Last Tuesday, Steven was taking the RV to Wildwood to put it back in the shop. Maverick & Martina were with him. As he approached the service center, Maverick became very ill. He had what appeared to be seizures, with eyes jumping and then his whole body went completely limp. He was howling loudly (as if he were in pain) and had no control over his body at all. Steven managed to get him into his kennel and then made the LONG drive back to Jax from Wildwood (about 2 plus hours). By the time he got back home, Maverick was lethargic and unresponsive. He could not pick his head up at all. Steven took him immediately to our wonderful Vet, who has diagnosed him with Feline Geratric Vestibular Syndrome. (If you care to Google it, you will see every symptom that Mav ended up having...bad news). It is basically a very, very severe case of Vertigo in his inner ear, which has rendered him totally helpless. He cannot stand...thus cannot use the litter box, cannot eat, cannot lift his head off the floor. He is pretty pitiful. Ron, our Vet, admitted him to their little hospital and there he remained for 3 days on antibiotics and continuous IV's. He said that Maverick need to be in a dark room with complete quiet to help restore his mental faculties, because right now everything inside his head was spinning out of control. That hopefully the stillness and quiet would allow the extreme dizziness to diminish.
Steven has been a real trooper in my absence. He will be the first to tell you that he is "Not the Mama"! Not a nurturing bone in his body, however, he has been awesome in checking on him and then agreeing to play nurse upon Maverick's discharge. Ron let Steven take him home late last night, with meds three times a day and liquid nourishment via an eyedropper every 2-4 hours!!! So, he set his alarm to check on him and administer the meds and food. Since Maverick cannot use the litter box, Steven bought blue pads (Chux) to keep under him...which of course means changing when wet. Sorry for the graphic details...just want to explain how wonderful my husband has been taking care of our cat! I so appreciate him!
The prognosis is sketchy. It does not appear to be fatal, however the articles say it can last anywhere from weeks to months. Oh my goodness! I have had cats my whole life (since the age of two) and I have never heard of this syndrome nor had a cat go through this trauma. I feel badly for him...and Steven both! Am hoping that soon he will be back to his old aggravating ways (Maverick not Steven)!! :-) We have gotten pretty attached to him after 12 years!
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