Anyone got a cat with seizures?

[Stilllivinginazoo]

Hoping for some advice
One my girls is 4.has had episodes jumping/jerking out basket (literally metre into air) about 8months.i took her to vet after she did it from top XXL cat tree basket(6ft up,her favourite spot) and was briefly unable use back legs.
Vet said legs were fine.anxiety probable cause,try anxiety pills
I did,she hated them.we carried on
This week my DD cane down saying cat was running in her sleep growling and then said cat rolled down the stairs unable use back legs.this recovered after about 5mins(going to a limp in under 2 and by 5 jumping on furniture) she seemed unaware of where she was eyes were weird looking and didn't answer her name(unusual for her) she held her tail weird and kept drinking.
I called the vet who saw he later in the day.she was more co hereby then,tail still not standing up even when scratch base spine
He suggested most likely neurological/epilepsy and try anti seizure meds
I gave her her meds this morning and after she seemed to be choking/chewing with a funny noise.i thought I'd gagged her as plunger did go down faster than intended but after bit foamy drool came out she lost control legs again.not to sane extent but her balance is off.shes aware/looking when call her and drinking a lot/responding and coming for dreamies.has she had another "fit"
Do I need to do anything particular?
She has an appointment in 4weeks for bloods as the meds can cause liver toxicity,and a review
Any advice what I should do to comfort her/when to be concerned would be grateful for
Ive never seen anything like this before and it's making me distressed seeing her like this,which isn't helpful as I've DC who have anxiety

Bump

Can you video an episode? That’s what I did with mine. He would be sick, go rigid and fall over, often into what he’d sicked up. The vet felt he was momentarily cutting off his air supply with the strength of his retching so I was just on high alert when he yowled. The vet was the one who suggested videoing to let him see what my boy looked like.

bumping for the OP. I hope you get this sorted for poor dcat

Yes, it's awful to watch. My vet told me to let it play itself out, a bit like u would do with a human having an epileptic fit. Make him comfortable. But I couldn't help it...I had to pick him up and hug him until he was through it. Sorry I can't be more helpful, but hope you get Dcat sorted

@LittleMissnotLittleMrs
@Whywonttheyletmeusemyusername
thank you for the replies.did your boys recover ok after or was did they have probs with back legs/disorientation/moving?
She had her "wibble" at 630 this morning,and she's still a bit wobbly on her legs now(she can move but her back legs look wobbly and she's struggling with the stairs,miscalculating jumping on the sifa etc)

hop thanks for the bump lovely💖

*hope

@Stilllivinginazoo he was fine as long as he wasn’t sick. He would fall forwards, really weird. I just used to jump up, try not to disturb him whilst he was sick but close enough to grab him afterwards. It never affected him beyond that instant just really freaky. Sorry not to bring something more positive

@LittleMissnotLittleMrs I appreciate you taking the time to reply
She's such a loving little cat and it's very hard watching her struggle to get around and her eyes look weird,kind of like the lights are on but no one's home?she can hear me and responds to look if I call her name or come towards me but she looks "odd" to me

Our old boy had fits for several years before he died. We think he either fell off something and damaged himself or had a tumour of some sort, we never did work out which. He seemed to react to certain sounds, like the crinkling of crisp packets, you'd see him getting twitchier over several days then he'd fit and then be OK for a few weeks.

He'd fall on his side, his legs would do the running thing, he'd foam at the mouth a little and usually pee everywhere. The fits normally lasted 2-3 minutes before he came round. He'd then be very confused and pace in circles for a while before calming down.

It sounds awful but was manageable. Between fits, he had an excellent quality of life. We took him to the vet to be checked after the first one and then again as needed, but they didn't recommend any medication due to his age. I think they thought he was on his last legs, but I think they went on over 5 years before he finally passed aged 22.

DSis had a cat with epilepsy. He would have his fits, then be pretty staggery for a few hours after. He would also seem to be very confused wandering around the house as thought he didn't recognise where he was, occasionally bumping in to things.

He lasted a few more years on meds, and it was either liver or kidney disease that he died from (can't remember which).

