my cat is having seizures?

Question

today she had one, bout 6 months ago she had one, and i think about twice before that she had some spread out. poor kitty. first of all i was in my room and she was in the living room. suddenly i hear 2 screams from her. then i run to her where she was sleeping and she is digging her paws in the couch with her eyes closed and shaking. this happens for a minute. then she opens up her eyes just staring down at the couch for about a minute. i try to get her attention, she doesnt answer. then, she looks up and her pupils are huge!! she looked SO confused. she is also breathing VERY hard. poor thing. then for the next 10 mintues she is running around meowing constantly like she is lost.
so i was like, dad take her to the freakin vet. he's like its not too serious plus she doesnt have insurance. im like what the h?
i really need to talk about this please comment or IM me on aim pinkxxpokadot

Answer 1

I used to have a cat that had seizures. They are so frightening to watch. I cried the first time she had a seizure and I was alone with her. And I already knew she was having them, I was just so upset.

Her name was Prissy and she was just under 3 years old the first time she had one. It happened about a month after we had a nationally know exterminator treat our home. We rushed Prissy to the vet who ran a battery of tests and nothing was found of a toxic nature so she was diagnosed with epilepsy. Unfortunately, Prissy was not the healthiest of cats, but she lived for 5 years with the seizures and her other illnesses. Seizure activity is traumatic on the body. Through the years, the seizures became frequent and more severe and I did not want to medicate her because the most common side effect is lethargy. She would basically be semi-alert and I knew this would not be any quality of life. She was euthanized March 5, 1998, just weeks before her 8th birthday.

Prissy had hers infrequently like your kitty. She would cry out, too, just before she began seizing. I would stroke her and softly call her name, but stayed away from claws and her mouth. When came out if it, she would be disoriented, but she would also be very hungry. I would give her a whole can of food that she would gobble up. I talked to her vet who said this was a good idea, because there is an enormous amount of energy spent having a seizure.

Since Prissy's seizures were infrequent, the vet did not want to medicate her. I kept records of the date, time and duration for him. He wanted to see if there was a pattern. There wasn't, sometimes several months would go by and then she'd have a couple in the same month. The hardest part of the seizures were about a minute to 90 seconds and the whole episode was about 3 minutes in duration. In actuality, it felt like an eternity.

Prissy seemed to recover faster when I was with her and would talk to and stroke her. Usually by the second day after the episode, she would be back to her normal self. I could tell by her behavior when she had one when I wasn't around (she would hide, be somewhat unsociable--she was normally a very loving kitty--and not eat well). These would take her several days to recover from.

The seizures cannot be cured. But your little kitty needs to be seen by a vet. She should have blood work done. I would say the vet will have you do as I did and just record the episodes since your kitty's are sporatic. Please convince your father kitty needs to be under vet care. She can live with these seizures until there are complications. If no problems are found with the blood work, there is no reason to euthanize her now.

If your father wants some help with the vet bills, there are agencies that assist with vet bills. This is listed under feline diabetes, but they help with all kinds of emergencies, not just diabetes. There is also a credit card called Care Credit that is just for medical expenses, including veterinary. You can see what vet office's accept it in your area and your parents can apply online.

Here are some links for you. The first is information about feline seizures, the second for vet bills help and the last for Care Credit.

Purrs and prayers for you and kitty.

Answer 2

The seizures you've described aren't too severe and are not life-threatening, but they're pretty scary both for you AND for your cat!

Epilepsy in humans and cats follows what has been called a "kindling" model. Think of it as a similar process as how you would start a fire - you put some paper down, then some twigs and sticks as kindling, then some bigger logs. You set the paper and twigs on fire, and those start the logs on fire.

In the same way, each seizure sets the stage for another, more severe seizure later on. Untreated epilepsy can in some cases result in a state where seizures come on more and more frequently and become more and more severe, until they never stop and result in death if they are untreated.

Your cat will not get this bad for quite some time, if ever. But he's still sick and would benefit from treatment.

