I have a 7 year old female spayed DSH cat who has very vivid dreams. She moves around and walks and urinates outside of her litterbox in her dreams. When owners touch her during these dreams, she will wake up. I have done full work up on this cat and no signs of any problems have been seen- her complete blood and urine profile are normal, urine culture normal. FeLv/FIV negative. I have tried her on Propalin- no improvement. I tried doing acupuncture (but now her pulses seem quite normal, tongue color normal, no active points) and San Piao Xiao San for 1 month- no improvement. I tried You Gui Wan for 1 month- no improvement. I tried Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan for 1 month- no improvement. She has been eating Orijen food- no improvement. I wonder what they use in humans to treat sleep walking/ sleep urinating? Maybe I should try some valium or phenobarb? (The owners declined an MRI but I really don't think we're dealing with a brain tumor.) Thank you! Julie
Question Details
SLEEP WALKING IN A CAT
by
JULIE SCHELL
-
May 8, 2009
I have a 7 year old female spayed DSH cat who has very vivid dreams. She moves around and walks and urinates outside of her litterbox in her dreams. When owners touch her during these dreams, she will wake up. I have done full work up on this cat and no signs of any problems have been seen- her complete blood and urine profile are normal, urine culture normal. FeLv/FIV negative. I have tried her on Propalin- no improvement. I tried doing acupuncture (but now her pulses seem quite normal, tongue color normal, no active points) and San Piao Xiao San for 1 month- no improvement. I tried You Gui Wan for 1 month- no improvement. I tried Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan for 1 month- no improvement. She has been eating Orijen food- no improvement. I wonder what they use in humans to treat sleep walking/ sleep urinating? Maybe I should try some valium or phenobarb? (The owners declined an MRI but I really don't think we're dealing with a brain tumor.) Thank you! Julie
Replies
by
naturevet
May 11, 2009
Wow, that's bizarre! What a unique case.
I agree that if the tonic approach to improve cognition didn't work, we should explore the opposite strategy of treating this almost like a psychomotor seizure. Before we try the drugs for that, let's try some herbs. Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin is the safest. The ease with which the cat wakes up makes it also appropriate, since if these are seizures, they're not too serious, and this is the formula's forte. If that doesn't work, we should try a few more, before we lock that cat into a future on phenobarbital. Valium would almost certainly help by producing muscle relaxation and deep sedation, but I can't see the owners doing that every night. Is this a nightly thing? How long has it been going on? Anyway, a response to herbs would clearly tell you what this is all about (e.g. a seizure) without the side effects of phenobarbital.
Good luck! Again, a very strange case...
I agree that if the tonic approach to improve cognition didn't work, we should explore the opposite strategy of treating this almost like a psychomotor seizure. Before we try the drugs for that, let's try some herbs. Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin is the safest. The ease with which the cat wakes up makes it also appropriate, since if these are seizures, they're not too serious, and this is the formula's forte. If that doesn't work, we should try a few more, before we lock that cat into a future on phenobarbital. Valium would almost certainly help by producing muscle relaxation and deep sedation, but I can't see the owners doing that every night. Is this a nightly thing? How long has it been going on? Anyway, a response to herbs would clearly tell you what this is all about (e.g. a seizure) without the side effects of phenobarbital.
Good luck! Again, a very strange case...
by
JULIE SCHELL
May 11, 2009
Thank you very much. This cat's episodes occur at night and during the day whenever she is sleeping. At night she sleeps in the owner's bed so they notice urine there and in the day she sleeps on the couch were the urination occurs. They have plastic coated their furniture and bed. This has been going on since December 2008, but she has always been a vivid dreamer but just started the urination during her dreams in Dec 08. I hope the owners let me try the Tian Ma- the only option I heard is Western drug called Clonazepam with or without Gabapentin. (and those drugs often cause excess sedation in cats.). I'll keep you posted. Thank you again! Julie
by
May 11, 2009
Would there be a Blood deficiency component here with the vivid drreaming? I was thinking that deficient Blood can cause Internal Wind and fail to house the Shen - wandering, altered consciousness, also fail to nourish Kidney Qi (urination during sleep). If that is so, would a formula like Jia Wei Si Wu Tang or Tao Hong Si Wu Tang work? If Liver Blood is deficient, would this be a cat to suspect hepatic necrosis with diazepam?
by
naturevet
May 12, 2009
Hi Jodi,
Blood or Yin deficiency was my first thought, too, but the formulas Julie used already contained several different Blood and Yin tonics. This made me think we should come at it from another angle.
We'll see how it goes...
S
Blood or Yin deficiency was my first thought, too, but the formulas Julie used already contained several different Blood and Yin tonics. This made me think we should come at it from another angle.
We'll see how it goes...
S
by
JULIE SCHELL
June 18, 2009
Hello!
Unfortunately, after being on the Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin for 1 month, this cat has not improved. She still is having vivid dreams and urinating during these dreams. Unfortunately the owner wants to try the Western medicine Clomazepam. I hope that will work! Julie
Unfortunately, after being on the Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin for 1 month, this cat has not improved. She still is having vivid dreams and urinating during these dreams. Unfortunately the owner wants to try the Western medicine Clomazepam. I hope that will work! Julie
by
naturevet
June 18, 2009
Ah well, it's good to know outcomes, good or bad.
S
S
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