We did notice that he seemed to lose a bit of his swagger over time, and his confidence.

@forgottenusername that's comforting he had a good,long life.shes only 4
@Allergictoironing thanks for the reply.how old was your boy?

From what others are saying her "turns" aren't like your experiences at all

I've just try to give her the meds and she got herself into such a state I only got a drip in and she ran off clearly distressed and try spit it out and that's made her seem worse again- less balance,eyes seem more unfocused.could stress be upsetting her rather than epilepsy?I'm really confused,and I think I need to ring the vet tom and have a chat for reassurance

No, he was very disorientated for a little why afterwards. Slept an awful lot, but pretty much as you describe. Wobbly. Next day right as rain

My boy first started with seizures when he was 6 - he's 17 now. He's mostly seizure free, controlled by Epiphen, but does still have the occasional big one though these are very infrequent now. There is no reason as to why he'll suddenly have one, apart from spitting out his medication and we haven't noticed.

Its awful to watch and I used to be a complete mess when he first started with them. He tends to fall onto his side and 'run' whilst rigid. I've had some nasty and deep scratches on my arms from trying to hold him mid fit. I now just support his head and stroke him gently. He used to wee when he had a seizure but that hasn't happened recently. When he comes round he's very disoriented, will pace around and yowl and head straight to his food bowl and eat like he's been starved for weeks. He will then be very clingy (clingier than normal) and won't leave my side, and then snoozes for hours.

My vets surgery is brilliant with him. He has a blood test every 6 months (more frequently if having regular seizures), to check the phenobarbital levels from Epiphen. He also takes Hepaticare as unfortunately Epiphen can impact on liver functioning too. We tried to reduce his medication years ago with a view to him coming off as he'd been seizure free for a couple of years. Unfortunately, he then started fitting again and it took ages to stabilise him. We've agreed with the vet that he will stay on Epiphen for life as this works for him.

It's so upsetting seeing him have seizures, but he doesn't know what is going on and has a brilliant quality of life. He's spoilt rotten and rightly so!

Not sure, but I THINK DSis's cat was about 6 (very ish) when he started to get the fits.

He was NOT the kind of cat you could give meds to easily (Nephew no.3 still has the scars about 8 years after moving away), but luckily he was in to various foods the other cat didn't like, so we would put the drops onto a small portion of something he liked & she didn't e.g. tinned tuna.

@stickssss that's the meds we were given for my girl.she gets so distressed trying get it down her
We have issues fleaing her too..if I put drops on back of her neck she freaks out and goes wide eyed and weird and doesn't seem recognise any of us/hides for a few hours.i wonder if that's related,as we tried a number if different flea treatments and all did sane thing..something for me to think about.
Good to hear has had a long,full life💖
@Allergictoironing unfortunately I can't add hers to food as she is inclined share stuff with her sister!!

Is your cat on the liquid form or tablets? My boy anticipated the liquid and would chomp and salivate excessively meaning he ended up not having his full dose amd he would dribble it out. He's now on 3/8 of a tablet twice a day. He's the most patient cat ever and will sit next to me whilst I get his meds ready before his meals and takes them like a dream. His sister on the other hand is a scratchy nightmare! Although I've learnt that any tablet squashed into a bit of cheese works with my lot!

Yes, you should look into the flea treatment as your cat doesn't seem to respond normally to that.

Hope your little one stabilises, stay calm and offer TLC to her. Fingers crossed she will stabilise on the Epiphen.

She's on liquid @stickssss,pills are a no no.ive had 5 cats prior to her and her sister and these two are literally impossible to medicate.they stop eating ANYTHING if you try to hide in their food and are whirling dervishes of claws even wrapped in towels (struggle to put in cat carriers for the vet too)

Hi Op,
Hopefully your vet can shed some light but my cat suffered from Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome and it made her behave erratically even when she was sleeping. She was trying to bite her tail but she made awful noises (it sounded like she was fighting herself!). She went on anti-epilepsy medication but it did not work so the vet said it was more anxiety and she now has Prozac medication (one tablet a day) that has really helped. Perhaps have a look on YouTube and see if those symptoms match the symptoms of your cat?