Usually with animals they will try the old anticonvulsant drug phenobarbital. It's pretty effective and pretty cheap. Tell your father all this and ask him to get the cat to the vet for an evaluation. A few dollars a month might totally stop the seizures.

If he still won't agree, try to get him to agree to take the cat in if it has another seizure. Remind him that it's a disease that can only get worse over time and is cheaper and easier to treat early on.

Best of luck to you and give your cat a big hug,

Adam S

Answer 3

Vet ASAP. Allowing the seizures to occur without treatment is permitting a little nervous system damage (brain) each time it happens. SHe runs around lost b/c she is. Seizure are an attack on the brain and leave the kitty disoriented, confused, unsure of her surroundings, and frightened by her experience. They often settle down and seem worn out after they become oriented to place again. She could be epileptic or have some other physical problem causing this. Treatment may vary from hospitalization, IV anti-seizure meds,to a fairly inexpensive generic medication. Or the problem could be more serious than that and require surgery in some instances. You won't know if she isn't properly diagnosed. Not vetting this poor sick cat is cruel, and without medical interference this will most likely get worse and become fatal. If you truly can't afford the vet bill, inquire about payment plans, care credit, or contact your local humane society for info on assistance or surrender her to a rescue that can seek treatment. Best wishes.

Answer 4

If not taken to vet seizures could get worse. It's up to the vet to determine how often and how severe the seizures are.

It's something that can't be ignored. Your cat could do quite well on meds if seizures are dealt with quickly enough.

Seizures are totally involuntary and your cat has no idea who you are and where they are. DON'T run to her and try to pick her up. You may get a good bite and scratched. Remember, they are unaware they are seizing and will take a little while to catch there breath and come full around again after this event.

I was able to get down on the floor and comfort my dog who had seizures, but would move very slowly. You have to understand I knew her seizures weren't violent and she wasn't throwing her body around. However I still was careful. Didn't want her to injure herself.

When put on meds your cats seizures may be less between seizures and less intense.

You're going have to convince your dad, that this could become a serious thing if gone untreated.

Good Luck

Answer 5

Not a serious situation?????
Hun, with every seizure, your cat has brain damage, not to mention it's painful to have seizures- I don't see how your father does not view that as serious.

She needs to see a vet immediately. The majority of pets do not have insurance and many vets are willing to work with you so your pet can be properly treated at a decent price.

Your cat needs to see a vet immediately so they can find out the underlying problem and so she can be put onto medication.

This IS a serious situation.


If your father will not get the cat the treatment it needs, it needs to be taken to a no-kill shelter so it can be treated and find a good home.

It is also illegal to not get medical attention for your pet when you know it's ill.

Answer 6

Tell you're dad that each seizure is damaging her brain more.

This problem will get worse until it kills her.

She's also suffering.
It hurts to have seizures.
Fear and confusion are also common and awful for the poor kitties.

See a vet and get some meds or find someone who will.
At least end her suffering.

Answer 7

You are right the cat needs medical treatment. If your father will not take her then you need to find someone who will. If you are not old enough to drive, ask someone to take you. If you go to the aspca they can help for free depending on your cats health and how bad she needs medicine. I am not sure but they might make you sign over ownership to them for the cat if you aren't able to care for it. The medications that your cat will need is rather expensive in some places. You should probably call in advance and see how that works.

Answer 8

ok first of all you need to take your kitty to the vet. i know it can be expensive but there are organizations that can help with vet care. its only fair to your baby. i would call and talk to a vet or a vet tech as soon as possible. each time they get a seizer it is scrambling their brain! that's why she didn't respond to you when you tried to get her attention. please take your cat to a vet. there could be something really wrong. good luck to you.

Answer 9

As a child I suffered from epilepsy (chronic seizures)
Your kitten really cant benefit from a trip to the vets
They can put her on pills but that can also put her more at risk
The best thing you can do is when she goes into a seizure roll her on her side and put her somewhere soft so she does not injure herself
also try to keep an eye out for her tougne if she swallows it she could choke and die

Answer 10

look at some ways they do people that do that just keep on side and watch to make sure it does not swallow tongue.