Page 829 - Problem-Based Feline Medicine

37. The cat with stupor or coma

Rodney S Bagley

KEY SIGNS
● Moderate to marked decrease in consciousness and wakefulness.
● Reduced or absent response to external stimuli.

MECHANISM?
● Stupor and coma result from diseases that alter consciousness and wakefulness.

WHERE?
● Disease of the intracranial nervous system including the supratentorial structures (cerebral
cortex, thalamus) and the brain stem (midbrain, pons or medulla oblongata) may result in
stupor or coma.
● Systemic (metabolic) disease may affect these areas secondarily and result in stupor or coma.

WHAT?
● Diseases of the intracranial nervous system resulting in coma include head trauma, brain
tumor, encephalitis, vascular-based diseases and severe hypoglycemia.
● Many of these diseases result in increased intracranial pressure that perpetuates the
clinical signs.
● These diseases are often severe.

QUICK REFERENCE SUMMARY
Diseases causing stupor or coma

ANOMALY
● Hydrocephalus** (p 826)
If hydrocephalus is congenital, cats may have an enlarged, “dome-shaped” skull. A fontanelle that
persists during maturation may be palpable. Acquired hydrocephalus in adults will show no out-
ward anatomical signs. Clinical signs include seizures, poor learning ability, behavior changes,
paresis, cranial nerve deficits and changes in consciousness.

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