Abelard has gone stupid!

One day last week he was sleeping on the driveway and called out to him. He
did not wake up. I called louder. He still did not wake up. I panicked. I
thought he was laying there dead. I ran over closer and yelled "ABELARD!!
WAKE UP!!!" and he still did not wake up. Then I started taking the chain
off the gate, making a loud clanking sound, and he woke up.

This started me worrying that he might not wake up when the horses run past
and he could be trampled, but then Gloria moved the horses to another field.
Abelard continued sleeping in the driveway this past week, but every time I
called him, he would wake up and run to me. So I had pretty much forgotten
about the incident - until today.

I went to town today. When I returned, coming up the drive, Abelard was
asleep in the usual spot. I figured the car would wake him, but it didn't. I
stopped right in front of him and honked the horn several times. He did not
wake up. I backed up and started driving around him, and stopped when the
driver side door was next to him, and yelled at the top of my lungs. He did
not wake up. I figured this time he's *really* dead!

I parked, slammed the car door and ran over to Abelard and yelled "WAKE
UP!!" He did not wake up, but I could see him breathing. I started to wonder
if maybe he's going deaf. He woke up when I touched him. I carried him
inside and tested his hearing every way I could think of. He could hear
everything just fine.

What on earth could be wrong with this cat????? In this condition, he's in
danger from any passing vehicle or horse. Hardly anyone comes up here, but
occasionally the UPS truck, or some neighbor visiting, and they would expect
a cat laying in the road to move ... and may not stop. And what if it's
night time?

I guess I need to get him a very wide glow-in-the-dark collar (where?), and
post signs along the drive: "Beware - Sleeping orange cat may not move". But
I want to get to the bottom of why it's sometimes so hard to wake him. This
just started about a week ago. I've alse noticed that his body now often
trembles like it does when he's really cold. But it's mid-July!

It's Friday night and I can't talk to the vet until Monday. Has anyone got
any ideas?

Are you sure the ways you have tested his hearing he could not have figured
out from sight? But he would have to be totally deaf to not hear and feel a
car right there you would think.

Out Sam used to go out in the orchard to nap on really hot summer afternoons
and we would have to go get him and bring him in. He would just be totally
out.

Jo
"Pat" wrote in message
...
One day last week he was sleeping on the driveway and called out to him.
He
did not wake up. I called louder. He still did not wake up. I panicked. I
thought he was laying there dead. I ran over closer and yelled "ABELARD!!
WAKE UP!!!" and he still did not wake up. Then I started taking the chain
off the gate, making a loud clanking sound, and he woke up.

This started me worrying that he might not wake up when the horses run
past
and he could be trampled, but then Gloria moved the horses to another
field.
Abelard continued sleeping in the driveway this past week, but every time
I
called him, he would wake up and run to me. So I had pretty much forgotten
about the incident - until today.

I went to town today. When I returned, coming up the drive, Abelard was
asleep in the usual spot. I figured the car would wake him, but it didn't.
I
stopped right in front of him and honked the horn several times. He did
not
wake up. I backed up and started driving around him, and stopped when the
driver side door was next to him, and yelled at the top of my lungs. He
did
not wake up. I figured this time he's *really* dead!

I parked, slammed the car door and ran over to Abelard and yelled "WAKE
UP!!" He did not wake up, but I could see him breathing. I started to
wonder
if maybe he's going deaf. He woke up when I touched him. I carried him
inside and tested his hearing every way I could think of. He could hear
everything just fine.

What on earth could be wrong with this cat????? In this condition, he's in
danger from any passing vehicle or horse. Hardly anyone comes up here, but
occasionally the UPS truck, or some neighbor visiting, and they would
expect
a cat laying in the road to move ... and may not stop. And what if it's
night time?

I guess I need to get him a very wide glow-in-the-dark collar (where?),
and
post signs along the drive: "Beware - Sleeping orange cat may not move".
But
I want to get to the bottom of why it's sometimes so hard to wake him.
This
just started about a week ago. I've alse noticed that his body now often
trembles like it does when he's really cold. But it's mid-July!

It's Friday night and I can't talk to the vet until Monday. Has anyone got
any ideas?

"Jo Firey" wrote in message
...
Are you sure the ways you have tested his hearing he could not have
figured
out from sight? But he would have to be totally deaf to not hear and feel
a
car right there you would think.

He reacted to flies buzzing behind the curtains, where he could not see
them. I left him in the next room, he was facing away from me, I smooched to
him, and his ears pricked up and he turned and looked at me. I let him back
out in the yard, opened a can, and he ran to the kitchen looking for the
food. Several other things like that. I wanted to be sure he was not
reacting to something he could see.

Out Sam used to go out in the orchard to nap on really hot summer
afternoons
and we would have to go get him and bring him in. He would just be
totally
out.

It has been really hot here lately.

in article , Pat at
wrote on 7/9/04 7:41 PM:


"Jo Firey" wrote in message
...
Are you sure the ways you have tested his hearing he could not have
figured
out from sight? But he would have to be totally deaf to not hear and feel
a
car right there you would think.

He reacted to flies buzzing behind the curtains, where he could not see
them. I left him in the next room, he was facing away from me, I smooched to
him, and his ears pricked up and he turned and looked at me. I let him back
out in the yard, opened a can, and he ran to the kitchen looking for the
food. Several other things like that. I wanted to be sure he was not
reacting to something he could see.

Out Sam used to go out in the orchard to nap on really hot summer
afternoons
and we would have to go get him and bring him in. He would just be
totally
out.

