Interrupted meows, shaking head

Hi all,

Thanks for this great forum, I have gotten so much helpful info here. I'm taking my cat to the vet tomorrow, but I'm a bit anxious to find out what's wrong and maybe some of you will have some thoughts. Every once in a while, she shakes her head from side to side quickly, and occasionally I see her gently scratching at her ears. But her main symptom is that sometimes when she meows, particularly a loud one (like when she's asking me to play), she will stop in mid-meow and shake her head. It's as if the meowing is making her ears either hurt or itch. I have looked in each ear with a flashlight, and they look spotlessly clean... no debris of any sort, no redness, etc. Yet the interrupted meows keep happening. It must be her ears bothering her, but why no visual signs of anything wrong inside the ears?

She is currently battling fleas, but after giving her Advantage last week the flea dirt has disappeared from her bedding. Could the fleas have bitten inside her ear, making them irritated or infected? If so, wouldn't I be able to see little red spots where the fleas bit her?

Thanks for any input you may have about this. I will post back tomorrow night and let you know what the vet found.

 

sounds like the cat in that metal clip! :|

 

maybe an ear infection?

 

or ear mites.

 

i thought ear mites were black, and wouldn't he be able to see them?

 

Thanks for the replies. The vet said that her ears looked spotlessly clean, although she noticed that the membrane (I think... eardrum maybe?) of each ear was white rather than the normal color. Apparently this can be one of the signs of an inner ear infection. She recommended giving her antibiotics for 2 weeks and then bringing her back in for a follow-up exam of her ears. If there seems to be a change in the color then there will be 2 more weeks of antibiotics. Apparently, an inner ear infection is difficult to diagnose without some type of surgical procedure that involves looking at the underside of the ear membrane, and rather than do that, she thought that giving the antibiotics a try first would be wise. Makes sense to me I guess. Something has to be done, her ears are obviously bothering her. But since both ears' membranes were white, what are the odds that both ears would have an inner infection?

Anyone have any thoughts on all this? Thanks again for the insights. Sorry that my first post is full of questions like this! I'm worried about my baby.

 

my quess was inner ear infection cause my Bridge kitty Tami had one once and she did similar to what you cat has been doing except I didn't catch Tami's that quick and she started fallling over. Inner ear infections can wreak havoc with equilibrim (I probably spelled that wrong).

Antibiotics cleared up Tami's.

I had double ear infections once just a few years ago...not a fun thing. When I hear about a baby with ear infections my heart goes out to them.

I don't remember if Tami had both ear infected but I know she was really sick. My son had come home from school and called me in a panic saying Tami was having seizures. i worked across the street from the vet so my sister picked up Kevin and Tami and brought them down. I was, at that point, just glad her ears were infected and that's what was causing her to fall over.

Your kitty will feel fine in a couple of days :y_the_best: I'd hold off on letting them cut into her ears

 

Thanks Mary_NH. How did you get Tami to take her antibiotics? I used to not have a problem slipping pills into Luna's snacks, but now for some reason she seems to know what I'm up to and refuses to eat anything that has the pill hidden in it. She eventually ate the first 2 hidden pills after a lot of tries, but she is now wise to my intentions and refuses. I finally gave up on trying to fool her and loaded up the pill popper to forceably give tonight's pill to her. No luck, but we had a traumatic experience together and she'll probably end up distrusting me now as a result. I couldn't even get the pill shooter in her mouth, and she went nuts trying to get away from me. Finally, she scratched my finger and made it bleed, and I had to give up. I feel so sad right now. She has at least 26 more pills to go until her checkup, and then another 28! How am I ever going to get her to take these?? Meanwhile, she is still shaking her head and scratching her ears. I guess she won't be taking her pill tonight, and that concerns me. What am I going to do?

 

ask your vet if they have the antibiotic in liquid form....it's easier to just put the eyedropper into the mouths and squirt. I hold my cats between my knees, on the floor, and just put the eyedropper in their mouth and squirt.

