Could my cat have had a seizure?

I already sent an e-mail to my vet asking about this, but I'm very attached to my cat Pi and waiting for my vet's reply is really hard right now, so I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and can chime in. For a little background, my cat's a rescue cat from a shelter and his only issues so far have been a very bad case of herpes that has finally stopped relapsing monthly. He's doing very well in that department now- he's like a normal cat now. Th only other quirks I can think of is he blows air out of his nose a lot like a sigh or like he's annoyed and sometimes lets his bottom lip hang open, but my vet has never been concerned over this.

Last night Pi was sleeping on my lap. He twitches when he sleeps, which I know is normal. Last night, he was twitching a lot at one point- in his back and front legs and tummy. It was a lot more movement than usual. He sometimes sleeps with his eyes open and one of his eyes opened and was rolled back in his head, I could just see the color of his iris, no pupil. His inside eyelid came up and covered the eye a little. 

It looked scary so I tried waking him, but he went totally limp. I tried for a few more seconds to wake him and he was unresponsive. Even his eye didn't move. I thought he had died on my lap. I was very upset and slid him off my lap onto the couch so I could go break the news to my boyfriend and he was still limp still with the one eye open. I tried again to wake him and he blinked his eyes and opened them like nothing was wrong. I gave him two treats and he walked over fine and ate them. Seemed totally fine after this and totally fine today. He was running around the house making vibrating meows yesterday like he does when he wants to play or is complaining about food or is just feeling hyper, so he seemed healthy otherwise during the day. Is it possible he was just in a very deep sleep?

He tends to be very relaxed and comfortable around me and often sits on top of me, so it isn't uncommon when he's resting on me and awake for him to let me move him off my lap and be so trusting that he keeps his body completely loose and floppy as I do it. I don't know if this makes a difference here.

Hi Have you had him checked out for heart,lung,BP etc? i used to have a kitty who had seizures.he would thrash.his front paws would claw or attempt to claw his face off.It was awful.then he would become lump and lifeless.took him a long time to come around.my vet told me he had an allergy to fleas.Which looking back as i was very young & naive,it was no darn fleas.I came home one day from work and he had fallen off the top of the freezer & broke his neck.It was horrific.He must have had a seizure then.Looking back now & how stupid I was truthfully i should have not dealt with that Vet & found out exactly what was wrong.It will stay instilled in me forever.My little puppa. pls get your kitty well checked out,neurological,heart,breathing all are crucial things that can be hidden to us and beyond anything we can do at home to help.And can occur at any age.Hugs C.

Oh no so sorry to hear that! I have emailed my vet. My cat was never clawing at things or anything like that it was just more animated twitching than usual and then the rest.

Oh gosh, I'm terrifying myself with articles about seizures. My cats is acting normal now, but I don't know what to expect. 

Thank You Stephanie10.

It was horrific.You know you're baby best.I know about deep sleeping,twitching etc.But there are just sometimes they need to be confirmed by a vet for sure that everything is working right rather than coming home or waking up in the morning to something you'd regret all the days of your life.You Pi may be fine.but me personally would want to make absolutely sure.I have learnt a lot in 37 yrs of having furbabies in my life.I could have done something.But didn't & now have to live with that forever.It is NOT nice at all.I can still hear my screaming...Hugs to you & Pi.

I always ask my vet when problems arise. I just don't know what it means if this was a seizure. It was so upsetting. I thought he had died. I am still very upset and getting more and more upset the more I read and think about it.

Stephanie10. Don't Dr.google yourself to death.It will send you into a frenzy.I learned later on in life to buy a stethascope & learn counting resirations etc.My stethascope I have used many times with my kitts picking up on pain actually more than listen to breathing.

My Trixie had abdominal cancer @ 9 yrs old.A tumor the size of a racquetball.One day she was playing.The next she went off all food.The next day she was on the table.Her heartrate at home with me was 240 bpm.Try counting that on a 15.Respiration was around norm 20.

But looking at her you would never have known her heart was beating out of her chest.After having that surgery which most people would have said goodbye her heartrate went back to the norm around 160.So although we are not vets we can have some tools just in case to listen to breathing.

