Presumed Stroke in a Cat—A Case Report

TL;DR

A cat with no obvious stroke symptoms was diagnosed with ischemic stroke using imaging, highlighting the importance of advanced diagnostics in feline cases.

Contribution

This case report highlights the detection of ischemic stroke in a cat without neurological signs, emphasizing the role of imaging in such atypical presentations.

Findings

Computed tomography revealed cerebral atrophy and hypodense brain lesions consistent with ischemic stroke.

The lesions were located in the vascular territories of the middle and rostral cerebral arteries.

The case lacked overt neurological signs, with stroke detected incidentally during imaging for unrelated symptoms.

Abstract

Ischemic stroke was identified in a feline patient that did not present any clinical or neurological signs of this condition. Computed tomography revealed cerebral atrophy and hypodense brain lesions in the right frontal and parietal regions. These lesions were located within the vascular territories of the middle and rostral cerebral arteries, consistent with ischemic stroke, despite the absence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmation due to resource constraints. This case is notable for the lack of evident neurological signs at presentation, with subtle deficits detected only upon targeted examination.

This paper presents a detailed imaging-based approach to the diagnosis and evaluation of suspected ischemic stroke in a cat. The study describes a 12-year-old cat presented to our clinic with symptoms such as wheezing and inspiratory dyspnea, but without neurological or behavioral abnormalities. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the head revealed rhinitis, cerebral atrophy, and hypodense lesions in the right frontal and parietal brain regions, primarily supplied by the middle and rostral cerebral arteries. The lesion distribution, combined with cerebral atrophy and nonspecific clinical presentation, supported a provisional diagnosis of ischemic stroke. This case underscores the value of advanced imaging techniques in detecting incidental cerebrovascular events in feline patients, where initial respiratory symptoms, rather than overt neurological deficits, prompted investigation.

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