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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / December 2006possible kitty seizures?
Hello! I've observed 2 weird behaviors on the part of 2 of my 3 cats recently and have been researching seizures on the Net to compare and contrast. Just wondering if anybody else has seen similar: 1. My 15 year old cat with chronic renal failure jumped up on my desk yesterday while I was working. Then she stood there, looking dazed, unresponsive to her name, one paw held in the air as if reaching for something; she took a stumbling step sideways and lifted the other paw; turned and did this again. I thought she was dying and took her into my arms. In a minute or two she was clearly back to normal. She takes medicine for hyperthyroidism, Calcitriol too, and also I give her sub-Q fluids twice a week. I thought perhaps dehydration or weird blood levels, momentarily, of medications might just have made her woozy, or do cats have petit mal seizures like some small kids do? 2. Twice in her year-long life, one of my two young cats has been observed to paw at her face while yowling and twisting sideways, clearly distressed; this lasted less than 30 seconds each time. The first time it happened when the hem of my bathrobe brushed against her face; the second time it was when she was leaping at the fringe of a blanket next to me as I sat on the couch. I thought perhaps each time that she got a thread in her mouth or something and was full of angst about removing it--but it was odd looking, not like other cats I've seen trying to get something off the face. Neither cat's episodes involved the all-out strangeness of any seizures I've seen described on the Net or in my books. Thoughts? All cats are due in soon for their check-ups so of course I"ll ask the vet, too! Thanks. >Hello! I've observed 2 weird behaviors on the part of 2 of my 3 cats >recently and have been researching seizures on the Net to compare and [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >due in soon for their check-ups so of course I"ll ask the vet, too! >Thanks. My 6yr old just had a probable seizure last week. One minute he was just standing there and then he starting pawing his face and then started circling with his left front leg sagging and his head fallen down to the outside. He did this twice and fell down. When I tried to approach him he tried to get away with clearly no ability to use his left leg. I scooped him up and immediately went to the vet. After a quick appraisal we then had wait our turn for about 20 minutes. When we got in the examining room I guess about an hour had passed since the episode and he seemed OK. After a full physical and blood panel it was determined it wasn't a stroke and apparently seizures don't leave any tell tales. He also has done the pawing at the face showing some distress in the past so I guess our cats have something in common with whatever this is. -mhd > After a full physical and blood panel it was determined it wasn't a > stroke and apparently seizures don't leave any tell tales. how much did this set you back? about seizures, I think you can reverse engineer it... alot of excitement can trigger a seizure an elongated period of something new and taxing whatever it is... after everything settles down... then comes the seizure the body waits... the body enduces... the body endures it's growth, it's expansion, control, or reaching you could further look for a slightly smarter more alert cat >> After a full physical and blood panel it was determined it wasn't a >> stroke and apparently seizures don't leave any tell tales. > >how much did this set you back? $58 for the examination $138 for the blood panel 11.76 taxes 207.76 total. >about seizures, I think you can reverse engineer it... >alot of excitement can trigger a seizure >an elongated period of something new and taxing >whatever it is... >after everything settles down... then comes the seizure Gus has a flat on the floor scratching box which is corrugated cardboard in a cardboard frame where he always has a major happy dance when his dinner is being prepared (opening a can). It was right after that he had his seizure so yeah excitement may be a factor. -mhd > Hello! I've observed 2 weird behaviors on the part of 2 of my 3 cats > recently and have been researching seizures on the Net to compare and [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > fluids twice a week. I thought perhaps dehydration or weird blood > levels, momentarily, of medications might just have made her woozy Shortly after we began treating our cat for hypethyroid that had gone undiagnosed for a while, she began having scary little fits kind of like this. What she did was kind of list to one side and begin crawling in a circle, and she would not respond to her name. My vet said "maybe she is having little fainting spells." He thought she had arrythmia because, as you probably know, hyperT causes a very fast heart rate, that, over time may cause the heart to become unstable. He suggested putting her on Propanolol--a beta blocker-- to stabilize her heart rate. As long as we keep her on this, she has NO fits. I tried to take her off it once and she immediately had one. I really think you ought to bring this up to your vet. You too, h+ch. The vet who treated her is Dr. Stephen Driscoll at Six Forks Animal Hospital in Raleigh, NC. (919.847-5854 We also had an ultrasound of her heart to make sure there was no structural damage. The theory is, she had an elevated heart rate long enough for it to cause an unstable heart rate. She was 10 when diagnosed with hyperT, 11 when she started having fits, and she is 12 