Learning to count respiration at rest.Counting heartrate.Better than nothing.Same as taking temp.I use the pediatric digital thermometer & asked the Dr.to show me.Trixie on her last day of her life (it was Cancer) but she lived 99 days post surgery  with one of the most aggressive forms of pancreatic cancer.I have no regrets & I have treasured moments with her during those 99 days.

Looking at her & my pictures you never would have known the surgery she went through.Absolutely nothing.But her last day her core temp was below 37 degrees celcius.Not good.She passed in my arms.So we learn as we go.We are not vets.But there are things we can learn that can help us at home while we are waiting for a call,email etc.When it is emerg you go.That's it.But Dr.google can make us mental.

Hugs C.

Update. I am too impatient to wait to hear from my vet, so I called the office and spoke to a vet tech in the meantime. She felt it sounded like seizure activity. I'm so worried. I am supposed to watch him and if he has another, I'm supposed to time it. I love him so much, I don't know how I can watch this again. I have no way to get him to the vet myself until tonight. I just want to bring him and get anders. I'm so upset.

Hi Stephanie10.

Sorry about the late response.i understand your impatience.What does time have to do with it? you'e supposed to sit there with a clock with a second hand and time all this? HMM he/She should have explained more to you.I understand your worry.And know that this may be nothing.You could if you haven't got any answers yet google feline seizure groups and see if there are any.Even under yahoo.then join & just ask of different symptomologies etc.But hopefully your kitty has been looked at by now & whatever tests that need to be performed have been done.Like i said I was very ignorant back then & took what My vet said as being the truth.it was not.hope to hear good news soon.Hugs Honey.C....I found this site on yahoo.HTH If you don't have an account with yahoo just google making an account with yahoo.(free) & follow the prompts.

[email protected]

Stephanie, try to let your shoulders down, and breathe. I have been just about where you are now, and I bet your head it twirling with thoughts and questions like: What if this was a seizure? What would cause such a seizure? Will I lose my cat? Can anything be done? What about quality of life?

The last 15 years I have been active with several support groups for canine epilepsy, as well as leading one in my own country. Felines arent that different, but unfortunately its less supportgroups for it, and they are less active. Dont hesitate to join a dog one. A lot of the general info and support applies regardless, and the people on those lists are truly amazing. My favourite is the one youll find on http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/. They also have a info section about cats. ( http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/felineepi.html )

It's truly terrifying to see your pet have a seizure. In the very beginning, before any diagnose is set, the not knowing, beeing stuck in limbo, is often the worst part. There are quite a few comforting facts you should try to lure into your mix of terrifying thoughts though.

- This might not even have been a seizure. This might never happen again.

- There are a lot of reasons a pet can have seizures, and while I wont lie, they do range from bloodsugar irregularities to idiopathic epilepsy and brain tumors,  a lot of these reasons are still quite managable, and doesnt have to be life altering with the right care.

- If your kitty keeps having seizures, but the vets cant figure out why, so that you can just go straight to treating the underlaying cause, the cat might get an idipathic epilepsy diagnosis. This is does not have to be a death sentense. Not at all! NOT.AT.ALL! And I stress this because due to vets thinking people cant be bothered, or because they lack the knowledge themself, some vets actually give really bad advise on this.

Try to mix some of these thoughts in with the chaos and worries in your head

Yes, the vets give good advise on timing seizures. I would also advise to keep a little note book, where you also note what the cat has done and eaten the couple of days prior to the seizure. Also describe how the seizure goes. These are important tools in diagnosing as well as medicating (if it ever comes to that) The seizure in itself is usually fairly short, and you cant do much apart from keeping your cat from falling down, or hurting themself in any way. Make a plan for IF it happens again. Go over it in your head, so when it happens, you got a watch, you got a mindset to stay calm (your cat needs you to, stress can trigger more post-seizure trouble), you got the emergency vets phonenumber easily available, should you feel the seizure is lasting to long. You might not need it, but any "safety" you got, the more confident you'll feel in caring for your cat throughout a seizure. stroke your cat  if possible, talk camly to it. Do NOT wrap your cat in blankets and such (seizures can increase body temperature, making it too warm can be dangerous)

Try your best to not panic about this just yet. I know it is hard though.

Please keep us updated, and send me a message if you need someone to talk to, just to vent and share thoughts with. People with pets that have seizure problems are specially "close to home" and close to my heart.