority he would give us if we didn't do as he expected us to do. The thought of holding Candy in my arms again makes my eyes well with tears of joy.

[sweetvegan74]

I feel your pain. It's comforting to know you WILL hold him again.

[snocamo154]

I hope so. I had prayed to God for this cat. A one in a million cat, as I described him to God. It was a very lonely time in my life and ninety days later, I rescued an abandoned yellow kitten from a burned out house and brought him home for thirteen wonderful years. Candy was extremely smart and had so much drive to live, it's hard to believe it's all over even in the spirit realm. I hope he is out there somewhere taking charge like he did here.

[CatMean0]

I'm so sorry for your loss, I had to put my girl down this morning for the same thing.. though hers was much more sudden and happened within a half an hour.

[snocamo154]

Candy's started with a little bit of a swagger on 7/31/2008 and by 8/3/2008, you can see how much more pronounced it was. Within the week, he was paralyzed from the hips back. He lost the ability to urinate without a catheter, too. Five days in a pet hospital under constant care and many tests and he didn't get any better with the treatments. With so much blood in his urine and the effects of AIDS and leukemia on his old body, I had him put to sleep.

Rest in peace, Candy. I miss you so much.

[snocamo154]

I had Candy put to sleep today (8/16/2008)at 9:00 a.m. He suffers no more. He couldn't live without a catheter and we decided it was time to let him go.

[snocamo154]

Candy is now fully paralyzed in the rear legs and can't use his bladder. He has a catheter inserted, so it will empty. I spoke to the veterinarian's assistant about putting him on warfarin as a last resort, but chances are he'll be put down on Monday because he can't pee without a catheter. Man, this is really hurting us. We've had Candy in our lives for thirteen wonderful years. This really hurts letting him go.