(((((((((((((Bindi))))))))))
Sending good thoughts to Bindi and her family. These mystery sicknesses are so hard to deal with.

Here are my babies.
Ethel is the tabby.
Bindi is the torti.

Bindi reminds me of my littlest tortie. I too wonder if she ate or drank something bad...her symptoms sound like what happened to one of my work acquaintance's cats when she drank the water out of their christmas tree stand one holiday. Does Bindi go out of doors at all? I hope everything turns out o.k. for her.

She's totally indoors, which is why the vet has settled on perhaps a spider bite. He said if she were indoor-outdoor there are more ideas for cause but not for indoor babies.

Didn't realize my pic was so big. I'll resize it :-)

Prayers going out to Bindi from our house. She is a pretty little girl- reminds me a little of my tortie. They certainly have different personalities than cats of other coats. We call our tortie a dog-cat, because she is social in the way a dog (as are many torties), so I understand why your DH is attached to her.

Hoping tomorrow brings brighter news.

(((HUGS)))

My heart and thoughts are with you guys and with Bindi. I hope she pulls through whatever "this" is.

We took her favorite feather toy down earlier and she couldn't register any interest.

Then we went down with daddy later this afternoon for him to see his little booger. And she actually reached her paw out to the feather! Just showing interest is really good I think.

She knew her daddy was there, and was visibly perky to see him.

We go back tomorrow, and most likely have to bring her home. They will teach us how to tube feed her and how to manually express her bladder until she gets to feeling better.

We'll also find out how the second liver test turns out. If it is improving, then we know she's fighting whatever it is.

Thanks all!!!! I'll be praying tonight that she is improved again tomorrow, even just a little bit.

One thought might be electric shock. Does she like to chew on things and perhaps chewed through an electrical cord? This sounds like symptoms of electrical shock. Look around your house at all the cords closely for chew marks.

I truly hope it is something minor that just looks major, I will keep her in my thoughts.

Sending furbaby hugs and sandpaper kisses to you all.

An electrical shock sounds plausible. I hope it's something she got into and will soon recover and be back to normal..I have three torties..Two fat ones ,mother and daughter ,and a tiny one not related. I think they're cool cats..

She's always crawling behind our computer desks downstairs; she likes to hide back there.

But it seems to have started on Saturday with mild neurological symptoms and then Tuesday she was kind of better, then Wednesday nearly full paralysis and limpness.

I think michelle is on to something and you should mention it to the vet.
I knew I'd heard of her symptoms recently and michelle just jogged my memory.

I talked to a guy a few weeks ago at a doggy picnic and his dog had bitten into an electrical wire........on two separate occasions.
The first time they found him in the bushes acting strange but he recovered. A few days later they found him in the house with the same symptoms your cat had. They and the vet could only guess at the cause.

Several days later the owner was moving some furniture and found a chewed extension cord. Apparently the dog just got a mild zap the first time, but the second time he went back it caused more damage.

He recovered, but they've noticed some mild neurological changes........such as how he has difficulty using the dog door.

Ask the vet to check her mouth for any burns and I would definitely check all wiring in your home.

We'll check it out for sure. At this point it is definitely plausible - as I said she mouths things far more than my other cat. She's very orally fixated.

We brought her home today. They gave her steroids yesterday to help her out. She is alert and moving a little more. Still strangely cocked and nearly paralyzed.

We'll give her the IV and antibiotics here until Monday and just see if being home perks her up. She wants to get out and about and we'll let her, but with supervision. I don't want her rolling down the stairs or anything.

((((trekaren Bindi and Daddy))))
You are all in my prayers.

Get some Bitter Apple or cayenne pepper and rub it on your electrical cords, that will keep Bindi from chewing them anymore if that is the case. I am keeping you all in my thoughts, please post back when you hear anything.

Yesterday we had my neighbor over. She's the lady who fostered Bindi from 5 days on til we took her home at 6 weeks. She ALSO said what you guys said - that it sure looked like electric shock to her. Well we have pulled things out all over the house and no evidence of frayed wires. But you know where dogs chew, cats just mouth things. So she may have seen the end of my husband's cell phone charger laying on the floor and just thought it was a string to play with.

So we've had a day of failure to get the IV in - because she's giving us he// in true torti fashion. Which we consider a good sign. (when I say he// I mean it) :-)

So I had syringes from when I used to give my daughter meds as a toddler, and we fed Bindi water and baby food using the syringe.

Also we made a little thing out of a bath towel. We cut holes for her front arms and have kind of walked her around the house. We have also encouraged her all day to walk around (well move around, not exactly walking yet) on her own. My neighbor said that's what her friends did with their dog that had been shocked, to encourage movement.

AND THEN JUST NOW!!!! She was pawing at the door to the basement. And so we took her downstairs, sat her down, and she toddled over to the litter box!!!! She crawled in and did a nice puddle of pee!!! I'm so excited.