To pill I get them at waist level, hold their head with my left hand, having the pill in my right hand I put my fingernail (I keep my fingernails long) in between their front teeth quickly put the pill as far back into their mouth as I can (not good with long fingernails but I am gentle and quick), close their mouths and hold (gentle) until I can feel them swallow.

I was pilling 3 cats last week....such fun NOT....for upper respiratory infection. I was lucky and only one of mine would fight me but I managed to get her pilled. If she got too wired I'd just stop and wait awhile.

 

hi lunaguy...just wanted to write....i totally relate. max is on two capsules a day for probably at least a month (he has been on some kind of medicine for two months now). he has completed 14 days so far of the capsules. in the beginning he was pretty good cause he didnt know what it was. quickly he started to get a clue :x

i coat the capsule with butter, or you can use tuna oil from the can. i dont know about pills, but i would think you could do the same thing. he loves the taste of the butter. he will even stand on the counter crying when he smells the butter. now....that i have become more proficient...i have a system. but i have noticed that if i get stressed he gets even more stressed, so i have to stay calm and act like he is getting a treat.

pet your kitty, dont force. they will hate it then. maybe try giving her a treat so that she has something positive to associate with the experience. i always make sure to kiss and love him once he has taken the pill. positive reinforcement.

here is how i give the pill. i put max on the counter...i have found that is easier than the floor...and turn him away from me so he is facing the same direction as i am. his back is next to my stomach. then, i take his head and gently lift it up, take my hand as if i am covering his face...and gently pry the top of his mouth open from the top. i then take my other hand and (gently) open his mouth from the bottom. i have the pill coated in butter on my middle finger. then i just quickly put the pill on the back of his tongue and close his mouth. sometimes he spits it back out, but he is getting the hang of it like me.

sometimes i get nervous, but more and more i am getting the hang of it. and he gets better as i get better. now, its not such a hassle.

the medicine he takes in the capsule is very, very bitter. :mrgreen: if he bites through the capsule he will foam at the mouth...which he did once. it doesnt hurt them...but its weird. he ran away that time, and it was kinda hard to get him to take the next pill.

now...your vet may be able to order the medication in liquid form to take through a syringe orally. some of the pharmacies will mix it with chicken broth or tuna flavor. you just have to be careful to not squeeze it in too fast or directly into the back of their throats, or they could aspirate it into their lungs. :shock:

good luck...i know the frustration it brings. i also know the feeling of getting up in the morning and thinking "oh no...i gotta give him that pill again" just hang in there. remember...try to make it positive for him. or...catch him when he's kinda sleepy :-$

 

Success at last!

Well, I'm happy to report that I have found a solution! I went to the 3 different pet stores and bought 5 different kinds of treats: some crunchy with a hollow creamy center, and some soft and pliable. I was determined to find the perfect "pill hiding" treat. One of them was Bil-Jac Shrimp & Tuna Cat Treats, and their consistency is a little like a firm putty that can be molded around the pill, and apparently they're quite tasty. Luna loves 'em... she gets that "OMG THIS IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER TASTED" look in her eyes and doesn't even notice the pill! What I do is give her one "unadulterated" treat first, and follow it up with one that contains the pill. Then I give her 2 more unadulterated ones to make sure there is no unpleasant pill aftertaste. So far, it has worked each time I tried it, and I am feeling relieved. Crossing fingers that this will continue to work.

