My cat had a seizure today, and I need some advice. :(

[LunasParent]

To start, let me just preface this by saying that she is okay right now. She's resting and was acting normal again, but my partner and I are super freaked out still.

So about a week ago, we noticed our cat wake up very suddenly, and immediately started chasing her tail and freaking out, but she calmed down after about 30 seconds, and then started to relax again.

But today, she woke up with the same startled nature, and immediately started chasing her tail, then went into a full blown seizure for about 2 minutes, where she was attempting to run backwards, head shaking, and drooling. We have hardwood floors so I gently held her on her side to try to calm her and prevent her from hurting herself, as she was near shelves and a table when this was happening. She eventually stopped, and seemed a little worn out and scared over it, but then calmed and went back to her usual self.

We're very concerned about it, and called our vet, but he was unavailable and will have to get back to us tomorrow. We elected not to take her to an emergency vet because everything we read said not to freak her out more, and she HATES going to the vet and freaks out every time we take her, and she is acting normal and calm now.

Everything we read has me convinced that she has Feline Hyperesthesia, because she's always had skin allergy issues and dermatitis on and off for years, and we noticed that she was excessively grooming herself today too. (Which she sometimes does anyway.)

A little background on her: She was found in a foreclosed home starving to death (only 5lbs) in August 2013, and we found and took her in. The vet thought she was around 2 then, so she is likely 12-13 now?

-Black cat, DSH, and when she had her checkup and blood work back in May, everything looked fine, and she was 100% healthy. About 10lbs.
-She strictly an indoor cat and she is our only pet. We have no sudden changes in our environment, and we're two calm adults.
-She eats 2-3 servings of Sheba Cuts in Gravy for breakfaster/dinner, and has a bowl of Rachael Ray Dry Food available to her at all times, because she had food insecurity issues.

My partner and I are super freaked out and don't know what to do. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Kris107]

I think you should just try to stay calm (you and the cat) until the vet can see you. You will undoubtedly need tests to figure out what is going on. I had a cat who had some type of epilepsy and it can be frightening. Making sure she is safe and that she has plenty of time to rest and recover afterwards is good. I hope the vet can find the root cause and hopefully has a way to treat! Maybe start writing down these incidents too. Date, time of day, what she was doing when it started. That way you can track frequency and patterns.

 

[fionasmom]

Going to the ER for a seizure will not yield much information; however, if your cat enters any critical state before you talk to your vet you might need to consider it.

I have had a cat with FSH and a cat who had actual seizures, which is how I know that an ER (unless highly specialized) will not be able to get far with a diagnosis. Your initial description sounds like FSH, but then your cat proceeds into drooling which can be related to a stronger seizure behavior.

There are numerous causes for seizures and you may need a specialist or a request that your vet work with someone at a teaching hospital or a veterinary neurologist. My personal belief is that FSH is actually tied into seizures, although that is debated.

You are not doing anything to cause her to have seizures, so don't go down that road. Both of my cats were indoor only rescues who lived a very happy cat life in my house. The one with FSH did not have seizures, per se, and the one with the seizures did not have FSH. I probably should disclose that the seizure cat had cryptococcus from his life on the streets and I would say that there is almost no chance that your cat has that.

This may sound odd and require nerves of steel, but if she were to have another episode of any kind, try to get it on your phone so you can show the vet.

Please let us know what happens when you talk to your vet.

 

[silent meowlook]

Is your cat on any flea preventative?
if this happens again, toss a blanket or comforter over her so you don’t get accidentally bit. During the incident was she vocal? Did she seem aware? Did she urinate? Totally normal after or a little disoriented?
You mentioned allergies? What has been done for that? Do you know what she is allergic to?

 

[LunasParent]

Is your cat on any flea preventative?
if this happens again, toss a blanket or comforter over her so you don’t get accidentally bit. During the incident was she vocal? Did she seem aware? Did she urinate? Totally normal after or a little disoriented?
You mentioned allergies? What has been done for that? Do you know what she is allergic to?

She is not on any flea preventative, she was not vocal, she seemed somewhat aware, but it was hard to say, she did not urinate. She seemed a little sad after, and laid down on the carpet making sad little meows. I wanna say she was aware because she wasn't attacking or biting at me.

What she's allergic too we haven't been able to identify because she gets these little skin lesions on her that come and go sporadically. Sometimes it'll be gone for months, then it'll come back for a few weeks, then be gone again. And it looks like dermatitis patches on her inner thighs most of the time, but the most recent bought was on her shoulder blades. She has thinning hair on her inner thighs and sometimes on her ears. Our vet isn't sure what she's allergic too, even with bloodwork, and he thinks it could be things she licks off her feet that get tracked in by shoes or something.

