My senior cat with a brain tumor is lethargic and confused. Is she dying?

Sorry to hear about Babygirl. Unfortunately, without advanced diagnostic imaging it will not be possible to tell you with certainly the cause of her seizure activity. An MRI would be the only way to accomplish this positively. Based on her age and no previous history of seizure activity, a brain tumor or tumor elsewhere in the central nervous system would be the most likely diagnosis. Much lower down on my list would be some sort of infectious or inflammatory process. Even lower would be extremely late onset epilepsy. Based on what you are telling me, it sounds like humane euthanasia is probably the best decision you can make for her. I know it's hard but I hope it gives you some solace knowing that you are bringing her to peace.

Hi, I am sorry to hear that Lola is going through all this at the moment. I think your vet is right in suspecting a brain tumour affecting her cerebellum (part of the brain). I think I would consider euthanasia as it must be distressing for her to go through these episodes of circling and falling down. We can’t say if for example she is suffering with headaches as well, we wouldn’t be able to tell but surely to circle continuosly must be distressing. Hope this helps.

It sounds like she may be having seizure activity. Your vet could run a comprehensive blood panel to rule out metabolic and endocrine diseases. If the bloodwork is normal then it is likely an issue with her brain.

It may not be his time yet but he does need to be examined by the veterinarian today. The disorientation and potential blindness is concerning for low blood sugar, hypertension, a brain tumor and a few other conditions. Some of these conditions respond very well to treatment and some don't but first, you must know what is happening so you know the treatment options. Just like humans, diseases are best diagnosed and treated early so have him examined today. I hope he gets this figured out quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, it could be a number of different things. Does her head move from side to side when she is moving ? Or does it occur also when she is still ? In order to be able to pin down a list of differential diagnosis, a full neurological exam should be performed. Quite often, further advanced imaging is necessary such an MRI or CT scan. In absence of other neurological signs it could be that the cause of this condition is to be found in the cerebellum. It could be a tumour but it could also be something else. Hope you can have further work up done, it your vet has not come across this before, then perhaps seeing someone who is specialised in neurological conditions is the bast way forward.

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Crystal. 18 years old is a great age for any cat, so you must have been doing something right for her to be with you for that long! Without a complete necropsy, you probably won't ever know exactly what happened, but it certainly is possible that she had a brain tumor or stroke. The symptoms you described (weight loss, nausea, fixated on food, crazy for attention, dizziness, then sudden death) makes me think of hyperthyroidism. Overproduction of the thyroid hormone is common in older cats (especially Persians), and is characterized by all of the symptoms your mentioned. Untreated, hyperthyroidism eventually affects the heart, so sudden death from a heart attack or stroke could have occurred. There is also the possibility that she had cancer, or that she simply died of heart failure related to old age. Regardless of the cause, she lived a long, long life with you, and I know she was loved. My deepest condolences for your loss, and I hope that time eases your sorrow.

It doesn't necessarily mean that she will die, but can indicate that she has a potentially serious illness. Eleven is quite old for a cat, but I would not expect her to be old enough to be at the end of her life. The best way to see if anything serious is going on is to have a veterinarian evaluate her. Given her age they may want to do some blood testing to ensure that her organs are functioning well. After this, the vet will be able to give you a much better answer about her current condition and what can be done to make her feel better. I hope that helps and Meika gets better soon.