shoegirl

Last night, I witnessed my baby cat having a seizure. (By baby, I guess you should know he's really two). He was just hanging out in the living room with me, when I heard what sounded odd - I turned around in time to see all paws extended, violently shaking, and obviously not in control of anything. I rushed to his sided to pull him away from the marble slab that's in front of my fireplace. He fell over on his sided and continued shaking, breathing out of his mouth (almost panting?), and excreting an unknown liquid. The seizure lasted maybe a minute, I'm not sure because it seemed so long to me. I pet him, talked to him, and just tried to calm him down - his pupils were dilated, ears straight up, tail puffed out, obviously stressed. He calmed down pretty quickly, but I'm still worried about him.

Based on the symptoms I witnessed last night, I believe he also had a seizure a few weeks ago, maybe a month. I was sleeping and can only remember waking up in the middle of the night to him crying in the hallway (the exact same cry he had after the seizure last night) - and I found the same liquid substance by him then. I called the vet this morning, but she's on vacation. I've made an appointment to get him checked out as soon as she comes back, but I'm not sure what else I need to do. Can I wait until next week to take him? Obviously if he has another seizure before then, I think I'll take him to another vet (but ours is just so wonderful, and thorough).

As this isn't something I've had firsthand experience with, I thought I would turn to all of you. Have you experienced anything like this? What'd you do to try to fix the problem? Any advice you can offer? Thank you!

PonyPotato

If you can, find a neurological vet specialist in your area. If the seizures do not respond to anti-seizure medication given by a regular vet, they will probably refer you out anyway. You will not find out what is causing the seizures without having blood testing done, and possibly x-rays or an MRI (expensive).

I worked for a neurological vet for a while and unfortunately most cats that have seizures never get properly diagnosed or treated because it is too expensive - people try to control the seizures with medication (usually makes kitty a bit groggy and less playful/responsive, often gaining weight) and gradually they get worse and/or occur more often and the cat is put to sleep. More people are willing to invest in their dogs, but even then problems often get managed with meds and the cause goes untreated untl it is too severe to treat.

It is a horrible situation to be in - I worked for that vet for 11 days and saw at least 10 animals put down in that time, most of them experiencing constant seizures so they were effectively comatose. Good luck!

__________________
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

jewels

What a terrible thing for you and your kittie to go through.

One of our kitties got sick about two weeks ago. She was vomiting maybe once a day and not eating much. I kept a close eye and the third day she starting nibbling on her food and playing a little, and the following day she was back to normal.

But if it had continued or if it happens again anytime soon, I would definitely get her to the vet ASAP.

Could it be an allergic reaction to something different? Just wondering ...

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We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess.
Mark Twain

Ayashe

I am no experts on cats but did come across something I thought worth mentioning to you. (The site wouldn't allow me to copy/paste an excerpt) Basically it stated if you witness seizures lasting 5 minutes or more you should treat it as a medical emergency.

Seizures in Cats ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

highthief

Eplilepsy? I know dogs can have it.

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Si vis pacem parabellum.

PonyPotato

Seizures can be caused by many things. Chemical imbalances (especially mineral imbalances in the blood), brain tumors, epilepsy, liver shunts, etc. Most imbalances can be diagnosed through good bloodwork (and subsequent bloodwork during treatment) and are highly treatable through dietary changes, etc.

Get your kitty to a vet as soon as you can. Seizures are not something you can diagnose or treat on your own, and unfortunately they usually don't "just go away."

__________________
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

shoegirl

Thank you to everyone for the responses, I appreciate it!

I know my vet will do the bloodwork, but I don't know if I want to wait until she comes back from vacation. I'm going to call some other vets here in town to see if they can do the bloodwork and either give me the results or send them to my vet's office.

Merleniau, thanks for the insight about the neurological vet. I'll check and see if any are in my area.

*Nikki*

Keep us updated!