Epilepsy In Cats: Symptoms Of The Disease, How To Stop Seizures, Can Seizures Be Prevented, Treatment Methods, Veterinarian Recommendations

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Epilepsy in a cat: how to help a pet

Epilepsy is rare in cats, but these mammals are prone to this type of seizure. Despite the fact that this is not a disease, but only a symptom of functional disorders in the work of the brain, the owners of such a cat need to know how to behave if the animal has seizures.

Content

• 1 What is epilepsy in cats

  • 1.1 Possible causes of seizures
  • 1.2 Factors contributing to the development of the disease
  • 1.3 Danger to others

• 2 Features of external manifestation

  • 2.1 Forms of the disease

    • 2.1.1 Congenital or true epilepsy
    • 2.1.2 Acquired or symptomatic

  • 2.2 Stages of an epileptic seizure

    2.2.1 Video: major epileptic seizure

• 3 Diagnosis of epilepsy

  3.1 Video: Cramps in Cats

• 4 Emergency contact with the veterinarian

• 5 Treatment of epilepsy

  • 5.1 Drug treatment
  • 5.2 Possibility of treatment with folk remedies
  • 5.3 Nutritional considerations

  • 5.4 Correct care

    5.4.1 Actions during an attack

  • 5.5 Features of the treatment of pregnant cats
• 6 Prevention of epileptic seizures in a pet

What is epilepsy in cats

Epilepsy is a disturbance in the functioning of the brain associated with the processes of excitation and inhibition. These disorders are expressed in uncontrollable seizures, which can begin spontaneously and unexpectedly. In some cases, loss of consciousness is possible.

Possible causes of seizures

The exact causes of the disease are still unknown. They can be very different, ranging from genetic predisposition to stress on the first trip to the country. Determining the cause allows you to prescribe treatment and eliminate epileptic seizures or reduce their frequency to almost zero. The main reasons are:

• lowering blood glucose levels;
• hepatic encephalopathy;
• infectious diseases, inflammatory processes that affect the nervous system;
• ingestion of poisons and toxins;
• Any head injury (seizures can start a week, month, year or two after the injury);
• tumors in the brain, both benign and cancerous;
• diseases of the blood vessels, which can interfere with blood circulation in the head.

Factors contributing to the development of the disease

There is no actual link between epilepsy and cat breed, but it has been observed that males are more likely to suffer from these disorders than females.

Epilepsy tends to be transmitted at the genetic level, but not necessarily from parents to kittens.

Epilepsy can be congenital and acquired

Danger to others

The attack itself is not dangerous for others (humans, other animals). But it is worth remembering that during seizures, the cat can involuntarily injure the owner, so you should not press the pet to the floor or otherwise try to reduce the seizures.

Features of external manifestation

The disease can be recognized by its external signs, which are typical. But only a doctor can directly diagnose.

Forms of the disease

Cats may be diagnosed with congenital or acquired epilepsy. Both forms are characterized by the same symptoms. The differences are only in the time of the first attack:

• with congenital epilepsy, the first convulsions may appear at a young age;
• in the case of acquired - at any age, more often after a certain event in the cat's life.

Congenital or true epilepsy

Another name for congenital epilepsy is idiopathic. This form of the disease is the result of abnormal development of the animal's nervous system even before its birth. In this case, the processes of excitation and inhibition, which occur in the cerebral cortex, are incorrectly performed. There are no pathologies and concomitant diseases. The most likely reasons are:

• closely related crossing;
• chronic infections and intoxication during pregnancy.

There are also factors that contribute to the development of congenital epilepsy:

• hormonal disorders;
• endocrine diseases;
• heredity.

During the diagnosis, no abnormalities in the analysis of urine, blood, cerebrospinal fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) are detected.

The most common trigger is a hormonal surge during puberty.

Acquired or symptomatic

Unfortunately, disturbances in the functioning of the brain can occur at any stage of a cat's life, which means that no one is immune from epilepsy. The symptomatic form can occur as a result of:

• traumatic brain injury;
• the appearance of various neoplasms in the brain;
• viral infections (most often, the development of epilepsy is promoted by plague, rabies);
• lack of dietary B vitamins and vitamin D (they are responsible for the normal functioning of the nervous system), calcium and magnesium;
• poisoning with chemicals, medicines, gases, toxins of viral or bacterial origin.

