Cat Seizure: Understanding, Symptoms, and What To Do

Witnessing your cat experience a seizure can be a distressing event for any pet owner. These episodes, characterized by sudden, uncontrollable muscle activity, can stem from various underlying causes, ranging from temporary metabolic disturbances to more serious conditions like epilepsy. While a single seizure might be triggered by factors such as head trauma, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), high fever, or ingestion of toxins, recurrent seizures often signal epilepsy or other significant health issues. It’s crucial to remain calm if your cat has a seizure and seek immediate veterinary attention from your regular vet or a local emergency animal hospital.

Decoding Seizures in Cats

Cat Seizures are essentially abrupt disruptions in the brain’s normal electrical activity, leading to a temporary loss of control over muscle function. These neurological events can manifest as fits or convulsions and vary significantly in duration, lasting from mere seconds to several minutes, and in rare cases, even hours.

Epilepsy in Cats: Recurring Seizure Episodes

When a cat experiences repeated seizures, it may be diagnosed with epilepsy. The frequency of epilepsy-related seizures is unpredictable, occurring at intervals that can range from days to months or even years. It’s important to differentiate epilepsy as a condition of recurring seizures from single, isolated seizure events.

Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Cat Seizures

While the symptoms of seizures in cats can appear alarming, they are indicators of an underlying neurological issue that requires prompt veterinary evaluation. Determining the cause of the seizure is vital, as it could be linked to a life-threatening medical condition.

Cat seizures are broadly classified into two main types: focal and generalized.

Focal Seizures (Partial Seizures): These seizures originate in a specific area of the brain, the cerebral cortex, and are often limited to one side of the body. Common signs of focal seizures include:

A sudden, loud cry, which might sound like the cat is experiencing pain.
Uncharacteristic aggressive behavior.
Excessive salivation or drooling.
Loss of function in a leg or limb.
Bizarre behaviors such as chewing motions without food present (like “chewing imaginary gum”).
Staring blankly into space, seemingly unresponsive.
Inability to stand or get up without help.

Generalized Seizures: In contrast to focal seizures, generalized seizures affect the entire body. They are further categorized into grand mal and petit mal seizures.

Grand Mal Seizures: These are the more dramatic and easily recognizable type of generalized seizure. They typically last for a short duration, usually under five minutes. Symptoms of grand mal seizures include:

Uncontrolled muscle spasms, often involving paddling or kicking motions of the legs.
Falling onto their side.
Loss of bladder and/or bowel control.
Complete unawareness of their surroundings, people nearby, or their own actions.

Petit Mal Seizures: Petit mal seizures are subtler and less obvious, sometimes going unnoticed by owners. Unlike grand mal seizures, they do not involve convulsions, but can cause a cat to suddenly collapse. Other signs may include:

Episodes of staring into space.
Confusion or disorientation.
Strange, repetitive behaviors like chewing motions or swatting at invisible objects.

Seizure episodes typically progress through three distinct phases:

Pre-ictal Phase (Aura): This phase precedes the actual seizure. During the aura, a cat may exhibit behavioral changes such as restlessness, anxiety, excessive salivation, or increased attention-seeking behavior. Conversely, some cats may become withdrawn and hide. However, it’s important to note that not all cats display an aura before a seizure.
Ictal Phase: This is the seizure itself. The ictus phase is characterized by the physical manifestations of the seizure, which can last from seconds to minutes, or even longer in severe cases.
Post-ictal Phase: This is the recovery period following the seizure. The post-ictal phase can vary in duration, lasting from a few minutes to several days, although most cats recover within a few hours. During this phase, cats may appear confused, disoriented, or tired.

While epilepsy is defined by recurrent seizures, it’s important to remember that not every cat with repeated seizures has epilepsy. Epilepsy is more commonly diagnosed in dogs than cats, affecting less than 3% of the feline population.

Uncovering the Causes of Seizures in Cats

A wide range of conditions can trigger seizures in cats. These causes can be broadly categorized and include:

Toxin Exposure: Poisoning from various toxins is a significant cause of seizures. Common culprits include household poisons and certain medications.
Head Trauma: Injury to the head can disrupt normal brain function and lead to seizures.
Brain Tumors: Growths in the brain can interfere with neurological activity and cause seizures.
Brain Infections or Inflammation: Infections or inflammatory conditions affecting the brain (encephalitis, meningitis) can trigger seizures.
Infectious Diseases: Certain systemic infections such as feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), toxoplasmosis, feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), and cryptococcosis are known to cause seizures.
Liver or Kidney Problems: Dysfunction of these organs can lead to metabolic imbalances that trigger seizures.
Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar): Insufficient glucose levels in the blood can disrupt brain function and cause seizures.
Electrolyte Imbalances: Abnormal levels of electrolytes like calcium or sodium can affect neurological activity.
Thiamine Deficiency: A lack of thiamine (Vitamin B1) in the diet can lead to neurological problems including seizures.
Congenital Disorders: Some cats are born with conditions that predispose them to seizures.
Immune-Mediated Diseases: Conditions where the immune system attacks the brain, such as immune-mediated encephalitis, can cause seizures.
Epilepsy: As mentioned earlier, epilepsy itself is a primary cause of recurrent seizures.

