Notice the little things….a memoriam.

Today marks a week since we lost our beautiful feline family member, Astryd. She was 15 years old and had overcome some severe health issues to reach that age, including brain tumours that required surgery.
In her memory I’m writing this blog to make people aware of the main sign I noticed that started the investigations leading to the discovery of the tumours. The sign sounds quite small, but was vital to giving her four more years with us.

Astryd had a condition called hyperaesthesia, which meant she regularly felt the need to scratch herself to relieve itchiness. I noticed when she did this, she would often lose balance and she’d fall a little. My first thought was a potential inner ear infection, but the vet could find nothing of that nature and she was referred to a specialist centre, Pride Vets in Derby.

MRI examination uncovered that Astryd had tumours; two to be exact. The procedure was likely to be difficult due to where the masses were. But the alternatives were even more unfavourable.

Throughout all of this, Astryd displayed a tenacity and determination that was remarkable. Her recovery time was extremely fast, and despite needing medication for around two months afterwards to ensure certain things were stabilised, she thrived.
Her case is so uncommon that the specialist who performed the surgery gives talks to other vets in the field regarding how her treatment was achieved. Astryd has left her very own legacy in the veterinary field, and there’s a video of our girl in recovery from the surgery on Pride’s Facebook page.

If you notice your cats balance has changed; even to a subtle degree, monitor it and be sure to discuss it with your vet; it could be vital to giving them, and you, more years of happiness together.