Stages of an epileptic seizure

There are three stages in the development of an epileptic seizure:

1. The stage of harbingers ("auras"). A short and not always noticeable stage of an attack. It manifests itself in different ways, for example, an animal can:

   • suddenly become restless, afraid of everything;
   • do not react to light, noise;
   • tilt the head to the side, while the muscles may twitch, which makes it difficult for the cat to maintain balance.

2. The seizure phase (ictal phase). At this stage, the muscles contract, due to which the paws twitch (and not necessarily all of them, only one of them can twitch), the animal can lose consciousness, control over urination, and frothy saliva escapes from the mouth. The cat's breathing becomes intermittent, heavy, it is clearly audible. The heartbeat also increases.

   

   Your cat may have frothy saliva during an attack.

3. Recovery phase (postictal stage). After the cessation of seizures, the cat is in complete prostration, she does not understand where she is, does not recognize her owners. The recovery phase lasts about 5 minutes. Some cats attack food and water during this period.

The duration of the attack is about 3-4 minutes. The frequency is different for each cat, and it is difficult to predict when the next seizure will occur. But it is worth remembering that too frequent attacks can lead to death. This is due to the fact that irreversible changes can occur due to insufficient oxygen in the brain.

Video: major epileptic seizure

Epilepsy diagnostics

During the diagnosis, first of all, the reason for the development of such a condition is determined. This is necessary to select an effective treatment regimen. It is important to identify the predecessors that provoked the attack (loud sound, stressful situation, moon phase, etc.). To determine this relationship, the following information is timed:

• date of first appearance;
• duration;
• the nature of each attack (they are the same or different, than they differ);
• frequency of appearance;
• dependence on feedings;
• whether there were certain weather events, were medications given;
• any other unusual phenomena that do not happen to the cat every day, for example, the first trip to the country.

Special studies are also carried out:

• general and biochemical analyzes of blood, urine in order to exclude infectious processes in the body and non-infectious processes in the liver and kidneys;
• ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs;
• MRI.

Video: seizures in cats

Emergency visit to the veterinarian

Epilepsy is not a life-threatening condition. The danger is fraught with injuries that a cat can receive during an attack, for example, falling out of a window, hitting a chair leg, etc. Therefore, the main goal of the owner's actions is to prevent them.

But there is the concept of status epilepticus, which requires an emergency visit to the veterinarian. This condition is characterized by several seizures in a row, between which the animal does not have time to recover. In the absence of veterinary care, each subsequent seizure can cause:

• changes in brain tissue that are irreversible;
• asphyxia;
• hypothermia (a decrease in body temperature to a level insufficient to maintain the normal functioning of the body);
• acidosis (increased acidity);
• heart failure.

You need to immediately call veterinary help if:

• the duration of the attack is 5 minutes or more;
• the number of seizures has increased;
• the interval between attacks is too short (status epilepticus).

Epilepsy treatment

During the diagnosis, the doctor determines the cause that triggered the epileptic seizures. If this is a disease, for example, diabetes mellitus, then treatment of the underlying cause is required. If the animal cannot be completely cured (and with true epilepsy this cannot be done), then the risk of seizures can be reduced to a minimum. This will ensure your cat has a long life without suffering.

Drug treatment

True epilepsy is not treatable. To reduce the number of seizures, Phenobarbital or Diazepam is prescribed for life.

Phenobarbital belongs to the group of anticonvulsants that can simultaneously stimulate the nervous system and reduce its excitability. This makes the pet's nerves less sensitive, so a stronger impulse is required for an attack than before.

Phenobarbital is an anticonvulsant drug

At the initial stage of treatment, the dose of the drug is 1–2 mg per 1 kg of the cat's weight. The exact dosage can only be determined by a veterinarian based on a study. You need to take Phenobarbital twice a day.

The drug is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, but after taking it, the cat becomes sleepy. This condition will persist for another 4–5 days after the start of treatment, then the cat will be more active.