Veterinarians differentiate between intracranial and extracranial causes of seizures. Intracranial causes originate within the brain, while extracranial causes stem from issues outside the brain but affecting it.

Intracranial causes are further divided into structural abnormalities (like brain tumors) and functional abnormalities where no structural changes are found. Idiopathic epilepsy, a diagnosis of exclusion, falls into the functional category. It’s diagnosed when all other potential causes are ruled out, and the seizures are presumed to be due to an inherent brain disorder.

Extracranial causes include toxic disorders (poisons from outside the body) and metabolic disorders (internal body imbalances). Pyrethrin, a common insecticide found in dog flea and tick medications, is a frequent toxin causing seizures in cats. It’s crucial to prevent cats from grooming dogs treated with these products.

Diagnosing Cat Seizures: A Veterinary Approach

Diagnosing seizures in cats involves a comprehensive veterinary evaluation. Your veterinarian will rely on diagnostic tests combined with your detailed account of the seizure event. If possible, timing the seizure duration and even recording it on your phone can provide valuable information. Details about pre-seizure signs and symptoms during the seizure are also important. Your vet may ask about:

Potential toxin exposure.
Recent injuries or trauma.
Any other signs of illness.
Outdoor access in recent weeks.
Patterns related to seizure occurrence (e.g., sleep, exercise, eating).
Any changes in behavior.

Further diagnostic testing may include:

A thorough physical and neurological examination.
Laboratory tests such as bloodwork and urinalysis, and radiographs (X-rays).
Specialized tests like blood lead level measurement, bile acid analysis, serology, or PCR testing for infectious diseases.
Advanced imaging such as MRI of the brain for detailed visualization.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection, also known as a spinal tap, to analyze fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

If no underlying cause is identified after thorough investigation, the seizures may be classified as idiopathic epilepsy or primary epilepsy.

Treatment Strategies for Seizures in Cats

The primary goal of treatment for cat seizures is to manage their frequency and severity through medication. Typically, medication is initiated after a cat has experienced multiple or severe seizures. Even when the underlying cause remains unknown, treatment is often recommended because each seizure episode carries the risk of further brain damage and complications.

It’s important to note that a single, brief seizure might not necessitate treatment.

If toxin exposure is identified as the cause, the immediate focus is on eliminating the toxin from the cat’s system. For example, if a topical flea medication is implicated, bathing the cat to remove residual medication is crucial.

Beyond directly managing seizures, addressing any underlying conditions contributing to the seizures is also essential for effective treatment.

Pharmacological management of seizures often involves anticonvulsant medications. Finding the most effective medication and dosage for an individual cat may require trying different drugs under veterinary guidance.

Managing Seizures with Anticonvulsant Medication: What to Expect

It’s common for the initial period (one to two months) of anticonvulsant medication to seem ineffective. Dosage and timing adjustments are often necessary during this phase. If seizures persist, contacting your veterinarian is crucial. They may perform blood tests to measure medication levels in the bloodstream and adjust the dosage accordingly. Other factors that can impact medication effectiveness include stress or disease progression.

The prognosis for cats with seizures varies depending on the underlying cause.

If seizures are secondary to a treatable condition like an infection or hypoglycemia, addressing the primary issue should resolve the seizures. However, there is currently no cure for epilepsy in cats. Despite this, with appropriate medication, epilepsy can be effectively managed, aiming to reduce the frequency, duration, and severity of seizures.

It’s important to understand that even with treatment, complete seizure prevention may not always be achievable.

Seizures themselves are not contagious.

The cost of seizure treatment in cats is variable, influenced by factors like diagnostic testing, medication (potentially long-term), follow-up care, and geographic location, with urban areas often having higher veterinary costs.

Recovery and Long-Term Management of Seizures in Cats

If a seizure is brief (3-5 minutes) and the cat recovers quickly, immediate panic may not be necessary. However, prompt veterinary consultation is still advised, particularly for first-time seizures or seizures in young cats (under 12 months old).

Emergency veterinary care is crucial if a seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes or if cluster seizures (multiple seizures in a short period) occur.

Long-term seizure management strategies include:

Learning to recognize seizure symptoms and phases.
Providing a balanced, high-quality diet.
Keeping detailed records of seizure events (start/stop times, symptoms).
Regular veterinary check-ups and blood tests to monitor medication levels and potential side effects.

Proactive management of your cat’s overall health and familiarity with seizure signs are key to providing the best possible care. In the event of a seizure, accurate record-keeping of the episode will assist your veterinarian in tailoring the treatment plan.

Preventing Seizures in Cats: A Proactive Approach

Seizure prevention in cats is not always possible, especially in cases of epilepsy or idiopathic seizures. Long-term anticonvulsant medication may be necessary for some cats, with ongoing dose adjustments over time.

Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent seizures directly. However, ensuring your cat is up-to-date on routine vaccinations can prevent some infectious diseases that can trigger seizures.

In Summary: Key Takeaways on Cat Seizures

Seizures in cats are caused by temporary disruptions in brain function, resulting in uncontrolled muscle activity (fits or convulsions). They can range in duration from seconds to hours. While some seizures may be benign, veterinary consultation is always recommended to rule out underlying conditions requiring treatment. Understanding the signs, causes, and management of cat seizures empowers owners to provide informed and timely care for their feline companions.