now. It was our fault that she was undiagnosed for so long. We took her for shots and such, but missed the signs of hyperT--yowling, being hyper vigilant--because we thought it was just her very funny personality. (Plus, she was obese and hyperT cats are usually skinny. The vet once noted her fast heart rate but because she was so fat (not our fault! We did not do that to her!) he thought she just had white coat anxiety. >Shortly after we began treating our cat for hypethyroid that had gone >undiagnosed for a while, she began having scary little fits kind of >like this. What she did was kind of list to one side and begin >crawling in a circle, and she would not respond to her name >My vet said "maybe she is having little fainting spells." He thought >she had arrythmia because, as you probably know, hyperT causes [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >treated her is Dr. Stephen Driscoll at Six Forks Animal Hospital >in Raleigh, NC. (919.847-5854 Sounds like we all have the same thing going on - at least the way it manifests itself. One hour after the spell, Gus who even though was scared shitless by being at a vet, had a normal heart rate and according to the vet a normal *sounding* heart. He spent a lot of time moving the stethoscope around and listening to his heart. All the blood tests came back ok except for a pre-existing higher than normal ALT. I'll run what you said by my vet but I'll imagine he'll fall back on his observation that the heart seemed normal. Do you remember if she crawled her circles in the direction of the listing side or away? My vet thought was important to know. -mhd > Sounds like we all have the same thing going on - at least the way it > manifests itself. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > around and listening to his heart. All the blood tests came back ok > except for a pre-existing higher than normal ALT. Boo also has a normal sounding heart and a normal looking heart, according to the ultrasound. And, though she was fat, she showed no signs of heart disease. With abnormal heart rhythms, it appears that the cat has to be having the episode for the vet to hear it. In other words, though her heart rate was 300bpm before being treated with Tapazole, it had never sounded irregular. She began having the fits after the hyperT was corrected. And to this day, nobody has ever heard an abnormal heart rate in this cat. (I bought a stethoscope, to make sure her hr stays at about 160-180. I have to be QUICK though because this cat begins to purr when you touch her!) However--it has to be arrythmia/fibrillation, because once on the propanolol, she has never had another episode. > I'll run what you said by my vet but I'll imagine he'll fall back on > his observation that the heart seemed normal. Well, if Gus keeps having fits, you might press your vet into letting you try it. Those fits terrify me. And, just like your Gus, Boo is perfectly normal after. > Do you remember if she crawled her circles in the direction of the > listing side or away? My vet thought was important to know. She crawled in the direction of the listing side. Did he say why this is important?  SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com > once on the propanolol, she has never had another episode. actually, Propanolol has been shown to act as an anticonvulsant in certain types of seizures in rats, so that might explain it. SignatureLynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ >Boo also has a normal sounding heart and a normal looking heart, >according to the ultrasound. And, though she was fat, she showed >no signs of heart disease. With abnormal heart rhythms, it appears >that the cat has to be having the episode for the vet to hear it. In >other words, though her heart rate was 300bpm before being >treated with Tapazole, What was her heart rate when she had the Seizure? Gus was 170. >it had never sounded irregular. She began >having the fits after the hyperT was corrected. And to this day, [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >you try it. Those fits terrify me. And, just like your Gus, Boo is >perfectly normal after. So far only one that I have observed but if another one happens I'll definitely look into the arrhythmia/fibrillation problem. >> Do you remember if she crawled her circles in the direction of the >> listing side or away? My vet thought was important to know. >She crawled in the direction of the listing side. Did he say why this is >important? Would you believe even though I was very curious about that, I let him finish without interrupting him and then he left the room to take the blood samples. Kicked myself for forgetting and forgot again when he called in the morning to fax the blood test results. BTW, Gus went the opposite direction which looked really weird from a balance perspective. It looked like he was really fighting it. -mhd > What was her heart rate when she had the Seizure? Gus was 170. It was about 180 just after. She had her last one when she was waiting to be fed, so she was excited, lol. (She SINGS to me while I open the can. Next thing I know, she is not responding to her name and circling slowly, little tiny steps, listing to one side. Now that I really think about it, I am just not sure which side she crawled towards. >>Well, if Gus keeps having fits, you might press your vet into letting >>you try it. Those fits terrify me. And, just like your Gus, Boo is >>perfectly normal after. > > So far only one that I have observed but if another one happens I'll > definitely look into the arrhythmia/fibrillation problem. Maybe you are right and my vet is wrong, and what Boo had was a little seizure. (She has had four total that we have seen.) Lynne said that propanolol acts as an anti-seizure medicine, too. All I know is that is stops the fits. >>She crawled in the direction of the listing side. Did he say why this is >>important? