Not sure what is going on- can cats be schizophrenic?

My 2 year old cat, Carly, has always been a very nervous cat. We try to keep her life stress free, but she seems to always be stressed. Sometimes she will just sit and stare into nothingness for hours on end. This disturbs our other cat who seems to wonder what is wrong and comes over to groom her or comfort her. But then she just snaps, and a huge cat fight ensues. We had about two months of peace from our first reintroduction to when we needed to separate them again.

We can usually approach Carly and stroke her head while she is in this trance, but she doesn't seem to notice us or anything. When she snaps out of it she is confused. Sometimes she vocalizes very loudly and runs towards things that just aren't there, as if she has been hallucinating.

We have taken her to three different vets and none of them could figure out what was wrong with her. We have no access to a specialist. In my own reading, the closest thing I can find seems to be feline hyperesthesia, but she doesn't do any tail biting or obsessive grooming. Nor does she look obsessively at her tail. She doesn't seem to have any physical seizures, but I know that the trance can be one.

Any suggestions that might help? I'd love to make our place more cat friendly but we are not allowed to even hang pictures on the walls, let alone put up shelving for the cats, and we only have room for one cat tree. We have tried Feliway, Rescue Remedy, and can't afford Jackson Galaxy's expensive Spirit Essences brand. And again, the only three vets in our area could not find anything wrong with her and just chalk it up to her being a sensitive cat.

The trance and her reaction when she comes out of it do sound like seizures. If you can, move her to a quiet place, where she can be alone. That way, she will have to recoup once she comes to and the other cat won't stress, either. Keep watch over her, though.

It does not sound like schizophrenia, though. More like epilepsy.

I did a bing search and found several sites with info. I can't post the here as I am on my tablet and don't know how to cut and paste. Do a search - there was petMD and drsfosterandsmith.

What about the apparent hallucinations and chasing things that aren't there? She also can't be touched on her back.She will also tend to move herself to a quiet spot before she trances out, usually inside a cupboard (we make sure to place all chemicals out of her reach.)

My Rachel is a super stressed cat all the time. Feliway worked like a charm after 2 solid months of use. I have it in 3 places in my living room. It has helped Rachel as much as possible. Everything scares her. But at least now she comes up out of the basement every day. Before Feliway I would see her maybe twice a week. We have 6 cats and only 4 will Rachel make get close to her. If any of the other 2 try, she's down the basement for the rest of the day. Good luck.

This does sound like seizure activity.  I know people can have the seizures where they go into a trance like state.  It doesn't really sound like FHS,  That usually includes the skin rolling.  Kitties usually bite at their tail and run from 'it'.  They don't realize that the 'it' is their own body.  Have vets tried treating for seizures?

If the running towards things that aren't there always happens after being in the trance like stage it could be disorientation after a seizure.

Here is an article about seizures in general, pulled from another thread on this site started in 2007 and the last post was in September 2013.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/151653/to-those-who-have-had-cats-with-seizures

You didn't mention if any of the vets did blood work to make sure everything is in balance there since seizures can be a result of chemical imbalance like is seen with kidney failure.  If your cat has a form of epilepsy, it can probably be controlled with medications.  I'm not sure if any of your vets considered epilepsy but she could be starting to show it, she is just the right age.

Seizures (Feline Epilepsy)
Race Foster, DVM
Marty Smith, DVM
Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.

Seizures can be caused by any insult to the brain such as trauma, infection, or a drug overdose. Detectable causes of seizures are those commonly associated with toxins, infections, drug overdose, trauma to the head area, and other metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus and kidney or liver failure. In some instances, they are inherited. Most seizures in the cat are not due to detectable causes such as trauma, but are caused by idiopathic (unknown cause) epilepsy, a condition veterinarians generally refer to only as epilepsy.
The exact cause of epilepsy is not known, but whether the cause is unknown or trauma induced, the condition results in an uncoordinated firing of the neurons (nerves) within the brain. Normally, the neurons transmit impulses in a uniform and coordinated fashion, allowing for precisely timed movement and thoughts.

During an epileptic seizure, however, the neurons function independently of each other. When the neurons misfire, cats may lose consciousness or become unaware of their surroundings, and have rapid, uncoordinated body movements.

What are the symptoms?

Normally, the epileptic cat will have the first seizure between two and three years of age. This time frame may vary, but rarely is epilepsy seen in the very young. Seizures will vary in intensity and are usually described using three terms: petit mal, grand mal, and status epilepticus.

Petit mal seizures are the mildest form. The cat may simply develop a blank stare, shake one leg, or cry out in pain. Petite mal seizures usually last less than one minute. Grand mal seizures are the most common. This seizure is characterized by a cat falling to one side, urinating or defecating uncontrollably, paddling the feet as if swimming, frothing at the mouth, and it may also cry out. This cat will be unaware of surrounding activities. Grand mal seizures usually last five minutes or less. Status epilepticus is the most severe form of seizure. It appears exactly like a grand mal seizure, but it may last for several hours - or as soon as the cat seems to recover, it immediately degenerates back into the seizure.

What are the risks?

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder and although usually not curable, it can be controlled. The petit and grand mal seizures, in most cases, are not life threatening unless they occur at a time when the feline is in an unsafe, or uncontrolled environment.

Status epilepticus is a very serious seizure state. With the body convulsing violently for hours, the internal body temperature will become critically high. Organ damage and death can result. All seizure instances should be reported immediately to your veterinarian.

What is the treatment?

In most instances, epilepsy is not life threatening unless status epilepticus develops. Anticonvulsant medications are used in chronic cases. It must be understood that drug therapy does not cure the condition, but rather controls the severity and frequency of the seizures. Anticonvulsant drugs such as Phenobarbital may be used in the cat. Phenobarbital provides a sedative action on the nerves within the brain.

The goal of therapy is to stabilize the nerves and membranes within the brain, but not to a point where the cat appears or acts sedated. Generally, anticonvulsant drugs are not given unless the cat has more than one seizure per month or the seizures last more than half an hour. This is a general guideline only.

This video is pretty spot on.   however she also has those trances so I don't know.

The vets all did bloodwork and that cost us a fortune we did not have. They didn't find anything wrong.

She has come out of the cabinet finally and got on the cat perch for a little, but she hasn't eaten or drank water all day. My husband was able to pet her a bit, but she hissed at him when he wanted to pick her up to let our other cat out of the bedroom. My husband is worried that she doesn't know him anymore.I reminded him that last time there was a serious cat fight it took some time for Carly to come back to herself. I just don't know what to do anymore.

You might try speaking with one of the vets and suggesting they consider epilepsy as a possibility. Perhaps they would be willing to prescribe some anti-seizure medication as a trial to see if it helps.  It does sound like something you will have to deal with, so that would be the least expensive first step.  If it works, it will help AND be diagnostic.  If not, you haven't lost much as most of those meds are not expensive.

Yeah, we're out of money for treatment now. We're both disabled and only one of us is receiving SSI. We're gonna try to see if we can afford to feed raw, but that's about all we can manage.