what should i do if my cat has seisures?

Question

I cant really afford to have a bunch of special test done to find out please help. i love my cat an done want him to have no more

Answer 1

if you can't afford him, please do the cat a favor and find someone who can, maybe a friend or neighbor so you can still visit him.

odds are your cat will be on chronic meds that may cost a lot of money (I'm not sure about the cost). you will probably have a lot of trips to the vets office.

Start a savings account for your cat, put $5 a month in it and use it for emergencies. a lot of vets will take payment plans especially if you are an established client.

Answer 2

Some animals are epileptic- meaning they have seizures on a regular basis. In this case, a medication would be given to the cat to prevent seizures. However, illnesses such as brain tumors can also cause seizures. You must take your cat to the vet because with each seizure, brain damage occurs. Your cat will not lead a happy or healthy life unless it sees a vet to get this medical problem solved.
Tell the vet your situation and that you do not have a lot of money to spend on tests and what not so if they could just do only what is needed in order to save you money.
Also, this website has a list of organizations that help people afford treatments for their animals:
http://www.handicappedpets.com/services/PetFinancialHelp.html

Borrow the money from a friend or family member or see if the vet will accept a payment plan. Either way, your cat must see a vet immediately.

Answer 3

Seizures are a frightening event for you and the cat. I had a cat many years ago that had seizures occasionally - about 1 a month. Unfortunately, we could not find a cause (toxin) and she was just classified as epileptic.

Here are some good websites with information. Please look over these and see if you can identify anything that relates to your cats seizures. Make notes of your cat's seizure activity and behavior and take this information with you when you go to the vet. If he hasn't been to a vet, he really should be checked, there are medications that will ease the seizures.

If money is a problem, and always has to be a factor, look into Care Credit. It is a credit card just for medical expenses including veterinary. My cats regular expenses are in the budget, but my Care Credit has saved me many times for the surprises!

I have also attached a link for agencies that will assist with emergency medical bills. The website is under feline diabetes, but they will help with all types of emergencies, not just diabetes related.

Purrs and prayers for you and kitty.

Answer 4

I had a very large cat (muscuelar not overweight), and he had epileptic siezures every once in a while.
That was about 30 years ago, he lived to be about 22 yrs old, the seizures were few and far between.
Back then there were no medications for epilepsy to administer to cats
However, today they have made great gains in diagnosing and treating epileptic cats.
It is said that the siamese cats guarding the the temples and libraries of Alexandria were epileptic, so no one really knows if its from genetics or something else.
There are medications to treat epilepsy, but you have to follow your vets instructions to the tee.
The Vet has to know how many seizures and how far apart they are.
The key is to keep spreading the dosages farther and farther apart after each dose.
Try not to hold the cat during its seizures unless its going to fall off of something then try and grab a large towel ,wrap around hands and arms and let it to the ground as softly as possible, the seziure may continue.
The cat will go back to what ever it was doing before the seizure, it will not remember the seizure itself, when he (she)
resumes to normal self,reassure everything is ok by petting it any where but its back and tail(this tends to cause petite mal seizures) and let it be itself.
Later in old age, the seizures may become more frequent and the drugs may not be as effective as when it was younger, at this time the vet may advise to declaw the back paws to prevent harming itself from scratching during seizuresand then the infections that may follow,(this ,I believe should be one of the only times to declaw a cats paws).
But like i said,my cat lived to a happy old age of 22(human years) and he never failed to bring a mouse or gopher to the back door to tell us how much he loved us,even at the age of 22.
Once a mouser,always a mouser.He was the king of mousers,(and a few birds as well,sorry bird lovers,but thats nature).

Answer 5

Most vets will start with simple, and relatively inexpensive, blood tests to see if there is an underlying cause of the seizure.

If they don't find a cause, and the seizures continue, the vet will probably prescribe anti-convulsion drugs like phenobarbital. I have a 70 pound dog and his phenobarbital is $8 a month.

If the medications don't help, then the vet will probably suggest MRIs and CAT scans - which will be expensive.

You can learn more at the canine epilepsy website - they have info on feline epilepsy too:

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/

Don't delay, get your cat to the vet and see about getting him on medication ASAP.

Answer 6

If the seizures are lasting longer and/or becoming more frequent you NEED to take him to the vet. There are anti-convulsant medications that can control them.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/People/lowekamp/feline_epilepsy.html

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/seizures.html

At the very least the vet will do basic blood tests. That might turn up something. It is really up to you how many tests you let them do, after all you're paying for it.

But if they find the cause of the seizures and give him medication wouldn't that be best for both of you.

Answer 7

You have to take the cat to the vet. Bottom line. No other choice. There is not a home repair kit for cat seizures.

Answer 8

Take your cat to your vet and be honest about what you can afford. They should be honest about what his prognosis is and what you can do within your means to help him and some vets will work out payment plans.

Good luck.