Ever had/have a cat that has seizures?

[DrewKaree]

My cat had two seizures the other day.  The drugs they gave him SO doped him up he couldn't walk straight for a day and a half, and he's just TODAY starting to seem back to normal again.  My understanding of those are that if they are required to keep them under control, they are lots smaller doses, but seeing the way they eff him up so bad, I'd hate to EVER give them to him.

We were told his blood work would be back shortly, they had more tests to run, but it doesn't look like anything specific - I believe Leukemia was ruled out, but we'll get a complete workup after ALL the tests come back - so far, just run of the mill "epilepsy".  I've been doing some more reading, and it seems FIP could also be a cause, but the only surefire test is for a necropsy (I believe that was their term - basically, they can't test until the animal dies and they do several tests on the animal's brain), which won't happen.

Anyone else have this situation, and can offer me any more info? 

Save your "dead cat" jokes too.

[Bones]

I had a dog that used to have what looked like seizures. I actually thought it died one night as I interrupted it half way through one of these in a panic. Its head went all limp and it flopped to the side. I shook it but nothing happened. I got quite upset as it had been my pet for 12 years and I was very attached to it. Then I went back a few minutes later after having a sook and she was just looking at me like nothing had happened. I thought for sure she had died.

Anyway

[daywane]

i had found a kitten that was locked in a fence. A utility fence. No one knew it was there. I tried to save the cat but I had to put it down. (this cat has suffering) Hope this is not your case.

on a better note, I had a small dog that we loved very much. He started walking on the wrong side of his front paws. Back end he lost controll of. (swinging back and forth) bumping into walls and stuff like that. Also convulsions
Me being a red neck , I grabbed my gun. Wife and kids could not believe I was about to put him down. OK... I took him to the Vet. Doc thinks a stroke.
prescribed nerve pills (and wanted me to take the DOG TO A SHRINK. OMFG

[walls83]

My dog had seizures.  Not fun.   You have to be real careful with them.  Bully(black lab) finally went into seizures and couldnt come out of it.  Everytime the vet would dope him up and the seizure would stop up as soon as he would start coming out of the drugs he would go strait to seizures.  He was a rock too.  Ran on alot of acreage hunted deer and smaller animals(he would show up at the house with a deer head and spine) was about 2 years old 150lbs of muscle.

We had to put him to sleep very sad.  He was a kick ass dog.

[DrewKaree]

They're actually supposed to be more common in dogs than in cats.  Haven't had the heart to get another dog since I had to put my last one down (cancer that grew from golf-ball size to softball size in less than a week).  My father-in-law's dog has 'em, so I was at least a little familiar with them, otherwise I might have freaked out.

In case you read this and wonder what to do, the best thing is to get them on the ground and clear the area.  At ALL COSTS, avoid sticking anything into their mouths to "keep them from choking on their tongue".  The chances of that happening are slim, and you're only inviting trouble, as muscle control isn't happening, and you may end up getting bitten or having them chomp off a chunk of something that DOES do them damage.  Let them just go through it.  They should last between a few seconds to a few minutes.  If they go longer than 5 minutes, you should take your animal and seek emergency attention, as vital organs can become damaged after that much time.  If they have more than one in a 24 hour time period, also take them to be checked out.  Many times they can be attributed to some bodily function or organ malfunction.  That's what I've gleaned from MUCH looking around and talking to 2 different vets OTHER than the one I took him to.

If the pills are necessary, they indeed are claimed to be life saving, but I've since found out they don't like to give them until the seizures become much much more common.

Seems like he's a totally different cat now too.  WAY more social than a week ago.  He didn't seem to be suffering having the seizures other than he looks like he's trying to crawl right out of his skin....dunno, it looks like it'd mess me up pretty good if it happened to me, but everything/one says it's just a WICKED crossing of wires in there and nerves/muscles firing off at the same time.

If you like animals, it's one of the scarier things that you can witness happening to them. 

And anyone who told me I needed to take my ANIMAL to a SHRINK would lose me as a customer.  When the animal starts TALKING to tell me they're depressed/upset/whatever is the day I consider it, until then, I'll just care for the animal and give it as much attention/love as I can, and tell the vet to go stuff it.

