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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / March 2007My cat had a seizure, need advice
Hi, I have a female cat named kiki that I have had since I was about 7 years old, I am about to turn 27 so she is around 20 years old. She has never had any major health problems and seems very healthy for her age to me. She likes to be alone or with just myself more as she is old but that is about it, she still remains somewhat active and will get excited and run around once in awhile. Late last night I went to the bathroom and heard something fall over and turned to look and saw her stumbling around the ground, trying to walk on one side of her body, she ran around without control of one side of her body for about 15 feet then fell on her side, I thought she was having a heart attack or something. I ran up to her and picked her up and cradled her in my arms not knowing what was going on, she was twitching and foaming at the mouth. this lasted for about maybe 1 to 2 minutes. After it stopped she appeared normal and sat in my arms meowing. After about 5 minutes I set her down on the ground and it appeared that she could not walk. I was very worried at this point, she wouldnt move and when she tried she would have to stop before falling over. Well after about 10 more minutes I got some treats and gave them to her, I then tried to get her to come to me and she did. She is now walking normal and seems to be back to her old self. I know she must have had a seizure of some kind. I'm now wondering what to do. I really do not have the money at all right now to take her to the vet, this is the worst possible time for me having just had a major surgery and being unable to work for 10 weeks. I just dont have the money, Ive read it can be expensive for this type of diagnosis as well. I'm hoping that this is not to uncommon, especially in older cats, and that she will be ok. If anyone has any experience with this and can give me some advice it would be great. Thank you. > Hi, I have a female cat named kiki that I have had since I was about 7 > years old, I am about to turn 27 so she is around 20 years old. She [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > that she will be ok. If anyone has any experience with this and can > give me some advice it would be great. Thank you. Find the money and get her to the vet. If you have to eat Ramen noodles for a month, then do it.  SignatureLynne > Find the money and get her to the vet. If you have to eat Ramen noodles > for a month, then do it. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > - Show quoted text - This may sound harsh, but Lynne is correct. I have just had a cat out of surgery & it cost me 2 weeks wages, but I wouldn't have done it any other way. If the cat is as precious as you say, then you will find a way, even if it means borrowing the money, or asking family to chip in . Is there a charity near you, or even a cat sanctuary that might help out here? S;o) Good luck to your cat & you both > Hi, I have a female cat named kiki that I have had since I was about 7 > years old, I am about to turn 27 so she is around 20 years old. She [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > that she will be ok. If anyone has any experience with this and can > give me some advice it would be great. Thank you. ----------- A seizure is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It is not a normal part of aging. I really don't see that you have any choice but to take Kiki to the vet. If you are short of money, see if the veterinarian would be willing to work out a payment plan. But the main thing is that Kiki really needs to be seen ASAP. Good luck and please let us know what happens. Best regards, ---Cindy S. I have to agree with the others in saying please get her to a vet. It's entirely possible that this seizure is a precursor to something else and at her age, why take that chance? I've been in money situations too, so I can relate. When my cat had to be hospitalized for 10 days, I had an honest talk with the vet about my finances. They were willing to let me make monthly payments (in any amount, as long as I kept paying). Call around and find a vet who will work with you. > I have to agree with the others in saying please get her to a vet. > It's entirely possible that this seizure is a precursor to something [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > amount, as long as I kept paying). Call around and find a vet who will > work with you. I made a vet appointment for tomorrow. I should have the money, if anything I can ask my Mother to help me out. I'm just wondering how common this is or serious, obviously pretty serious. She's back to acting normal, trying to jump on me as I sit in a recliner and laying around. I'm just wondering that if I hadnt seen this happen I would not even know anything was wrong. This could have happened before and I never saw it and dont know. Better to be safe than sorry, I'll see what the vet has to say. > I made a vet appointment for tomorrow. I should have the money, if > anything I can ask my Mother to help me out. I'm just wondering how [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I never saw it and dont know. Better to be safe than sorry, I'll see > what the vet has to say. That's good to hear! Please let us know what the vet says, and how your kitty is doing. SignatureLynne >> I have to agree with the others in saying please get her to a vet. >> It's entirely possible that this seizure is a precursor to something [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > I never saw it and dont know. Better to be safe than sorry, I'll see > what the vet has to say. ------------- You're doing the right thing. While it is true that this could have happened before and you missed it, you would have seen it eventually. Although small children can sometimes have an isolated seizure with a high fever and then never have one again, seizures generally don't happen in isolation. Usually, people and animals don't develop seizure disorders out of the blue. You need to find out the underlying cause and treat it so that Kiki is not having ongoing seizures. Please keep us updated and let us know what your vet says. Best regards, ---Cindy S. On Mar 7, 1:12 pm, theglov...@aol.com wrote: > > I have to agree with the others in saying please get her to a vet. > > It's entirely possible that this seizure is a precursor to something [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > I never saw it and dont know. Better to be safe than sorry, I'll see > what the vet has to say. That is so good to hear! I imagine that your mother is a bit attached to the cat as well due to the fact that you've had Kiki since seven years of age. Accept any help offered to you and just make sure to make good on paying them back. Please swallow your pride and know that you are very lucky to have trusting and helpful people around you. Please let us know what the vet says about Kiki as we are anxious to hear the report! Wishing you and Kiki well, Heather > On Mar 7, 1:12 pm, theglov...@aol.com wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Wonderful news, & I take me hat off to you..;o) We get loads of morons who tell us precious their cat is to them, we when we advise them to get to the vet, they evaporate into thin air...!!? So news like this is super... I really am delighted to hear this news, mostly because I understand how you feel (In fact most of us have been through this one time or another...) It can be so worrying. & as you say, she has been a part of your life for a very long time now. You will feel so much better about yourself when "you know" what is wrong, & what you need to do to take care of her, as she has for you for so many faithful years. You are also very lucky that you have someone to turn to for the help you require.. So many people don't. It is different for you over in the USA, but I know that you must have some sort of charitable association that does help animals in need? Ours is called the PDSA, or the RSPCA & also the Blue cross hospitals too. None of them would turn away a sick animal, but you do have to sign an agreement to promise to pay for the assistance they provide for you.. Under the circumstances, it is a small thing to ask, when you consider the service that they are doing for your faithful friend. I wish you all the best for tomorrow, & I think we would all be ever so grateful to hear how you got on. Many thanks for taking the advice on your cat's behalf. I know it will squeeze you dry for a while, but I assure you that you will sleep easy @ night knowing that you have done your best for Kiki Hope to hear from you soon, Best Wishes, Sheelagh >Ours is called the PDSA, or the RSPCA & also the Blue cross hospitals >too. >None of them would turn away a sick animal, but you do have to sign an >agreement to promise to pay for the assistance they provide for you.. Obviously we are not talking about the same PDSA. We have a local one and it only deals with animals belonging to people on benefits and even then proving you are on benefits can be a problem. When our Fugazi became ill suddenly we were both temporarily on benefits and tried to get an appointment only to be told that we had to get a letter from the benefit office or a copy of our giro cheque (Difficult we were being paid direct to our bank accounts) to prove we were on benefits before they would even see her. Dave managed to get them to agree that they would see her tomorrow afternoon so he could go in the morning and try to get the letter but if he turned up with cat and no letter, the receptionist said they would not see her. To be fair, as she got worse, we decided this was one of the emergencies for which we keep credit cards and rushed her to a private vet where she was sent over the Bridge (it was cancer) so Dave called the PDSA the next morning to cancel the appointment and the receptionist he got then was pretty horrified and said he should have just brought her in and refused to leave until she was seen. Another friend who was out of work, had to hold onto his cheque from Thursday until Monday thus being unable to buy food for himself as his local branch of the PDSA refused to treat his dog until he brought the actual cheque and not a photocopy As regards the original poster- Fugazi's sister Isis had some sort of seizure when she was 15, she started staggering, twitching and did not seem to know where she was. Our vet said she's occasionally seen "One off" seizures in older cats and her advice after ruling out any obvious cause was to wait and see. If she'd had another one then the vet would have considered anti- convulsant medication but she felt the side effects of that might outweigh the benefits if it really was a one-off. Isis lived another almost 2 years and never had anything like that again Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs snip > As regards the original poster- Fugazi's sister Isis had some sort of > seizure [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Isis lived another almost 2 years and never had anything like that again ----------- I hope there will be a similar happy outcome for Kiki, and I wish the OP would follow up because I can't stop worrying about Kiki. Best regards, ---Cindy S. > >Ours is called the PDSA, or the RSPCA & also the Blue cross hospitals > >too. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > the morning and try to get the letter but if he turned up with cat and no > letter, the receptionist said they would not see her. Hi Lesley, great to hear from you again, & I do hope that all is going well with you both now that Dave is home again? Unfortunately, we are talking about the same PDSA (Peoples dispensary for sick animals for those of you who may not be familiar with them) We were also on benefits @ the time and didn't live near any of the places that I have mentioned to you all. I was so worried @ the time because Paul was out of work with a broken back & we were receiving income support & had 5 very young mouths and feet to feed and shod too, & I had No Possible way of paying for expensive treatment, even though I knew that the cat was desperate to be seen. I was ringing my wings like a headless chicken, thinking about how desperately I had let her down, & drowning in guilt was getting me no where fast! In the end, I did the rounds of all of the charities that I thought might be able to lend a hand in that situation. In the end, this is what happend I rang PDSA and told them about our circumstances, & they advised me to take her to my regular vet, & tell her that we had a financial problem. But, I was also told to ask her to call the PDSA to confirm that as long as we were entitled to benefits, that they would pay either a third of the bill, or up to £160-whichever was the greater amount. I also rang the RSPCA, who told me the rather the same thing, but they could only help me to a limit of £60 I also tried the Cat Protection league, who offered me no financial help at all. And the blue Cross did offer to see her, but I had to get her to one of their nearest hospitals, which happened @ that time to be over 70 miles away (in London). It was an impossibility @ that time, because I couldn't drive, & Paul couldn't walk, much less drive us there- I have since learnt to drive because I don't ever want to feel so helpless as I did that day..... > To be fair, as she got worse, we decided this was one of the emergencies for > which we keep credit cards and rushed her to a private vet where she was sent > over the Bridge (it was cancer) so Dave called the PDSA the next morning to > cancel the appointment and the receptionist he got then was pretty horrified > and said he should have just brought her in and refused to leave until she > was seen. Hardly inspiring & dreadful to hear about, I have to admit!!! This was exactly what we had to do in the end. A few years back, I think you will remember that if you were on income support, everyone used to have a book of regular tokens to cash @ the Post Office on a weekly basis if you were in receipt of benefit for long term reasons (over 6 months!) At the time, I was able to take my income support book in and show the private regular vet that I was indeed entitled to benefit (welfare), & on the strength of that, she agreed to treat our cat, as long as I got it done immediately. She filled her section out on the form, then all I had to do was fill our bit in, then send it straight back to them. I believe the vet received payment in 5 working days for the PDSA to pay up, & only 2 days for the RSPCA to pay too. I had to meet the rest of the bill myself, & sign an agreement to promise to pay the rest of the bill on a weekly basis, or pay the rest back in a lump sum if we happened to have a windfall. The bill was over £500 @ that time, so it was enormous amount of cash to find, but we got there in the end, & I thanked both charities, as well as the vet who was kind enough to do the surgery on the strength of our promise of payment too. It was Shelby that needed to be seen @ the time, & she had a mass removed under her right hind leg.(a dark tortie moggie) We got a further year to share with her, & I don't regret a moment of the hardship or worry that we went through. I knew when it was time to take her back, & we said our goodbyes to her after being told that it was back again, & that even aggressive treatment, she was in pain & it was time to allow her to go to sleep in peace. The only other way to qualify on the spot, is to take your housing or council tax exemption letter of entitlement Like you, I learned this one the hard way, & now I almost frame the damned thing on a yearly basis in case anyone asks to see it for similar reasons > Another friend who was out of work, had to hold onto his cheque from Thursday > until Monday thus being unable to buy food for himself as his local branch of > the PDSA refused to treat his dog until he brought the actual cheque and not > a photocopy Dreadfull...!!! I think & feel that was terribly wrong of them to say this.... & I can't understand why they didn't give either of you the same advice, which was "Don't take no for an answer- Sit down & wait until someone does take you seriously".....!!!!! Under the circumstance, Personally I would have & still would complain if this happened fairly recently? I have to say that I am astounded to hear that it went so pear shaped for you, & sympathise with you. It is becoming harder & harder to get financial aid in the Country (UK), with regard to pet health. I believe that the reason for this is because there are too many people milking the system, who are not entitled to the precious little funds that they do have to go round. If this incident taught me anything, it was that Pet insurance Is essential if you happen to be owned by a cat or any other animal. I know that a lot of people might say that they can ill afford it if they are on benefits, & I do understand that argument. However, I also feel that if you are a truely responsible cat- slave, then you will go without something to afford that that extra £8 per month. I understand better than most how difficult it is to find that extra money, but learnt from my mistake & that horrendous bill. Most vets assume that you must have private insurance, which is wrong! But having gone through the same thing as you describe, I guess that it is up to us to ensure that we cover these problems in advance, or we have to face the consequences, however dreadful they are;o( > As regards the original poster- Fugazi's sister Isis had some sort of seizure > when she was 15, she started staggering, twitching and did not seem to know [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Slave of the Fabulous Furballs I am very much hoping for a similar outcome too for the OP. It is wonderful to see you around again as I have missed your posts recently. Best wishes to both you , Dave & the Furrballs too of course S;o) >Hi Lesley, great to hear from you again, & I do hope that all is going >well with you both now that Dave is home again? I'm still posting the saga on r.p.c.a- it's going with the inevitable ups and downs but in the right direction >A few years back, I think you will remember that if you were on income >support, everyone used to have a book of regular tokens to cash @ the >Post Office on a weekly basis if you were in receipt of benefit for >long term reasons (over 6 months!) You can have that option but increasingly they want you to have the money paid into your bank account and it was easier for us since the alternative was cashing the token then going to the bank to put money in for standing orders. >Under the circumstance, Personally I would have & still would complain >if this happened fairly recently? April 1999- we did write a letter of complaint but all we got back was the standard "Thanks for your letter- we're looking into it" form >If this incident taught me anything, it was that Pet insurance Is >essential if you happen to be owned by a cat or any other animal. >I know that a lot of people might say that they can ill afford it if >they are on benefits, & I do understand that argument. Never bothered with pet insurance. We had two credit cards kept in an envelope for "emergencies only" ie for the cats but not to cover routine stuff. Some people save a few pounds a month into a savings account in the cat's name working on the theory that if they start this when the cat is young by the time, the cat is old enough to start needing serious vet attention there will be a tidy sum tucked away Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs > I'm still posting the saga on r.p.c.a- it's going with the inevitable ups and > downs but in the right direction In that case, I will go over there to have a look, rather than you have to repeat the same things a millions times over. I think that it has to be the longest thread that I have ever seen before..! > You can have that option but increasingly they want you to have the money > paid into your bank account and it was easier for us since the alternative > was cashing the token then going to the bank to put money in for standing > orders. Yes, more recently, I have had mine paid direct into the Bank account because they are open 24/4 via atm's, unlike our post office that shuts half days on both Wednesdays & Saturdays, & closed altogether on a Sunday too.... These day's, if I find myself having to use the standard council tax exemption forms if I have to prove eligibility for help with anything > April 1999- we did write a letter of complaint but all we got back was the > standard "Thanks for your letter- we're looking into it" form Oh yes, I know exactly what you mean.. in other words, thanks for your letter, we have carefully filed it in the recycling dump...?!!! Please don't expect to hear from us any further, unless you threaten us with legal action, in which case we might have a copy of it on micro file.... > Never bothered with pet insurance. We had two credit cards kept in an > envelope for "emergencies only" ie for the cats but not to cover routine [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Slave of the Fabulous Furballs This is also a good idea. At least you get a bit of interest on the savings too. Unfortunately, I often find myself tucking into these emergency funds, so in my case, it is much easier to just pay the bills.. We all have different coping strategies, but as long as they work when you need them, that is all that matters... S;o) >> I have to agree with the others in saying please get her to a vet. >> It's entirely possible that this seizure is a precursor to something [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > I never saw it and dont know. Better to be safe than sorry, I'll see > what the vet has to say. I'm so glad to hear you got an appointment for you kitty. You can do a search online for vet bill assistance. There are some organizations out there who can help with vet bills if you qualify. My niece was in a real bind (debates on whether to pay the phone bill, the rent or the electric bill that month) and was able to get assistance to take her cat to the vet when he had a blockage. Check and see if there is any assistance for this in your area. W > I made a vet appointment for tomorrow. I should have the money, if > anything I can ask my Mother to help me out. I'm just wondering how [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I never saw it and dont know. Better to be safe than sorry, I'll see > what the vet has to say. I was just wondering if you have any more news to share regarding Kiki now that you have had time to & visit your vet? Continued Best Wishes, S;o) >Hi, I have a female cat named kiki that I have had since I was about 7 >years old, I am about to turn 27 so she is around 20 years old. She >has never had any major health problems and seems very healthy for her ... I read everyone's responses and while taking her to the vet is certainly a good idea, she is 20. That is old. Very old. I just looked at a cat age chart and that is 96 human. A rough guess, yes, but still, old. You are also correct that you just happened to catch this happen. If you hadn't, you would never have known as she recovered quickly. So, yes, see what the vet says. But do not go overboard treating her. She is going to die, likely fairly soon, just like all of us will eventually. You can't stop that. Depending on what the vet says, treat or don't treat based on her quality of life. Many of us have made a mistake of trying to keep our feline charges alive too long. It's expensive, but that isn't the worst part. We just don't know how much they are suffering. We can't win. We worry that we didn't do enough, or we worry that we did too much. You're in our thoughts so please keep us posted. > >Hi, I have a female cat named kiki that I have had since I was about 7 > >years old, I am about to turn 27 so she is around 20 years old. She [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > You're in our thoughts so please keep us posted. Your so right. When you are emotionally involved, it is hard to see anything other than how to make your cat better. Unfortunately, because of that emotional involvement, it is so easy to blinker yourself. I have done this several times myself. It is so easy to see when it is not your problem.. Continued Best Wishes, Sheelagh >>Hi, I have a female cat named kiki that I have had since I was about 7 >>years old, I am about to turn 27 so she is around 20 years old. She [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > You are also correct that you just happened to catch this happen. If > you hadn't, you would never have known as she recovered quickly. But seizures generally don't occur in isolation. If she had missed this one, she would have seen the next one or the next one. Eventually, she would have seen one. > So, yes, see what the vet says. But do not go overboard treating her. > She is going to die, likely fairly soon, just like all of us will [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > don't know how much they are suffering. We can't win. We worry that we > didn't do enough, or we worry that we did too much. All of what you say above is absolutely true, but before sounding so morose, I really think the OP should take it one step at a time. I understand where you're coming from, but since the OP doesn't have any kind of diagnosis on Kiki, there's nothing wrong with her remaining optimistic unless and until she finds out otherwise. It is entirely possible that Kiki could still have a few good-quality-of-life years left. I hope the OP posts soon to tell us what the vet says. Best regards, ---Cindy S. > You're in our thoughts so please keep us posted. O> All of what you say above is absolutely true, but before sounding so morose, > I really think the OP should take it one step at a time. I understand where > you're coming from, but since the OP doesn't have any kind of diagnosis on [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Best regards, > ---Cindy S. I have to agree with Cindy. Cats are living longer, so she might have a few years left in her. I too hope the OP posts to give us an update. Rene >O> All of what you say above is absolutely true, but before sounding >so morose, [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >Rene Ok, I didn't mean to be unkind. Hopefully the kitty will set a longevity record. None of mine seem to make it past 16. > >O> All of what you say above is absolutely true, but before sounding > >so morose, [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Apologize from me too. I was wrong. And I am very sorry.... I agree that you should do everything that is possible, as long as it is in both Kiki's interest & the OP's too. When I said this, I was thinking back to recently, when I couldn't see any further than the end of my own nose regarding the loss of our precious kittens. I was trying to point out that the situation was rather dire, but I chose not to see it, because of my emotional attachment. Each case should be judged on it's own merits. Kiki might have a few years to allow her mistress to slave for her, & if this is the case, All the better;o) I very much hope that she got on well today & look forward to possitive news too. Continued best Wishes, Sheelagh |
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