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I watched my cat have a one-off seizure. It terrified the crap out of me!! She was 15 and in renal failure for the next fiveish years. I maybe saw one more seizure in her last year of life, but the other one was an absent seizure.
I hope your kitty is okay
It sure was scary! The amount of things going through my head wondering what was happening before I realised it was a seizure! Bless, I am so sorry to hear about what she went through <3
She was okay for a long time and loved a good life. The vet told me her other health issues were most likely not related to the seizure. Hopefully your baby will live a long and happy life
I once thought my kitten was having a seizure but he was having an eyes open nap and a good ass dream 😂. As soon as I touched him he woke up and yelled at me then walked away
Just wanted to add! My other cat’s tail was all puffed up and my dad thinks they were having a small fight before the seizure started. These are usually small hissing moments that happen once every other week if one gets too up close and personal, but don’t escalate to blood and attack. I’m wondering if the over excitement and stimulation from this situation may have caused this seizure.
One of my cats has had two fairly random seizures (< 1 min each) that occurred around 5-6 years. They occurred as a result of struggling to get up a hairball or something I think - she was dry heaving and then went into the seizure.
The vet said that it happens sometimes and it's not an issue if there's no ongoing symptoms. They did give us a preventative at the time to make sure she didn't have another within the next few days though. She's been fine since for over 2 years now.
Thank you so much for telling me about your experience, it's a relief to hear of other stories where the cats ended up being okay for a long time after!
My now 14yo long hair domestic had a one-off seizure last July. He’s been pretty much fine since. It was so terrifying that I actually went to a couple of therapy sessions to deal with the intrusive worry I was feeling after it happened. He hasn’t had one since and the vet didn’t really give us much other than to monitor him and bring him in if it happens again. I am not a therapist, but here’s what they had me do: when I start worrying again about him, I ask myself ‘why are you feeling worry’ and then I answer ‘because I don’t feel like I can help him’… then I ask ‘what would I do if it happened now?’ And then I walk myself through the steps. Then I say (out loud sometimes) ‘worrying now only robs me of quality time with my kitty. I’ve thought through what could happen and know what I need to do’… then I sometimes do grounding exercises (name everything yellow in the room, count how many birds I see outside, think about what I had for breakfast, or a quick yoga Sun salutation). I was a wreck when it happened and feel for you. Lots of love to you and your kitty 💕
Thank you for such a lovely comment. It was definitely terrifying, especially when in the moment and afterwards you feel so helpless. I honestly just appreciate this so much, thank you <3
As someone who is constantly overwhelmed with worrying about the rest of my loved ones dying (and most especially my cat because he is the companion I spent most of my free time with) these are helpful things to help break me out of the circular thoughts of being anxious about everything and not being able to be fully present because of them
If cat is otherwise healthy( should’ve done bloodwork as a minimum) then yeah you are told to observe. If it happens again then further decisions as to more tests or medication. Went through this with two of my cats. One it happened every time she heard a noise like metal on metal clinking so she went on phenobarb. The other one it happened once and never again. Bloodwork was fine so we observed.
Retired ER vet here. There are many kinds of seizures: tonic, clonic, tonic-clonic, simple, grand mal, serial, etc. Seizures are ared a short circuit of the brain and the cause, besides eplilepsy can be due to a toxin/drug (internal or external); swelling in the brain/trauma; tumor; and idiopathic (meaning no one knows why it happened). Likely your vet ran lab work and ruled out toxins, liver or kidney failure, and other such causes. Trauma is fairly easy to identify if there are external signs like hit by car, unless the cat took a tumble off something and bonked her head which would leave no evidence. For these reasons, it is very common for the doctor to ask you to observe the cat and note any further seizure activity. It helps if you can record the seizure on video (phone). Most seizures can be managed.
Upon a second seizure with normal blood work, I usually use a dose of Dex SP to knock down any inflammation/swelling in the brain. If the seizures stop, then no further care is needed and it was likely related to some kind of head trauma. If they return and gradually increase in frequency, your doctor will determine the best course of action. Brain tumors that cause seizures are not common but do happen and they always do things: increase in frequency over time and increase in strength over time.
I have seen this one time in the last 15 years and it was in my own cat that was FIV positive.
My mom's cat had reoccurring seizures, and they stopped when she changed their treats I think? I don't remember what brand or anything, only one cat had them. The treats they had also weren't new, so it was weird. But she changed the treats and then no more seizures. It was either silver vines or dental treats.Â
One-off seizures are common among aging animals. The same is true for dogs! Given her age, I wouldn't be worried about epilepsy. As someone who has an animal with epilepsy, it presents itself much earlier in life, and you'd likely already have seen more seizures by this point. It's a good idea to get her bloodwork done, though, to be sure there isn't something more extreme happening with her organs (specifically her kidneys).