 

[iPappy]

While it's not always the case, I've known dogs and cats both that have one single seizure in their lives, and never have them again. Seizures are complicated and scary, and you handled it well but the suggestion to cover her so you don't get bit is a good one. This would also offer an extra buffer for her in case something would get knocked off the shelf onto her.
I have a black DSH girl, too. They're little house panthers! I hope your girl is feeling better and has no more problems.

 

[maggie101]

To start, let me just preface this by saying that she is okay right now. She's resting and was acting normal again, but my partner and I are super freaked out still.

So about a week ago, we noticed our cat wake up very suddenly, and immediately started chasing her tail and freaking out, but she calmed down after about 30 seconds, and then started to relax again.

But today, she woke up with the same startled nature, and immediately started chasing her tail, then went into a full blown seizure for about 2 minutes, where she was attempting to run backwards, head shaking, and drooling. We have hardwood floors so I gently held her on her side to try to calm her and prevent her from hurting herself, as she was near shelves and a table when this was happening. She eventually stopped, and seemed a little worn out and scared over it, but then calmed and went back to her usual self.

We're very concerned about it, and called our vet, but he was unavailable and will have to get back to us tomorrow. We elected not to take her to an emergency vet because everything we read said not to freak her out more, and she HATES going to the vet and freaks out every time we take her, and she is acting normal and calm now.

Everything we read has me convinced that she has Feline Hyperesthesia, because she's always had skin allergy issues and dermatitis on and off for years, and we noticed that she was excessively grooming herself today too. (Which she sometimes does anyway.)

A little background on her: She was found in a foreclosed home starving to death (only 5lbs) in August 2013, and we found and took her in. The vet thought she was around 2 then, so she is likely 12-13 now?

-Black cat, DSH, and when she had her checkup and blood work back in May, everything looked fine, and she was 100% healthy. About 10lbs.
-She strictly an indoor cat and she is our only pet. We have no sudden changes in our environment, and we're two calm adults.
-She eats 2-3 servings of Sheba Cuts in Gravy for breakfaster/dinner, and has a bowl of Rachael Ray Dry Food available to her at all times, because she had food insecurity issues.

My partner and I are super freaked out and don't know what to do. Any advice would be appreciated.

I have partial seizures that last 30 secs-2 minutes then I'm fine. I always report to my doc. That may be what's happening or something totally different. My old cat Josie would have dreams and sleep walk! She would sleep,get up and take a ball in her mouth,drop it,then go back to sleep. You have the right idea of contacting your vet

 

[IndyJones]

During a gran mal seizure you lose consiousnes so unless she is in danger of falling or hurting herself it is best to just not move or disturb her. I have had them myself and it is distressing enough coming back out of it but in a different place is just plain scary.

Seizures could be best described as a reboot of the brain. Even petiet mal ones you slightly black out. But don't move or touch her if you can help it. She could bite you hard invoulentairly.

 

[silent meowlook]

If you can, get her off of the dry food. You may have to talk to your vet about trying a novel protein diet.

Feline hyperesthesia is a diagnosis by elimination. So it can only be diagnosed by eliminating every other cause. She would need a full dermatology work up before that can be considered.

Many cats with allergies are thought to have hyperesthesia when in fact it is severe itching from allergies.

She should see her vet regarding the seizure. Blood work should be done. There are medications that can help.

I would definitely have her checked by her vet ASAP. You may need a referral to s neurologist if your regular vet can’t help you.

In the meantime, I would go through the house to make sure there isn’t a trigger. Make sure you aren’t using any essential oils in the house and don’t have any plants. Also look at her mouth and teeth for any abnormalities.
please update with what the vet finds.

 

[Antonio65]

My Freya had a similar episode in March 2021, when all of a sudden she became hysterical, she was running up and down the house, jumping at walls and doors, screaming out loud, hissing and growling. This lasted about half an hour.
She was calm before this, even if she wasn't really acting as herself, she was a little confused. She was fine afterwards, but she took a week to fully return herself.

She had some weird and unusual episodes in the following months, then the neurologist put her on phenobarbital.
Probably she is epileptic, maybe not. We're trying this therapy, but I'd like to stop it one day to see if it's really needed.

 

[posiepurrs]

First of all unless she is in danger of hurting herself DO NOT touch her during a seizure. The cat doesn’t recognize you and could possibly seriously hurt you. One of my cats has seizures. He is on phenobarbital, keppra, and gabapentin for them. He is 12 and they started this year. One vet told me it could be idiopathic, another suggested a feline neurologist and an MRI ( both of which I could not afford). We are just keeping them under control with medication. One tip I did find that has worked wonders for Jack is when I notice the symptoms of an oncoming seizure I use a strong scent to interrupt it. I keep crushed garlic in a baggy and open it near his nose ( it doesn’t touch him so there is no danger.) I have also used dill- which would be more acceptable to a vet. When reading about seizure control I ran across an article talking about the research into helping human epileptics using strong scents so decided to try it with him. It doesn’t replace his medications, it is just first aid until the meds kick in. If a seizure last for a long time ( they SEEM to last forever!), a vet visit is needed especially if the animal isn’t themselves afterwards. Of course a first seizure needs to be checked out too. It may be helpful to video the seizure if you can to show the vet. They usually want to know how long it lasted and because you are frightened, your judgement of time may be off.

