8-year-old cat with seizures

[tarasgirl06]

I've posted a reply (not very helpful, I'm afraid, but perhaps it will lead to help, I hope and pray!) and send 

 prayers for you all 

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Ginny, your first post was not too long. People would have asked you a bunch of questions if you had kept it short.

I have epilepsy myself and my first drug was phenobarbitol. Mom crushed pills with the handle end of a knife and put them in peanut butter. A cat would be able to taste the drug that way, so I like the fact there is now a cream version of phenobarbitol for pets.

First of all, "partial seizure" is the wrong term. There is no such thing. If the cat is convulsing on one side and does not lose conciousness, it is called a focal seizure. If the cat suddenly stops whatever it is doing and loses conciousness, but does not make any jerky movements, which I don't think is what happened based on your description, it is called a petit mal seizure. Your grand mal seizure description is correct. Urinating and drooling are symptoms of a grand mal seizure along with the uncontrolled leg and tail movements. (There are other types I do not know a lot about, but that is irrelevant.) Mine are focal, so I know all about legs stiffening up and moving the wrong way.

Instead of recording seizures on your iPhone, you should get pillows to prevent injury  The vet does not need to see seizures. (Have you ever heard of a human patient being videotaped during a seizure for the next neurology appointment?) If you live near a major university with a vet school, look for a veterinary neurologist there. If you live in central Ohio, another option is a big specialty hospital with 13 departments and an emergency room. It is expensive, but totally worth it bif Nat's seizures are not being controlled very well.

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Very good tips, thank you WhollyCat!  I'll have to google Da Bird (lol!), i've never heard of it before.

You can buy it on Amazon or at your local pet store. Every cat  that likes string likes that toy. It looks like a fishing pole except there are some feathers at the end instead of a fish.

 

[ginny]

UPDATE:

Nat has had NO seizures since July 4, 2012.  Then today, he has had two grand mal seizures.  Why???

It's been just over 6 months and he's been seizure free.  I think these seizures may be related to whatever is going on in his right eye.  It's been draining off and on here lately, and it looks red.  Bad tooth maybe?  The mobile vet is coming to see him Wednesday at 1pm.  

<sigh> Here we go again?  (

Ginny

 

[ginny]

Emily:

When I recorded Nat having his FIRST grand mal seizure on my iPhone, I did so because I felt it was necessary to show the vet what happened.  It was a split second decision which I made while being completely caught off guard.  I was shaking and crying, as I said before.   IF he were in danger and hurting himself while it was happening, I would have protected him.  Screw the phone.  

I just LOVE how people like you are so judgmental without having all the facts first.  ASK.  Don't assume.  You were wrong.

Has anyone ever recorded a human having a seizure to show the neurologist?  What a dumb question!  A human can TALK and say what happened.  A cat cannot.  

 

[orientalslave]

I'm afraid Emily won't get your post - she is no longer using this forum.  And you are posting to a thread that stopped back in June in 2012.

 

[gooned]

I remember when my girl had her first seizure - scared the hell out of me. There wasn't too much I could do other than make sure she did not bang into something and hurt herself. I learned over time that a high pitched sound, such as dropping keys on the floor, would set her off. She would twitch as the clicking of keyboard keys or computer mouse. When one was coming on, she would often try running away from it. One time she seized and rolled down half a flight of stairs trying to get away from the episode. The weird part about it was that afterwards, she seemed like a 'new' cat again. Very curious and almost playful. The Vet said it was because her system was 'reset' by the episode.

We don't know what brought it on but put her on phenobarb at a dose of 1ml 2x day. This was 20 months ago and no Grand Mal seizures since. Over the last few months the Vet incrementally cut her phenobarb back to 0.5 ml 1x day. He said they often 'grow' out it. So far so good and she is much more active too - sleeping only 20 hours/day!

Good luck!

 

[dot5612]

Hi Ginny, I have a 4 year old cat who came t my door at 5 months old.  The first vet I took him to for an exam insisted on giving him all the vaccinations, diworm,Rabies (very against this unless you live in the woods) the works.  I was very much against it.  I noticed he was very low to the ground and thought his legs were not right and again he insisted it was only from crouching and fear.  Well he is a cat with neurological problems and the fifth vet recently diagnosed his with cerebellar hypoplasia due to a mal-nourished feral mom,  undeveloped brain, poisons, chemicals, chemicals in the food.  (dry food the absolute worst) He trembles constantly and recently started to have seizures.  He may have had them and I didn't notice because it was over by the time I came home, I don't know but I thought it started after his many enemas because he is always severely constipated.  This particular vet put him on miralax.  Very easy to give in food because it is tasteless but I started to think maybe that is what is causing it.  The last vet said no and told me about cerebellar, probably borrn to an undernourished feral mom.

I spoke to a neighbor who also a similar cat and he told me about a very new safe drug called Keppra.  I had to take Shim to the vet because he was pawing at his mouth. We made an appt for dental cleaning the following day but he had a seizure and we waited a few days.  Then they doped him up with pheno and valuim because he had a seizure while they were drawing blood.  I too had a compounding pharmacist give me liquid Keppra supposedly chicken flavored and I must give him one 1ML which is a small amount but I get it all over him. First she said 3xsday but the bottle says every 8 hrs.  I started slow with lml per day for a week and just started now with 2xs.  I know, it is torture.  He is the absolute sweetest baby but the seizures are scary.  Just before the Keppra I purchased homeo drops at allergicpet.com  Tel # 843-881-5500 and I too want to be as natural as possible.  I am going to get the capsules too to try. He has difficulty walking as it is and the pheno he couldn't even stand.  This doesn't seem to have that affect.  But his teeth are very bad and he is also on antirobe.I know how sick you feel.  Also when it happens I try to place him on a blanket (the first time they told me to put a little maple syrup  on his mouth). and I try to speak softly and pet him after putting a drop on lavendar on my hands.  they have to calm down and rescue remedy is good too.  And catnip.

Let me know if this helps you.  Dot

 

[jdollprincess]

Some medications can be compounded into treats. You could call wedgewood pharmacy, they made my cats benazipril into treats and she really likes them.

 

[david 4 cats]

My kitty Lola is on Pheno for seizures. She's had them since she was a kitten. I have a compounding pharmacy compound the pheno into liquid form. She also hates being medicated, but we make it work. I make sure to confine her to a room, play, medicate, play - then she's released. Eventually it became a 'fun time' for her.

Once I got her on meds for awhile, she has been seizure free for awhile now. Once in awhile she has a 'breakthrough' seizure, but they are very rare/infrequent.

Hi, I have a 1.5 year old cat that is having focal seizures at the left eye with some drooling. They last about 10 seconds, I haven't been to a neurologist yet, but im trying to learn more about them. You mentioned your cat has had them as a kitten. Can I ask, did they ever find the cause? What kind and how long were they? Which medicine is she taking which has been working? Thank you.