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > blood samples. Kicked myself for forgetting and forgot again when he > called in the morning to fax the blood test results. I do stuff like that all the time. Maybe next time you can ask him, or we can find somethign online. > BTW, Gus went the opposite direction which looked really weird from a > balance perspective. It looked like he was really fighting it. Poor boy. I really thought Boo was a goner, it just looks like something major is wrong. But she has never seemed healthier than now, having been on Tapazole and propanolol for a year and having lost about 9 pounds, too! Good luck with Gus. Please share whatever you find out and I will too. Thanks. > Lynne > said that propanolol acts as an anti-seizure medicine, too. All I > know is that is stops the fits. I don't think it's labeled for that use (yet, and I might be wrong--I haven't looked into it for a year or so), but it's definitely being investigated and has been shown consistently in studies to act as an anticonvulsant. So that's a bonus for your kitty! Your vet may not be aware, but there is plenty of documentation in the medical literature about it. What you are both describing can't be attributed to heart arrythmias. Definitely sounds like siezures, and even if the vet doesn't observe them, they still need to be addressed. Though in your case, Cybercat, don't change a thing now! Just be aware of potential drug interactions with the Propanolol and other medications. There are quite a few. I would leave her on the Propanolol and find a different drug that isn't contraindicated with Propanolol for any future problems she might have. I am not a vet, so discuss this with yours! /end disclaimer SignatureLynne > I don't think it's labeled for that use (yet, and I might be wrong--I > haven't looked into it for a year or so), but it's definitely being [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > I am not a vet, so discuss this with yours! /end disclaimer Thanks, Lynne. >It was about 180 just after. She had her last one when she was >waiting to be fed, so she was excited, lol. (She SINGS to me while >I open the can. Next thing I know, she is not responding to her name >and circling slowly, little tiny steps, listing to one side. LOL, Gus is just like that. Gus has a scratching box which sits flat on the floor made of corrugated cardboard in a cardboard frame. He always has a major happy dance when his dinner is being prepared (opening a can). Gets his front shoulders really working like he was digging to China. It was right after that he had his seizure as well. -mhd >>It was about 180 just after. She had her last one when she was >>waiting to be fed, so she was excited, lol. (She SINGS to me while [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > (opening a can). Gets his front shoulders really working like he was > digging to China. So cute. :) Have you tried the Alpine Scratcher? Gracie used to use the flat ones, but likes this one so much better. When I am not where I can get refills I buy the regular flat scratcher and attach it to the slanted Alpine Scratcher, and she likes this even better because it is wider. She has two, in our bedroom. She is more OCD than cats normally are (and they all seem to be to one degree or another) so has these routines. When I stir she immediately rises from where ever she is, "says hello" with some chirps, then does what your Gus does first to one scratcher and then to the other. When my husband stirs, she hides, but that is only because she is playing hard to get, the little coquette. She must act like he is the Big Bad Wolf before she swoons into submission and allows him to dissolve her reservations in a petting fest. :) >It was right after that he had his seizure as well. Hmm. It does seem that excitement does it. Does Gus have any other conditions? > LOL, Gus is just like that. Gus has a scratching box which sits flat > on the floor made of corrugated cardboard in a cardboard frame. He [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > -mhd and Gus is 6 years old no history of seizures you've probably told if he's on meds or not... odd really.. that's not old is he real spoiled, is he muscular.. or is he of the tender sort my cats don't dance for food, they wrestle the can with me > Hello! I've observed 2 weird behaviors on the part of 2 of my 3 cats > recently and have been researching seizures on the Net to compare and [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > levels, momentarily, of medications might just have made her woozy, or > do cats have petit mal seizures like some small kids do? This sounds like a seizure. My Sara, who was diagnosed with kidney failure last November, died in April. A month before she died she had a seizure after we came in from a walk outside. She got to the top of the stairs and just stopped in her tracks. I said her name a couple of times and nudged her forward a bit, and she wavered and then fell down with a glassy look in her eyes. She then peed. I thought she was dying right there. I held her and talked to her. About a minute later, I picked her up and she walked into the apartment as though nothing had happened and drank her water had some treats. My vet said Sara probably had no memory of the seizure. Around that time, Sara began to develop anemia, so that may have played a role. |
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