Quizzical Kitty

We have a quizzical kitty. He didn’t start out that way with his head half cocked like he’s waiting for an answer to a very important question.

It happened sometime on a Saturday night when we were out to dinner. Ozzie was fine when we left, but when we returned, he couldn’t walk well. His left hind leg collapsed under him like it was shattered. It wasn’t. He stumbled to the couch. We thought it was an equilibrium problem, maybe an ear infection. But his eyes were off center, showing too much white for our comfort.

The vet predicted a stroke or brain bleed, but said the only way to verify that is with a CT scan. He gave Ozzie a cortisone shot and said he would have the best long-term prognosis with rapid improvement.

Suddenly, our feisty kitten felt fragile and looked sad. He lost his hearty appetite, walked in circles, and veered to the left, losing his balance and falling over.

Then just as unexpectedly, his eyes were back in their normal position, he was cruising up and down the stairs and walking pretty well with just a few sudden falls that are lessening with time.

The tree climbing Ozzie is gone. So is the kitty that loved rolling balls on the hardwood and leaping in the air at ribbons, lighting bugs, feather toys. He stills loves to be outside, but we watch him closer knowing he may not be able to run fast enough or protect himself from other cats.

Today, a week later, Ozzie reverted to one of his old tricks and attacked my hand. Instead of chastising him, I cheered. Now, If he would only attack some balls.