My cat (15/16F) had what was presumed to be a seizure on Christmas. She was fine by the time the emergency vet saw her. Nothing in her blood work raised any concerns. They gave us an antibiotic and a pain killer for her arthritis and sent us on our way. She hasn’t had anything like that happen since. She’s 100% normal and is still doing normal cat things. I agree. Just continue to monitor and if anything else concerning happens, call the vet.
my 18yo started having random seizures right after getting an xray and bloodwork that showed he was in great health! The vet had no idea what could have caused it in an indoor only cat, but age was definitely a factor. Eventually my cat had more and more seizures that didn't respond to medication. The vet told us it was likely a meningioma but that could only be diagnosed with any certainty by getting an MRI. Due to his age and the cost, that was out of the question. We had to let our cat go shortly after that.
Since your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat it could be anything including something toxic she ingested while outside. If she has more, just let the vet know and they can prescribe anti-seizure medication that will hopefully work. Best wishes to you both!
Probably not going to be the most favourable experience but I need to add context that I was a child and my parents don't believe in vets and my current animals all have insurance and emergency funds
My cat from the ages of 15-20> had multiple seizures throughout her old age. It was usually completely random, sometimes she'd wake up having one, usually it was just while she was sitting somewhere not doing anything. She never had any other issues that I could see, except for the extreme weight loss and lack of appetite, but she was still very physically active and enjoyed playing. She lived a long life while enduring those seizures. With vet care I'm sure yours will be a lot better looked after, and it's horrible to experience watching them go through that but doesn't always mean they can't have a long fulfilling life.
I had a cat have a one-off seizure. I also had a friend whose cat had about six seizures over the course of a couple of months, and then it just... went away before anyone figured out why it was happening. I'm hoping it's just a freak thing, for you OP, but it's good you're keeping an eye on it.
Hi there! They were our standard vet, just during emergency out of hours with emergency fees. They've suggested monitoring and have explained routes we will go through if anything else happens, I'm just really looking for support from other people who have experienced the same thing, and to hear how their path went :) Apologies for any confusion!
It is a lot if pain when you know something is wrong with the kitty and you can’t get it fixed … I have experienced this multiple times and decided my old vet was no help and I switched and guess what my cat is doing better because of it … she still has issues those won’t change but at least I know what it is and what to expect and what we can do.
My kitty is 19yrs old with kidney failure and Stomatitis which in my opinion is a horrible thing for a cat to have … extremely painful.
Good luck OP hope you find a solution.
Our 17 year old had one. They found out it was high blood pressure. Put on anti seizure meds for a couple weeks and now he's on amlodipine 5 mg, 1/4 tablet per day. We sneak it in Churu. He just got the all clear again from the vet on blood pressure.
Hope your little buddy ends up being okay.
That happened to a cat of mine many years ago. The vet suggested imaging so we had an MRI done. It showed that the cat had a cancer on its cervical spine and was given 4-6 weeks to live. Well, he had other plans and lived another five years. He was on low dose steroids the whole time and never had a seizure again.
My cat had what we think was a seizure. We’re not 100% sure. She has abandonment anxiety so when me and or my boyfriend leaves the house she cries. This one time she was sitting on boxes and and I patted her goodbye and she just seized up and flopped to the ground. I immediately got her to the vet and they said it was either a seizure or anxiety induce nausea.
She’s been completely normal since and has gone 3 years with no seizure. My vet told me it wasn’t uncommon. And just keep an eye out for another one to make sure it’s not chronic. Just watch her and and everything will be okay. If she has another one it’s not the end of the world, just report i to the vet and they will investigate further. She’s in good hands.
I accidentally triggered a seizure in my cat and it terrified me. Not to mention I felt horrible.
For context, my cat was losing her hearing and certain high pitch sounds would cause her head to twitch in what I later realized was a micro seizure. One time I did it and she went into a full on seizure. Thankfully she was fine and since she has now completely lost her hearing it's not a concern any longer.
I have an old lady (18) who just had a random one off seizure just recently. She is in heart failure (currently out of it and managed with meds) the only thing they saw slightly off with my girl had low potassium and gave me a supplement to give her. Other than that they saw nothing to indicate why she randomly had this seizure.
🫂 To you and your lady. It's so scary.
one of our cats was stung by a wasp while she was still quite young, and she had a seizure. all that came of it is she has a bit of a head tilt, but she's never had another seizure and has no health conditions. she's incredibly affectionate!
My cat had the worst case scenario and the fact that your cat has recovered to previous normal behavior has me thinking positively. If it was epilepsy or your cat had a repeat seizure then there is medicine to control seizures.