[ChadTower]

My family used to breed hunting dogs in NS.  We would go through probably 25 dogs every year... I'd say 5% of them or so had seizures.  If the seizures were more common than once a week someone would take them out back and shoot them.

[ChadTower]

dunno, it looks like it'd mess me up pretty good if it happened to me, but everything/one says it's just a WICKED crossing of wires in there and nerves/muscles firing off at the same time.

As someone who comes from a family of dog breeders, the breeder's opinion was always that certain breeds of cat/dog are prone to this.  It's thought to be the result of too much crossbreeding over the years, too many 'manufactured' pets with physically contradictory traits, bred to someone's specifications without regard for whether or not those breeds should be crossbred.  It's also the result of domestication and the mixing of breeds of cat/dog that would never have crossed paths in the wild breeding on their own.

[nostrebor]

Add me to the "owned a dog with seizures" list. He got kicked in the head by a horse, so his were injury related. He lasted another 2 years or so, but would start to convulse from time to time and just walk into stuff, etc... We found him dead in the creek one day. I would bet he had one while taking his morning dip and drowned.

[Zakk]

My family used to breed hunting dogs in NS.

[Zakk]

Drew, sorry to hear about the trouble.  I just had an old cat put down, and it was awful.  How old is he?  Maybe it was a reaction to something (if this is a new development...maybe licked a toad or something?).  I'd say that if the cat gets outside, maybe keep him in for the next while and see if that takes care of it. 

Oh, and if it turns out it WAS a toad, umm, could you catch it, box it and ship it?  I have people that will pay good money for those 

Seriously though, hope it was just a glitch.

[DrewKaree]

He's ~5 (I took him from a co-worker who was going to put him to sleep because he couldn't have them in his apartment ) and is in excellent health in every other way, and he's strictly an inside cat.  He's only gotten out of the house 3 times, and each time, his reaction was to lie down and sprawl himself in front of the door, so no toads, although I could probably e-bay a toad like that for quite a hefty price!

The results are in:  he either ate something (which didn't happen - he was in the same room with me ALL DAY, I KNOW he didn't) or he has the mysterious "epilepsy", which means it could be an isolated seizure, or he may develop more frequent seizures, and there's essentially nothing more they can do until he has another one, but at least it can't be passed on to my other cat, so I've been told.

I hate that diagnosis. 

[ChadTower]

Sorry, but how is this helpful to Drew?

Your assumption that it was intended to be is faulty.

[Zakk]

He's ~5 (I took him from a co-worker who was going to put him to sleep because he couldn't have them in his apartment ) and is in excellent health in every other way, and he's strictly an inside cat.

[DrewKaree]

No, shoes stay downstairs by the front door (have a closet that's got shelves for ALL of my shoes right by the front door), but why do you ask?  The odor shouldn't affect him THAT badly

Are you thinking chemicals I may have tracked in?  That's another reason I keep 'em by the front door, I deal in pesticides, so I'm REALLY careful with my clothes/shoes, but haven't dealt with them since September/October-ish, and they're kept separate for certain.

[Zakk]

Heh, no sorry, I was talking aboot the express need for odor-eaters.  I'm too dead-pan sometimes, but man you can be sure I was having a laughing fit here when I wrote it! 

However, without dealing with the obviosu irony that YOU deal it PEST-icide, I will state that it might be a possibility that you had some residue or something present in the house (ooooh I love when the cops search the car and find nothing but residue and get all excited.  Bet that gets the perp a 10 year sentence!). Erm, anyway, just a thought. 

[DrewKaree]

Gotcha.  I only deal with three of 'em, so I'll get me labels and check 'em out.

I figured charcoal would be a GOOD thing!  That's what they gave my dog when she got into the D-Con the neighbor had set out, but mebbe it's different for that. 

I keep looking at him when he twitches from ANYTHING!  My wife drops something, someone slams a door, he flinches....I find myself sitting there watching him for signs the next few minutes....SHEESH!