Is my cat having a seizure?

Hi everyone, over the last two months, I've observed my cat having what seem to look like short-lived seizures. From a lying down position she lifts her left paw up in the air and doesn't seem to be in control of it. Her head turns in an awkward motion, and she doesn't respond to me... it's as if she's in a trance. It lasts about 30 seconds to a minute. She was at the Vet earlier this week for allergies, and I am transitioning her to an allergy-friendly food.

Any thoughts or advice? thanks in advance!

It actually does sound like it could be a simple partial seizure, based on your description. The best thing to do would be to get a video of it and show it to your vet. After all, there are only thousand of tyeps of seizures.

How often are you seeing them? Anything triggering them?
You did a very good job of describing it, by the way.

If it is a SPS, it should be very treatable with medication.

Thanks for responding, Mom of 4. The three seizures that I've observed so far have happened in the evening. Last night's episode was the most severe, because when I approached her she actually stood up and tried to walk, and really struggled to walk a straight line.

Perhaps this information might help: She's currently taking antibiotics for a possible food allergy (the seizures were happening before these meds). She's been licking off her belly hair and itches a lot. Also has dirty ears but earmites were eliminated as a possible cause. Could this possible food allergy cause her seizures?

Thanks!

I've don't work neuro, so I'm really going from memory.

I've never heard of antibiotics triggering/causing a seizure, but that doesn't mean it can't (just that I don't know everything).

With three episodes, that you've witnessed, in just the last few months, I would be talking to my vet.

My RB cat Midnight, did have one seizure toward the end of her life. We took her to the vet ASAP and they kept her there under observation for about 8 hours. Following the seizure Midnight was wobbly and actually went blind for about 24 hours. Since your cat was struggling to walk in a straight line following the last episode, I think you should talk to your vet also. The vet may be able to tell from your description if your cat actually is having seizures and may want to run some tests to try to determine a cause since this has happened several times. Good luck and please update us about this.

thank you all so much. I will keep you posted.

Hi again,

I was asked to give you all an update, so here it goes:

CC was diagnosed with hypertension and hyperthyroid disease (average systolic # was 200). I am to administer 2.5 mg of Methimazole twice a day. After two weeks she need another round of bloodwork fot T4, CBC and a renal profile. I know what a renal profile is, but Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m not sure about T4 and CBC. The vet said her seizures could be a result of the high blood pressure.

Thank you all again for your support and help. If anyone has any suggestions/advice on what I might expect out of all of this, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d appreciate it.

I"m so sorry to hear that your kitty is sick. You are a wonderful mommy for taking such good care of her.

I'm sorry you're going through this, but at least it is treatable.

T4 is part of a thyroid panel.
CBC is a complete blood count - red blood cells & white blood cells.

I'm sorry about your sweetie. I hope things work out. Good vibes.

you are the BEST meowmy. we love you!

It sounds like you have a good vet--he/she started your kitty on a nice moderately low dose (which is good because it helps avoid tummy upset) and twice per day (which is good because the medicine has a pretty short half-life and needs to be given at least twice per day to keep the levels more even). The bloodwork after two weeks is important because you'll be able to determine whether the amount of the medicine is working or whether the dose will need to be increased or decreased. The renal panel will allow you to see how the kidneys are doing. Sometimes the kidney values increase after the cat's thyroid levels normalize--this is because the high thyroid levels can hide existing kidney problems. Hopefully you won't have to worry about this.

Once you find out how CC's body will tolerate the medication, you can consider whether radioiodine/I-131 would be the right treatment option for you and her. In many cases, treatment with radioiodine can destroy the cells that are causing the excess amount of thyroid hormone. This can mean no more pills or in rare cases supplementation with thyroid hormone (which is much easier to manage than treatment with methimazole). The treatment has a very high success rate--it is expensive, however, due to the regulations surrounding radioactive material and its handling.

For now, just focus on getting the pills into your kitty. I found that buying some small gelcaps was helpful because the pills are very bitter. If she's hard to pill, you can ask your vet about compounding the medication into a liquid or a transdermal gel. Make sure she keeps eating her meals--if her appetite wanes you can ask the vet about appetite stimulants. Good luck and keep us posted.

Oh, thank you all so much! I really appreaciate your concerns, encouragement, and advice.

I've started crushing up the pill and mixing it into a little canned tuna -- about 1/2 teaspoon. Thankfully, CC gobbles it up (and even licks the plate). I was really battling her when I just opened her mouth and tossed it in. She was sneaky and often hid the pill between her lip and gum.

The vet did talk to me about the "radioactive" option, and thank you, Top Cat, for your thoughts on that. I guess we will wait and see if her kidneys are healthy.

Thank you all again!