It has been really hot here lately.



Maybe it is the heat. You know how you get that dead sleep. Maybe keep him
in a bit more until he seems perkier.

in article , Pat at
wrote on 7/9/04 7:41 PM:


"Jo Firey" wrote in message
...
Are you sure the ways you have tested his hearing he could not have
figured
out from sight? But he would have to be totally deaf to not hear and feel
a
car right there you would think.

He reacted to flies buzzing behind the curtains, where he could not see
them. I left him in the next room, he was facing away from me, I smooched to
him, and his ears pricked up and he turned and looked at me. I let him back
out in the yard, opened a can, and he ran to the kitchen looking for the
food. Several other things like that. I wanted to be sure he was not
reacting to something he could see.

Out Sam used to go out in the orchard to nap on really hot summer
afternoons
and we would have to go get him and bring him in. He would just be
totally
out.

It has been really hot here lately.



Maybe it is the heat. You know how you get that dead sleep. Maybe keep him
in a bit more until he seems perkier.

"Jo Firey" wrote in message
...
Are you sure the ways you have tested his hearing he could not have
figured
out from sight? But he would have to be totally deaf to not hear and feel
a
car right there you would think.

He reacted to flies buzzing behind the curtains, where he could not see
them. I left him in the next room, he was facing away from me, I smooched to
him, and his ears pricked up and he turned and looked at me. I let him back
out in the yard, opened a can, and he ran to the kitchen looking for the
food. Several other things like that. I wanted to be sure he was not
reacting to something he could see.

Out Sam used to go out in the orchard to nap on really hot summer
afternoons
and we would have to go get him and bring him in. He would just be
totally
out.

It has been really hot here lately.

"Jo Firey" wrote in message ...

It's Friday night and I can't talk to the vet until Monday. Has anyone got
any ideas?

One last thought until you can see a vet tomorrow.

If a cat has neurological problems, like epilepsy or strange episodes,
the drug of choice for cats is phenobarbital, sp? Don't know if most
regular vets know this but it's been known for decades. It's not
Dilantin which is the drug or used to be the drug of choice for dogs
and humans a while ago.

Took a lot of vets to find out this very simple thing for a cat who
had seizures. These seizures were caused by a brain lesion when the
cat was probably kicked while being born or shortly after. She was the
runt of the litter. X-rays of the brain confirmed this without any
doubt. This was before the use of MRI's. I would gather an MRI would
be quite expensive compared to an X-ray.

Phenobarbital controlled the seizures, very small pill and dosage,
maybe 1/8th of a grain. Took a highly specialized vet, a professor of
neurology, to make this call. A call all the local vets did not know
which was frightening in their ignorance where they prescribed
antibiotics and Dilantin which in this case were quite wrong.

"Tree Line" wrote in message
om...
"Jo Firey" wrote in message
...

One last thought until you can see a vet tomorrow.

If a cat has neurological problems, like epilepsy or strange episodes,
the drug of choice for cats is phenobarbital, sp? Don't know if most
regular vets know this but it's been known for decades. It's not
Dilantin which is the drug or used to be the drug of choice for dogs
and humans a while ago.

Took a lot of vets to find out this very simple thing for a cat who
had seizures. These seizures were caused by a brain lesion when the
cat was probably kicked while being born or shortly after. She was the
runt of the litter. X-rays of the brain confirmed this without any
doubt. This was before the use of MRI's. I would gather an MRI would
be quite expensive compared to an X-ray.

Phenobarbital controlled the seizures, very small pill and dosage,
maybe 1/8th of a grain. Took a highly specialized vet, a professor of
neurology, to make this call. A call all the local vets did not know
which was frightening in their ignorance where they prescribed
antibiotics and Dilantin which in this case were quite wrong.

This is very good to know. Thanks a lot for sharing it!

He's been acting completely normal since the last incident, but I'm still
going to speak with a vet or three.

"Tree Line" wrote in message
om...
"Jo Firey" wrote in message
...

One last thought until you can see a vet tomorrow.

If a cat has neurological problems, like epilepsy or strange episodes,
the drug of choice for cats is phenobarbital, sp? Don't know if most
regular vets know this but it's been known for decades. It's not
Dilantin which is the drug or used to be the drug of choice for dogs
and humans a while ago.

Took a lot of vets to find out this very simple thing for a cat who
had seizures. These seizures were caused by a brain lesion when the
cat was probably kicked while being born or shortly after. She was the
runt of the litter. X-rays of the brain confirmed this without any
doubt. This was before the use of MRI's. I would gather an MRI would
be quite expensive compared to an X-ray.

Phenobarbital controlled the seizures, very small pill and dosage,
maybe 1/8th of a grain. Took a highly specialized vet, a professor of
neurology, to make this call. A call all the local vets did not know
which was frightening in their ignorance where they prescribed
antibiotics and Dilantin which in this case were quite wrong.

This is very good to know. Thanks a lot for sharing it!

He's been acting completely normal since the last incident, but I'm still
going to speak with a vet or three.

Phenobarbital controlled the seizures, very small pill and dosage,
maybe 1/8th of a grain. Took a highly specialized vet, a professor of
neurology, to make this call. A call all the local vets did not know
which was frightening in their ignorance where they prescribed
antibiotics and Dilantin which in this case were quite wrong.

You're right about Phenobarbitol being a very old drug, a very effective one,
and also a very inexpensive one compared to the new magic wonder-cures like
neurontin, dilantin, and a couple more I can't recall the names of right
offhand.
It worked marvelously on our dachshund that had seizures.
Sherry