Seizures in Cats: What Owners Should Know

It's natural for cats and their owners to be frightened when a cat has a sudden, unprovoked seizure. Seizures are typically characterized by the cat falling over, becoming stiff, paddling with the legs, drooling, vocalizing, and losing awareness of his/her environment. Depending on how long the seizure lasts, it could be anywhere from a few seconds to many minutes. Post-seizure, the cat may appear confused or lethargic.

Seizures are abnormal electrical discharges of the brain. They do not constitute a disease themselves but rather represent a possible manifestation of one. Because the potential causes of a seizure can be so varied, even a single seizure should be viewed as serious enough that you would seek veterinary care, as opposed to simply assuming your pet has epilepsy.

What Does a Seizure Look Like in a Cat?

Seizure presentations depend upon which parts of the brain have been involved in a seizure. Some seizures (generalized) can result in an unconscious state, rigidity of the whole body; repeated movement of the legs; jaw movements; drooling; loss of bladder control; loss of bowel function. It appears that these cats lose all awareness of their environment while having the episode.

Some seizure episodes will be less obvious than others. For example, a cat could twitch facial muscles repetitively; stare into thin air; attack at something that isn't there; act out of the ordinary; perform uncharacteristic actions without being totally unaware of what it's doing. These behaviors can often be misinterpreted as "odd" behavior when they're actually seizure activity.

What happens after a seizure?

The time period after a seizure, which includes confusion, restlessness, sleepiness, loss of coordination, or increased hunger, is referred to as the post-ictal phase. Cats will sometimes go into hiding after a seizure, whereas other times they will be overly clingy or vocally demanding. Time frames for the recovery period can range anywhere from minutes up to a few hours. Although some cats have temporary behavioral changes that occur immediately after a seizure, it is important to note that the cat is not experiencing an additional seizure.

What Causes Seizures in Cats?

There are many possible causes, and they are not limited to epilepsy.

Brain-related conditions

In addition, to being the result from physical problems within the brain itself can affect a cat's brain function, leading to seizures. Problems such as cancerous tumors, swelling due to infection or inflammation, injuries (trauma), developmental anomalies, and others can all cause seizures.

As older cats develop new seizures, there may be specific issues they need to have investigated, as certain causes increase with age.

Metabolic problems

The brain needs a constant balance of nutrients and waste removal to properly function. Severe electrolyte abnormalities can contribute to neurological signs and seizures, but hypoglycemia and severe abnormalities involving sodium or calcium are more established seizure triggers than isolated low potassium. Blood tests will frequently help determine if these are contributing factors.

Toxins and medications

Cats tend to react poorly to many items that humans do well on. Cats are especially sensitive to some things, and exposure to improper medication, insecticides, chemicals, and toxic household items can produce a variety of neurological symptoms, including seizures. Outdoor cats can sometimes ingest something that their owner may not recognize after the fact.

What Should You Do During a Seizure?

The most significant concern should always be keeping the cat unharmed. Remove objects near enough to possibly injure the cat (e.g., sharp edges, heavy objects, or things the cat might hit against).

Unless you would leave the cat at risk by doing so, never try to remove a cat with its body still shaking violently off a higher place than where it is lying (i.e., stairs) while the cat is actively having a seizure.

Never attempt to enter the cat’s mouth either with your fingers or some other object. Cats will NOT swallow their tongue during a seizure. Trying to pry open the cat’s mouth may lead to serious injury through a deep bite wound. Reduce the amount of noise around the cat and dim or turn off bright lights if possible.

Time the episode

Using a clock, cell phone timer, or watch, determine how long the cat has been having a seizure.

What seems to last "forever" during a terrifying experience may have lasted a fraction of time less than you thought it did.

Record video, if safely possible, of the episode to help identify whether it was a seizure or something else.

When Is a Seizure an Emergency?

The potential for seizures to pose a threat of death is greater if they occur in rapid succession (repeated seizures), last longer than expected, or do not allow time for complete recovery between seizures.

Emergency care should be sought immediately if a seizure occurs after your pet has been poisoned, suffered head trauma, become seriously ill, etc.

If you see your cat appear to continue to be extremely lethargic, if you observe your cat experiencing difficulty breathing after a seizure or if you notice that your cat does not seem to be returning to "normal" after a seizure, seek immediate veterinary assistance.

A first-time seizure, regardless of how your cat appears otherwise healthy, deserves an initial visit with a veterinarian so that the cause of the seizure can be identified.

How Are Seizures Investigated?

An animal's age, prior medical history, type and frequency of seizures, and results of a thorough physical examination will dictate which evaluations are conducted.

Metabolic or systemic problems may be ruled out through blood or urinalysis testing; however, further neurologic investigations may need to be performed when seizures are numerous or severe enough to suggest possible other neurologic deficits.

It is necessary to identify the reason for the seizure and whether there is an underlying problem needing to be treated.

Can Cats Live with Seizures?

There is significant variation in prognosis based upon individual circumstances. Cats that suffer from one solitary seizure may recover fully and remain free of future episodes. Some cats experience recurrent seizures secondary to an underlying medical issue necessitating long-term management.

Several factors, including the number of times seizures occur per month, the level of each individual seizure, the likely causative factor(s) behind the seizures, and the cat's general overall health status of the cat will influence what treatment options are chosen. Not all cats require ongoing antiepileptic drug therapy following a single seizure episode.

Keeping a Seizure Diary

A simple written record may provide clues to identify any recurring episodes, which may be too complex to recall.

Record:

· The date and approximate time of each event

· The duration of each episode

· What your cat was doing just before the episode began

· Any physical behaviors you observed during the episode

· Whether your cat lost consciousness or awareness at some point during the episode

· If your cat urinated, defecated, or drooled during the episode

· Recovery time

· Any unusual exposure, medication, or recent illness

Having this type of data will be very helpful in determining if the frequency of seizures has increased or if they are changing in nature.

There are several potential reasons why cats develop seizures, including metabolic abnormalities and toxin exposure as well as neurological disease.

Protecting your cat from injury, staying out of reach of your cat's mouth while it is having a seizure, and accurately recording how long the seizure lasted are all very important actions to take during an episode of seizure activity. It is also very important not to dismiss a seizure occurring for the first time without investigating further because a seizure could be the first noticeable symptom of a potentially serious underlying disorder. Accurate documentation and careful observations of both normal and abnormal behaviors will assist in identifying the cause of the seizures and aid in developing a plan to manage them appropriately

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