Ever heard of feline vertigo?

Our cat, Sinatra, has been acting funny the past few days. I noticed that he wasn't as steady on his feet as usual. He tends to get right up under us when we're walking around, so we gently nudge him aside with our feet so we don't step on him. Usually, he takes the nudging and just eases out of the way. Well, the other day, I nudged him aside with my foot, and he stumbled and fell over.

My immediate thought - "Cats aren't supposed to stumble and fall." I looked at him, puzzled, and reassured myself that maybe he just tripped over himself.

Well, a couple days passed, and I noticed another strange thing in addition to the stumbling, which was still happening. His head was titled to one side. I thought, maybe he's just trying to look inquisitive? Sometimes, when he's tuned into something rather intently, he'll tilt his head. This was definitely different; as if his head was stuck in this position.

At this point, I became extremely worried. I think I noticed the head tilt on Saturday, and the stumbling has been going on since about Wednesday. Poor guy....

I watched him try to jump on top of his litter box (this is where he eats his food because if we put it on the floor, Tucker eats it.). He jumped on onto it, but then fell off. Ooohh....I felt so terrible. I did a fair amount of fussing over him and petting him and just checking him out.

At first, I thought the stumbling was due to some matted hair on his underbelly/bottom area. I figured the matted hair was "pulling" and causing some discomfort with stretching his legs. So, I took a brush to him and brushed as much as he would allow. He hates to be groomed, so the fact that I was able to substantially thin some of the hair out was a huge success. However, now with the head tilt, I don't think it's the hair.

So, I did want any desperate person does in this kind of situation. I turned to Google. Jeremy suggested I look up vertigo in cats. He is exhibiting the exact symptoms - head tilt and stumbling. Poor thing; I bet it's freaking him out. It's freaking me out! I watch him so intently.... He's my cat; our first pet; if something were to happen I'd be so upset. I mean, I know he's just a cat....but still....you know what I'm saying.

I'm going to continue to watch him tomorrow. If it doesn't seem to be any better, I may call the vet. I'm going to have to go with a vet who will make house calls, though. The main reason I don't take Sinatra to the vet anymore is because he turns into the evil cat from Pet Cemetary when we take him in. The vet can't get anywhere near him and the only way they can get him up on the table is by using a net. Yeah...you're not going to get a cooperative cat when you pull the net out. So, instead of wasting money for a visit where they say, "Since he won't let me near him, I'll just have to go with what I can see...." I think I'll look into a house call.

Have any of you ever experienced this? If so, is it worth a vet visit or will it go away on its own?

Poor guy....

Apnea Monitor

I was asked to elaborate on the apnea monitor that Collen is on. So, here goes....

My sister, Megan, works in the NICU at the hospital here in town - Pitt County Memorial Hospital. I'm proud to say it is one of the top hospitals on the east coast! Well, when we lost Ayden to SIDS and the talk of a future child started coming about, Megan suggested that we insist Collen go home on an apnea monitor. They send a lot of their preemies home on them, so she was knowledgeable about the process and how it would work.

Basically, the apnea monitor is a band with two leads attached to it. The band fits around the baby's chest and is secured with velcro so it can grow with the baby. Cords are hooked into the leads and are plugged into the base of the monitor. The leads monitor Collen's breathing and heart rate. If his breathing and/or heart rate go below or above a certain level, the alarm will sound....very loudly.

Unfortunately, you can't ask for monitor just to have peace of mind. You have to have a prior history that shows you have a need for it. In our case, Ayden stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating simultaneously. In theory, if he had been on a monitor, it MIGHT have caught it in time for CPR to have helped. I highly doubt it since the nature of SIDS is so sudden and it seems to affect the brain in addition to the heart and lungs, but I wouldn't rule it out. So, Collen automatically qualified to be brought home on a monitor. Insurance will cover part (or all depending on your insurance) of your use of the monitor. Each month, we have to have the monitor "downloaded." The company who issued it to us calls, I hook Collen up to the monitor, we push some buttons and wait for some beeps, they download that month's worth of activity, and then the results are sent to a pulmonologist. Then his/her results are sent to our pediatrician who then relays the info. to us. (hhmm...haven't heard from our pediatrician, yet....). The down side = if we have 3 months in a row of "normal" results, we have to return the monitor. Yeah...3 months. I freaked out when I heard that (because we lost Ayden at 4 months) and contacted someone who works with Megan (she has been my go-to person with all of this and she has yet to let me down!), and she got on it for me. We're working on trying to keep the monitor at least through Collen's 4th month. SIDS peaks between 2 and 4 months, so I would sleep better knowing he was on it through his 6th month.

In addition to the apnea monitor, we are also using the Angel Care monitor. It works great for us - probably because Collen isn't scooting around yet. Once he starts rolling and getting himself into a corner, I'm sure we'll get false alarms. I love the Angel Care monitor because it tells me the temperature in the room, which is also a risk factor for SIDS (but don't get started on "risk factors"), so we're able to adjust if we need to.

We were told that any alarms from the apnea monitor were either true alarms or an equipment issue. When we first brought Collen home on it, it would go off at least twice a night. I would check him, and he would be fine. I finally cut the band shorter so it would fit more snug and that has helped. We have only had 2 true alarms (I think)....and in both cases, I think he just took a longer than usual pause in breathing, and by the time I got to him he was breathing again and sleeping fine. You know how babies sleep....scares you enough that you never get any sleep yourself because you stay up watching them breathe.

Collen will likely sleep in our room for his first year of life. Some may find that extreme and a bit overly paranoid - my answer to that is always - you imagine losing your child. Your whole perspective changes, and you'll d0 anything to be able to say you've done everything possible to make sure your subsequent child is safe, healthy, and alive.

Hope I answered the question well. Any other questions for me? I enjoyed sharing some informative content for you. :)

Bath time is fun for everyone :)

What is it about naked babies that is just too cute?

Perhaps it is their sweet, soft baby bellies or those pudgy little rolls.

Or maybe it's those dimply little cheeks...

The smell of baby soap and baby lotion is the sweetest smell in the world.

And nothing beats those sweet baby sighs as they relax and enjoy bath time.

Collen is beginning to enjoy bath time, and that makes it so much fun for all of us. He has discovered that he can kick around in the water, and of course I had to capture it for all of you to see!

Missing you and loving you every day, sweet boy.

Keep shining your light so brightly. It still lives on in our hearts and in our lives here

It still doesn't seem real....not having you here with us; not hearing you laugh or seeing that beautiful smile; not seeing those big blue eyes twinkling back at us with such joy.

We will always remember you.

We will see you again....soon.

-Love, Mommy and Daddy