 

[iPappy]

First of all unless she is in danger of hurting herself DO NOT touch her during a seizure. The cat doesn’t recognize you and could possibly seriously hurt you. One of my cats has seizures. He is on phenobarbital, keppra, and gabapentin for them. He is 12 and they started this year. One vet told me it could be idiopathic, another suggested a feline neurologist and an MRI ( both of which I could not afford). We are just keeping them under control with medication. One tip I did find that has worked wonders for Jack is when I notice the symptoms of an oncoming seizure I use a strong scent to interrupt it. I keep crushed garlic in a baggy and open it near his nose ( it doesn’t touch him so there is no danger.) I have also used dill- which would be more acceptable to a vet. When reading about seizure control I ran across an article talking about the research into helping human epileptics using strong scents so decided to try it with him. It doesn’t replace his medications, it is just first aid until the meds kick in. If a seizure last for a long time ( they SEEM to last forever!), a vet visit is needed especially if the animal isn’t themselves afterwards. Of course a first seizure needs to be checked out too. It may be helpful to video the seizure if you can to show the vet. They usually want to know how long it lasted and because you are frightened, your judgement of time may be off.

That is fascinating about the strong scent interruption. Very good to know.

 

[maggie101]

If it is siezures which you don't know for sure yet she will already have a yucky smell in her.It will be hard to feed. She may be very tired before and after. Also confused. Hope she's ok. Any updates?

 

[posiepurrs]

That is fascinating about the strong scent interruption. Very good to know.

I was speaking to my vet today and mentioned it. He said he had never heard of it either. He was interested in it.

 

[Binxie]

I had a cat many years ago that 2 seizures in his lifetime and the vet could never pinpoint the cause. It was very scary watching it, he urinated during it and was disoriented for a short time after the seizure. Hope your cat is ok and does not continue to have any episodes.

 

[white shadow]

Hi L LunasParent and a warm welcome to the forum!

Luna's now 12-13 which places her 2-3 years into her senior life period. Cats over 10 need a more thorough yearly examination which should include blood pressure measurement and closer scrutiny of laboratory tests. Some of the "normal values" in bloodwork reports are only normal for cats under ten years, particularly those related to thyroid values. Not all Vets are aware of/familiar with the particularities of older/aging cats. (Senior cats should also have a second yearly exam, so every six months, but with lesser detailing.)

I'll give you a plain-language piece that covers off the issue of seizures and their possible causes, including hypertension. (In there, you'll see how common it is for some Vets to ignore the blood pressure issue. Here you are: Tanya's Guide... - Seizures. (While that site's focus is kidney disease, its foundation is universal for all cats.)

Should her blood pressure testing reveal that she's hypertensive, then her thyroid test results should be reviewed with more scrutiny (advanced testing) and, of course, the hypertension treated.

Oh, almost forgot..................we'd love to see the one we're talking about

 

[LunasParent]

I just wanted to thank everyone for the helpful advice and sharing your experiences because it was super stressful for us. We were able to speak with Luna's vet, and because she's acting perfectly normal now, the vet does think it could be an one off situation, however, he wants to see her if it does happen again. So we'll definitely be bringing her if she does. (Hopefully she won't!) She HATES going to the vet and cries, starts panting, and pees in her carrier. So we're often hesitant to bring her outside of her checkups and unless it's really important. I might have to try the CBD and cat pheromone sprays suggested here since she's getting older and our vet is a good 30 minute commute away. I've attached a picture of her too for everyone to see. I genuinely appreciate all your support!

 

[iPappy]

I just wanted to thank everyone for the helpful advice and sharing your experiences because it was super stressful for us. We were able to speak with Luna's vet, and because she's acting perfectly normal now, the vet does think it could be an one off situation, however, he wants to see her if it does happen again. So we'll definitely be bringing her if she does. (Hopefully she won't!) She HATES going to the vet and cries, starts panting, and pees in her carrier. So we're often hesitant to bring her outside of her checkups and unless it's really important. I might have to try the CBD and cat pheromone sprays suggested here since she's getting older and our vet is a good 30 minute commute away. I've attached a picture of her too for everyone to see. I genuinely appreciate all your support!

She's adorable!! I'm glad the vet isn't concerned. Hopefully the advice on what you can do if she does have a seizure is never needed!

 

[silent meowlook]

Ask your vet about giving Gabapentin before your next visit.