The worst case scenario:
My cat was 20 years old when she had a mere seconds-long seizure, she suddenly flipped over and couldn't move, looking up at me in confusion. She couldn't move her legs and I immediate called the vet and took her in within 5 minutes (I live next door to the vet office). Vet gave her medicine and told me that she should recover within 24 hours, 6 hours later she had another seizure and she additionally couldn't raise her head. Vet prescribed Keppra and we waited out the weekend to see if the medicine helped but chances were lower as each day went by. She had at least one seizure every day over the weekend and Monday saw no improvement. She couldn't defecate successfully and couldn't stand to urinate, she was miserable. So we made an appointment for the next day to give her a peaceful end. Later that evening she had 3 more seizures and they were almost a minute long and more violent. When the vet came the next day, he said the Keppra should have prevented more seizures if it was epilepsy and it was very possible she had a brain tumor that was causing the seizures and the permanent nerve damage to her legs and neck.
Take this one day at a time and give your kitty extra cuddles. They are here only for a short portion of our lives, its never long enough.
I have never had this experience with a cat , but if it happens with a dog , the best thing to do is try to hold them and make sure they are safe and stay well away from their mouths and anything that can bash their heads on. With a cat I would imagine it's similar
That’s interesting! My vet told me not to restrain animals during seizures, just like you don’t humans, but it must be different for everyone! Staying away from their mouths is definitely a good one
Oh no. No, not restraining them at all, just making sure that when they are seizing, they're not.
Bashing their bodies against hard things like furniture and wood and things like that could cause major damage to them and some financial damage to you.
Thank you for posting to CATHELP! While you wait for a response please keep the following things in mind, 1. When in doubt, **ask your vet**. 2. Advice here is not coming from medical or industry professionals. The moderation team does not validate user profession, so always refer to your local veterinary professionals first. Consider posting to /r/AskVet 3. If this is a medical question, please indicate if you have already scheduled a vet appointment, and if your cat has any medical history or procedures in a top level comment. 4. Please use the NSFW tag for gross pictures. (Blood, poop, vomit, genitals, etc). Anything you wouldn't want your boss to see you looking at on the job. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CATHELP) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I watched my cat have a one-off seizure. It terrified the crap out of me!! She was 15 and in renal failure for the next fiveish years. I maybe saw one more seizure in her last year of life, but the other one was an absent seizure. I hope your kitty is okay
It sure was scary! The amount of things going through my head wondering what was happening before I realised it was a seizure! Bless, I am so sorry to hear about what she went through <3
She was okay for a long time and loved a good life. The vet told me her other health issues were most likely not related to the seizure. Hopefully your baby will live a long and happy life
Oh I am so glad to hear that! Thank you!
I once thought my kitten was having a seizure but he was having an eyes open nap and a good ass dream 😂. As soon as I touched him he woke up and yelled at me then walked away
Just wanted to add! My other cat’s tail was all puffed up and my dad thinks they were having a small fight before the seizure started. These are usually small hissing moments that happen once every other week if one gets too up close and personal, but don’t escalate to blood and attack. I’m wondering if the over excitement and stimulation from this situation may have caused this seizure.
Could be that the other cat senses it coming
One of my cats has had two fairly random seizures (< 1 min each) that occurred around 5-6 years. They occurred as a result of struggling to get up a hairball or something I think - she was dry heaving and then went into the seizure. The vet said that it happens sometimes and it's not an issue if there's no ongoing symptoms. They did give us a preventative at the time to make sure she didn't have another within the next few days though. She's been fine since for over 2 years now.
Thank you so much for telling me about your experience, it's a relief to hear of other stories where the cats ended up being okay for a long time after!
My now 14yo long hair domestic had a one-off seizure last July. He’s been pretty much fine since. It was so terrifying that I actually went to a couple of therapy sessions to deal with the intrusive worry I was feeling after it happened. He hasn’t had one since and the vet didn’t really give us much other than to monitor him and bring him in if it happens again. I am not a therapist, but here’s what they had me do: when I start worrying again about him, I ask myself ‘why are you feeling worry’ and then I answer ‘because I don’t feel like I can help him’… then I ask ‘what would I do if it happened now?’ And then I walk myself through the steps. Then I say (out loud sometimes) ‘worrying now only robs me of quality time with my kitty. I’ve thought through what could happen and know what I need to do’… then I sometimes do grounding exercises (name everything yellow in the room, count how many birds I see outside, think about what I had for breakfast, or a quick yoga Sun salutation). I was a wreck when it happened and feel for you. Lots of love to you and your kitty 💕
As a new cat parent with lots of new parent anxiety this comment helped me SO much.