Mary_NH, thanks once again for the input. We tried liquid last time and it was a disaster unfortunately. Even the vet's assistant agreed that liquid wouldn't be the way to go for Luna after she started foaming at the mouth and pink liquid ended up all over her and the assistant. Sounds like you have a great technique for pilling, fortunate for your kitties.

lynnhaz, I was going to try your butter technique if my treat approach didn't work, sounds like a good idea! Thanks for all the good advice, I can tell that Max is quite a lucky guy to have you. That's interesting about the pharmacies mixing the drugs with broth or flavoring, sounds like that could be a good option. When I was trying to give the pill to Luna the other day, I couldn't help wondering why someone didn't make antibiotics and other common drugs into tasty treats that cats would find irresistible. Like some kind of crunchy catnip-scented outer layer with a soft inside that contains the drug mixed with malt syrup, tuna oil, catnip or something. I'm sure there would be a huge demand among cat lovers! Thanks again for the thoughts, and get well soon Max!

 

Patent your concept!

 

yea!!! i am so glad you found a solution. have been offline for two days. computer crashed. had to wait to use my computer at work to post. man...what a relief. good idea about the treats and medicines. i think people would pay extra for the ease of giving it.... and thanks for the nice feedback. good to have you on board!!

 

Well, she eventually started being fussy about eating the pill-treats twice a day, so I called the vet and she prescribed a different antibiotic that only needed to be taken once a day. It has been a lot easier getting her to take it only once a day rather than twice.

Unfortunately, 65 minutes after taking her pill tonight, she vomited. It didn't look like the pill was in there, but I have know way of knowing if it had been dissolved but not yet digested. 2 of the 4 treats that I had given her with the pill were visibly undigested, but I carefully looked and did not see the pill. What do I do? The vet's office is closed for the next 12 hours, so I can't ask them. Do I assume that the pill digested and is in her system, or do I give her another one just to be sure? I'm not doing anything until I get some input, and then tomorrow I'll call the vet's and ask their opinion.

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

Hi. After 65 minutes, I'm sure the pill was effective and another one is not needed. It's always better to give less than more, until you talk to your vet.

 

I sure am glad to hear that others have problems with giving their little ones pills. I have to give my kitty hunter, metronidazole, which is a bitter tasting pill and his mouth foamed up the other day.
Tonight I am going to try the butter trick.
Currently, my DH is just putting the pill as far back on his tongue and then holding his mouth shut...hunter than gets a kiss from me and a small bite of wet food (he is only supposed to be eating this special food from the vet...but I figured the vet would approve).

Anyway...I like the butter idea...gonna try that

 

hi fridaylove. since i posted that tip about the butter...max was put back on metranidazole, twice a day. but!!! he has it in liquid form made by the pharmacy with chicken broth flavoring. he takes it really well. i just put the syringe in the side of his mouth and press slowly. he just licks it as it goes in his mouth. i point the syringe to the other side of his mouth, not toward the back where he could aspirate it.

you may want to ask your vet if he can call a pharmacy and order it in liquid form.

i much prefer liquid. max takes it alot better than the pills. thank goodness he is off the pills...for now. :wink:

 

Update

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the good advice once again Chessmind! The vet said that I should just give her her pill at the next scheduled time and not to worry about it.

Well, to give you an update on Luna's situation, she went back to the vet on Friday for a 2 week checkup, and the vet saw no change in her ears, the eardrums both still looked "opaque." She was hoping to see some change, which would have given us an indication that she indeed did have some kind of inner ear infection which might be causing her to shake her head. The vet suggested that we keep on with the antibiotics for another 2 weeks, and in the meantime I could consult with a veterinary internist for a "2nd opinion" on this "unusual" situation. The vet said that she asked her colleagues their opinion on Luna's case (shakes head frequently, but outer ears look fine) and they had no ideas. I made an appointment with the veterinary internist for tomorrow morning, and will not be surprised if they prescribe a thorough ear exam under anesthesia, in addition to maybe some xrays. I am so worried that she has a polyp or something worse growing in there.

I'll let you know what the internist says, and will keep you posted. Thanks for listening everyone. Oh, and here's my little sweetie's picture, taken earlier this evening when she was lounging on the couch:

 

She's beautiful Raymond! I briefly owned a cat called Captain that had similar markings. Good luck with the internist!

 

she is absolutely beee-uuu-tee-ful!!!! :lol: