Has anyone had any experience with a cat having a seizure because of fear?
My daughter was taking her cat to the vet and when she put him in a carrier and put him in the car, he had a seizure.
He is only one yr. old, she got him from a shelter. The vet checked him out and checked again for feline leukemia, but found nothing. She said to bring him back in in a few days for more blood work. He has never had a seizure before.
My daughter thinks he may have gotten real scared about getting outside, plus he was in an open carrier this time. The other time he was in a covered carrier. He has never been outside but a few times on her porch, and when he hears a loud noise he runs to get back inside.
He is a nervous cat but loves people and is not afraid of anyone.
The vet said seizure in a cat is rare, but does happen.
I know fear can do strange things to people and I wonder if anyone has had this experience with a cat?
Cat had seizure while going to the vet
Re: Cat had seizure while going to the vet
Why wasn't bloodwork done at the time of the exam?
Are you (or your daughter) certain it was a seizure?
A seizure due to being scared would be extremely rare. There could be some other underlying health issue going on, bloodwork is warranted immediately. Seizures of other causes are not uncommon, despite the vet's comments..they can be caused due to epilepsy, organ disfunction, viral infection, toxins, or tumors, etc.
What do you mean by "open carrier"?
Are you (or your daughter) certain it was a seizure?
A seizure due to being scared would be extremely rare. There could be some other underlying health issue going on, bloodwork is warranted immediately. Seizures of other causes are not uncommon, despite the vet's comments..they can be caused due to epilepsy, organ disfunction, viral infection, toxins, or tumors, etc.
What do you mean by "open carrier"?
..........Traci
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Luv my kitty
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- Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2005 10:08 am
Re: Cat had seizure while going to the vet
I don't know why the vet didn't do more bloodwork then. She checked for feline leukemia even though the cat had been vaccinated for it.
She said sometimes it doesn't show up when they are kittens.
Also the cat had come from a shelter.
She is taking him back Tuesday for the blood work.
My daughter said it was a seizure. She said he was lying on his back and convulsing. She went in to get her husband and he quieted down after a few minutes. She said he is still nervous now after returning home.
By open carrier I just meant that it had holes in it where he could see out. The other carrier he used was a leather one that was mostly enclosed on the sides. He got so big she had to get a dog carrier for him. He is 16 lbs.
She said sometimes it doesn't show up when they are kittens.
Also the cat had come from a shelter.
She is taking him back Tuesday for the blood work.
My daughter said it was a seizure. She said he was lying on his back and convulsing. She went in to get her husband and he quieted down after a few minutes. She said he is still nervous now after returning home.
By open carrier I just meant that it had holes in it where he could see out. The other carrier he used was a leather one that was mostly enclosed on the sides. He got so big she had to get a dog carrier for him. He is 16 lbs.
Re: Cat had seizure while going to the vet
All newly aquired kittens and adult cats should be tested for FELV/FIV immediately after adoption, combined with a through examination by your primary vet (not a shelter vet). Kittens should be tested at least twice before adulthood (and vaccinated for FELV accordingly).
In adult cats, where no vaccination history is known or if exposure to different environments, etc is known, then yes, re-testing is always a good idea (and if negative, then vaccinating accordingly).
Tell your daughter to record the following:
1) What was occuring directly before the seizure event?
2) The duration (seconds or minutes) of the seizure?
3) How did the cat recover, quickly and seemingly aware of his/her surroundings, ....or slowly and seemingly disoriented?
4) Determine if petit, cluster or grand mal:
Petit seizures are mild seizures that usually only occur for a few seconds, with little thrashing about, or short, jerking motions.
Cluster seizures are short seizures (less than 2-3 minutes), with thrashing about movements (may be severe), and occur minutes after one another. Cluster seizures can be any number more than one, and if severe, can lead to grand mal seizures.
Grand Mal seizures are seizures that are severe, thrashing about wildly, or with a paralyzed appearance....they tend to last longer than 3 minutes, and may lead to a coma-induced state.
During a seizure event, do NOT try to handle kitty....instead, place soft pillows near him to prevent him from injuring himself. Try to note the type of seizure, time it if possible...and call the ER immediately and get kitty there promptly.
All of these types of seizures need to be noted and contact with an emergency vet immediately is paramount so that the seizures can be controlled quickly. Your vet may suggest one of three things:
1) Observation at home only. If another seizure occurs, get kitty to emergency vet immediately for treatment, and subsequent bloodwork/diagnostics.
2) Treatment to control seizure activity, and subsequent bloodwork/diagnostics. Monitor at home. If another seizure occurs, get to emergency vet immediately for treatment.
3) All of the above with additional diagnostics or long-term medication to control seizure activity.
The goal in seizure treatment is to prevent no more than 1 seizure event within a 3-month time frame. If seizures occur more often than that, additional diagnostics are necessary. Or, combined treatment for the underlying cause (if found). Bloodwork, x-rays, ultrasound, etc are all diagnostics that may (or may not) be necessary to find the underlying cause of seizure activity.
It's imperative you and your daughter understand to get kitty to an emergency vet immediately if another seizure occurs, no matter how mild.
In a 1-year old cat, I'd make sure to rule out bacterial/viral/fungal infection, fever activity, toxin ingestion, organ disfunction (namely liver, kidney or heart, one liver condition to rule out in a young adult would be liver shunting).
In adult cats, where no vaccination history is known or if exposure to different environments, etc is known, then yes, re-testing is always a good idea (and if negative, then vaccinating accordingly).
Tell your daughter to record the following:
1) What was occuring directly before the seizure event?
2) The duration (seconds or minutes) of the seizure?
3) How did the cat recover, quickly and seemingly aware of his/her surroundings, ....or slowly and seemingly disoriented?
4) Determine if petit, cluster or grand mal:
Petit seizures are mild seizures that usually only occur for a few seconds, with little thrashing about, or short, jerking motions.
Cluster seizures are short seizures (less than 2-3 minutes), with thrashing about movements (may be severe), and occur minutes after one another. Cluster seizures can be any number more than one, and if severe, can lead to grand mal seizures.
Grand Mal seizures are seizures that are severe, thrashing about wildly, or with a paralyzed appearance....they tend to last longer than 3 minutes, and may lead to a coma-induced state.
During a seizure event, do NOT try to handle kitty....instead, place soft pillows near him to prevent him from injuring himself. Try to note the type of seizure, time it if possible...and call the ER immediately and get kitty there promptly.
All of these types of seizures need to be noted and contact with an emergency vet immediately is paramount so that the seizures can be controlled quickly. Your vet may suggest one of three things:
1) Observation at home only. If another seizure occurs, get kitty to emergency vet immediately for treatment, and subsequent bloodwork/diagnostics.
2) Treatment to control seizure activity, and subsequent bloodwork/diagnostics. Monitor at home. If another seizure occurs, get to emergency vet immediately for treatment.
3) All of the above with additional diagnostics or long-term medication to control seizure activity.
The goal in seizure treatment is to prevent no more than 1 seizure event within a 3-month time frame. If seizures occur more often than that, additional diagnostics are necessary. Or, combined treatment for the underlying cause (if found). Bloodwork, x-rays, ultrasound, etc are all diagnostics that may (or may not) be necessary to find the underlying cause of seizure activity.
It's imperative you and your daughter understand to get kitty to an emergency vet immediately if another seizure occurs, no matter how mild.
In a 1-year old cat, I'd make sure to rule out bacterial/viral/fungal infection, fever activity, toxin ingestion, organ disfunction (namely liver, kidney or heart, one liver condition to rule out in a young adult would be liver shunting).
..........Traci