One of the disadvantages of the drug can be called an increased cravings for food, which can cause the pet to get very fat, so you have to follow a diet. Apart from this, there are other side effects:

• intoxication in case of liver dysfunction;
• immune-mediated destruction of blood cells with simultaneous deactivation of the bone marrow, as a result of which new cells are not formed.

Therefore, when treating with Phenobarbital, you need constant monitoring of the pet's health and regular examination by a veterinarian. This will avoid complications.

Phenobarbital is available in liquid and tablet form

Diazepam helps prevent serial epileptic seizures. The drug is not taken systemically, but only after the next attack. Diazepam helps to weaken the activity of the central nervous system, which reduces the response to stimuli.

The daily dose is 1–5 mg. A more accurate dosage can only be prescribed by a veterinarian, depending on the cat's reaction to the components of the medication.

There are two ways to administer the product:

• orally;
• rectally.

Suppositories are used directly during an attack. 1 candle can calm the animal for up to 8 hours.

Diazepam should be given to the cat during or immediately after a seizure to prevent recurrent seizures

The choice of drugs can only be made by a veterinarian, since both Phenobarbital and Diazepam have many side effects, in particular, they destroy liver cells, which can lead to disruption of its functions. Therefore, you first need to weigh all the risks and benefits. If attacks do not appear as often (less than once a month) and last up to 30 seconds, the doctor may refuse to prescribe medications. This is due to a large number of side effects, as well as the impossibility of objectively assessing the effectiveness of treatment.

The possibility of treatment with folk remedies

Alternative medicine is ineffective in this case. This is due not only to the inability to give such medications to the pet (it is unlikely that the cat will calmly chew onions or drink any infusions), but also with the fact that herbs are not able to have such a strong effect on the nervous system as to reduce its sensitivity to prevent seizures.

Power features

There is no scientifically substantiated evidence of nutritional dependence of epileptic seizures, but it has been observed that cats that were on a gluten-free diet stopped seizures. The fact is that felines are carnivores, which means that their stomachs are not adapted to digest gluten-free foods, such as wheat. Glutenic antibodies harm the brains of cats. Therefore, if there are no concomitant diseases, then the pet should be transferred to a gluten-free diet. In this case, you need to ensure that the amount of carbohydrates is as low as possible, and proteins are the basis of nutrition. And, of course, the food should have a sufficient amount of B vitamins, vitamin D, magnesium and calcium.

Correct care

Such animals can live a long time, while their quality of life can be quite high. This can be helped by:

• correct treatment;
• regular visits to the veterinarian;
• gluten-free diet;
• limiting the cat from stressful situations.

Actions during an attack

Correct action during seizures will help minimize injury. A short-term seizure itself is not dangerous for a cat (apart from those cases when they are repeated too often), but injuries that a cat can receive during seizures are dangerous. Therefore, during a seizure, it is necessary:

1. Lay the pet on the floor away from stairs, furniture items that can cause injury, which will prevent injury.
2. Wait for the attack to end. During this period, it is strictly forbidden to press the cat to the floor, trying to ease the cramps. This action will not bring a positive result, but the owner can get hurt. It makes no sense to fix the tongue if the cat is lying on its side, the tongue will not sink into the larynx anyway. You can hold the head of the cat, put your hand or pillow under it.

Features of the treatment of pregnant cats

The attacks themselves do not affect the kittens' health. In rare cases, miscarriages are possible. If epilepsy is the result of a viral infection, then there is a risk of transmission of the disease to kittens.

When seizures occur in a pregnant cat, it is important to exclude the presence of:

• toxoplasmosis;
• viral leukemia;
• peritonitis;
• immunodeficiency.

Prevention of epileptic seizures in a pet

With this diagnosis, it is not recommended to leave the pet unattended. In this case, you need to limit it from provoking factors (poisons, toxins), try to avoid any stressful situations.

The cat needs to get all vaccinations on time. First of all, this concerns the prevention of infectious diseases that affect the functioning of the nervous system, such as plague, rabies.

With a timely response of the owner to epileptic seizures of a cat, you can reduce their number and make the pet's life as high quality and comfortable as possible. Epilepsy is not a sentence. The main thing is to take care of the cat, provide it with proper nutrition and the absence of stress, and regularly show it to the vet.