She is swallowing but can't move food and water to her mouth with her tongue just yet but she's no longer got her head strangely cocked to one side.

All this I consider to be at least preliminary signs of improvement. Trying to not get my hopes unrealistically high but we're also trying to encourage her as much as possible.

Keep sending good vibes, and take some of my lessons to heart:
Get rid of lilies in the house (although this turned out not to be my problem, still valuable lesson learned) and check those power cords!!!

Hooray for cat pee! I remember when my kitty was diagnosed with renal failure how excited I was when I saw her pee. Ahh, it is the little things that excite us cat owners!

Seriously, that is a huge step and a good sign, especially that she wanted to use the litterbox itself, not just the urination.

Unfortunately if you don't find the actual frayed cord culprit, electrocution is not easily diagnosed. Just get the bitter apple spray (easiest to apply) and spray it on all your cords and by electric sockets.

Still sending great (non electrical!) vibes to you all.

My goal for today is to get her to eat and drink some with her tongue. She made an attempt last night to groom herself, which means she is trying to use her tongue, although it just won't cooperate.

It is easier for me to exercise her legs, than her tongue :-) but I'm trying to do thins to encourage her to move it around.

I'll call the vet this morning and see if they want me to bring her in for fluids.

Also - today I let her walk down the stairs (supervised). She went over to the left wall and leaned on it as she walked down the stairs. Amazing how the animals think of these things all on their own.

Also when the tabby came around this morning, I did see her make a wobbly attempt at a run - she looked a little like a newborn horse trying to run for the first time. So their times of playful chases may be here again soon - much to my tabby's chagrin. :-)

She is sitting now in the bottom cubby of the kitty condo, which is another great sign, that she wants to be in her old haunts.

I'm so happy that Bindi is improving! I hope she'll be back to her old self soon.

If you think she isn't getting enough fluids, ask the vet to give you a sub-cutaneous setup for at home. They will teach you how to insert the needle into Bindi's scruff, and squeeze the bag of fluid until she has her fill. We had to do this with Lily when she was first diagnosed with renal failure, it is cheaper and easier than hauling her to the vet every couple of days.

We have since learned that Lily likes bottled water (she sees it come out of something we are putting in our mouths so it obviously HAS to be good!) so we keep a little bowl in the family room with us, when I take a drink I pour some in her bowl, she thinks it is a treat. A good trick, although I know there are much smarter cats out there than ours!

Keep us posted, I am glad she is doing better!

OH I had the IV setup. It worked great on Saturday. But now - no way!!! She feels better, therefore, she won't allow it. Even three against one LOL So I let the vet give it today.

She's interested in the food and water. She just can't make her tongue obey commands :-)

She's ticked at me today for running her to the vet but hey that's normal, isn't it?

She's also frustrated. She usually climbs up my desk chair and sits on the back. But she can't get up, although she keeps trying.

My husband told me to let her try, even if she fails. But it's so hard to watch her fail :-(

Anyway, overall, still a 'step forward day' as she did lick me once, and I saw her lick her paw once. So gradually the tongue will come along I am sure.

Has she eaten any wild prey?, Assuming she caught something in the home if not outdoor/indoor? , Mice and rats carry tapeworms/ Rodents are great for cats if they eat them, but they MUST be frozen, its more humane to the prey animal/better for the health of the cat.

Litterboxe's can transmit tapeworms, I'd get stool samples from your other cat/cats. Also for your own safety, be warned pigs can transmit tapeworms to people I'd talk to your pets vet/or your own doctor about your own health on this matter.

She's definitely a fighter, and her attempts to do what she used to do with ease is enough for me to know she has the will to live. Not knowing exactly what happened might have permanent effects on her, so do what you can to assist her; put steps up to your bed and dressers, desks, anything she is allowed on. You can do this with some boxes or books, this will help keep her on the move.

You are doing a great job with her, keep it up!

runswalken, They are indoor only so theory is that someone tracked a flea in, or else there are mice in the house or other rodents. The only way to get tapeworm is to eat a flea that is infected with tapeworm. At any rate, the worms were not the original problem - just something to throw us off :-) and we have dewormed both cats.

Vet said yesterday that either spider bite or electric shock are still the most plausible theories. If it was a stroke, she would probably not be recovering so quickly. But with a young cat, one never knows for sure.

Michelle, thanks! I did that last night - I set a stool by the bed with a little pillow on top so she could go up to the bed.

Just a quick update. Bindi still can't climb very well if it involves 'pushing' with the hind legs (like jumping onto the bed or into your lap). We still keep her moving and pushing her to try though.

She is more interested in food as each day goes by. So this is great news.

The interesting thing is the dynamic between Bindi and Ethel, my older tabby.

Used to, Bindi didn't take crap of Ethel at all. She would defend herself, even winning wrestling matches when she was still a tiny kitten.

But now she's very submissive. If Ethel gives her a look, Bindi will turn her ears back, put her head down and walk away.

I hope she gets back to her old self soon!!! At least each day holds positive progress.