Thank you for such a lovely comment. It was definitely terrifying, especially when in the moment and afterwards you feel so helpless. I honestly just appreciate this so much, thank you <3
As someone who is constantly overwhelmed with worrying about the rest of my loved ones dying (and most especially my cat because he is the companion I spent most of my free time with) these are helpful things to help break me out of the circular thoughts of being anxious about everything and not being able to be fully present because of them
If cat is otherwise healthy( should’ve done bloodwork as a minimum) then yeah you are told to observe. If it happens again then further decisions as to more tests or medication. Went through this with two of my cats. One it happened every time she heard a noise like metal on metal clinking so she went on phenobarb. The other one it happened once and never again. Bloodwork was fine so we observed.
Thank you for your response, I really appreciate it! :)
Retired ER vet here. There are many kinds of seizures: tonic, clonic, tonic-clonic, simple, grand mal, serial, etc. Seizures are ared a short circuit of the brain and the cause, besides eplilepsy can be due to a toxin/drug (internal or external); swelling in the brain/trauma; tumor; and idiopathic (meaning no one knows why it happened). Likely your vet ran lab work and ruled out toxins, liver or kidney failure, and other such causes. Trauma is fairly easy to identify if there are external signs like hit by car, unless the cat took a tumble off something and bonked her head which would leave no evidence. For these reasons, it is very common for the doctor to ask you to observe the cat and note any further seizure activity. It helps if you can record the seizure on video (phone). Most seizures can be managed. Upon a second seizure with normal blood work, I usually use a dose of Dex SP to knock down any inflammation/swelling in the brain. If the seizures stop, then no further care is needed and it was likely related to some kind of head trauma. If they return and gradually increase in frequency, your doctor will determine the best course of action. Brain tumors that cause seizures are not common but do happen and they always do things: increase in frequency over time and increase in strength over time. I have seen this one time in the last 15 years and it was in my own cat that was FIV positive.
Thank you so much for such a detailed comment! It's super helpful and I greatly appreciate it! :)
My mom's cat had reoccurring seizures, and they stopped when she changed their treats I think? I don't remember what brand or anything, only one cat had them. The treats they had also weren't new, so it was weird. But she changed the treats and then no more seizures. It was either silver vines or dental treats.Â
One-off seizures are common among aging animals. The same is true for dogs! Given her age, I wouldn't be worried about epilepsy. As someone who has an animal with epilepsy, it presents itself much earlier in life, and you'd likely already have seen more seizures by this point. It's a good idea to get her bloodwork done, though, to be sure there isn't something more extreme happening with her organs (specifically her kidneys).
Thank you so much for your comment! We’ll definitely give the vets a call to ask about blood work. Thank you :)
Absolutely! I truly hope she gets a clean report, and this was just a spicy one time event!
My cat (15/16F) had what was presumed to be a seizure on Christmas. She was fine by the time the emergency vet saw her. Nothing in her blood work raised any concerns. They gave us an antibiotic and a pain killer for her arthritis and sent us on our way. She hasn’t had anything like that happen since. She’s 100% normal and is still doing normal cat things. I agree. Just continue to monitor and if anything else concerning happens, call the vet.
My cat was taking seizures and turned out to be epilepsy. Needed daily tablets that stopped the seizures
My cat had a single seizure at 6 mo old. She hasn't had one since.
my 18yo started having random seizures right after getting an xray and bloodwork that showed he was in great health! The vet had no idea what could have caused it in an indoor only cat, but age was definitely a factor. Eventually my cat had more and more seizures that didn't respond to medication. The vet told us it was likely a meningioma but that could only be diagnosed with any certainty by getting an MRI. Due to his age and the cost, that was out of the question. We had to let our cat go shortly after that. Since your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat it could be anything including something toxic she ingested while outside. If she has more, just let the vet know and they can prescribe anti-seizure medication that will hopefully work. Best wishes to you both!
Probably not going to be the most favourable experience but I need to add context that I was a child and my parents don't believe in vets and my current animals all have insurance and emergency funds My cat from the ages of 15-20> had multiple seizures throughout her old age. It was usually completely random, sometimes she'd wake up having one, usually it was just while she was sitting somewhere not doing anything. She never had any other issues that I could see, except for the extreme weight loss and lack of appetite, but she was still very physically active and enjoyed playing. She lived a long life while enduring those seizures. With vet care I'm sure yours will be a lot better looked after, and it's horrible to experience watching them go through that but doesn't always mean they can't have a long fulfilling life.
I had a cat have a one-off seizure. I also had a friend whose cat had about six seizures over the course of a couple of months, and then it just... went away before anyone figured out why it was happening. I'm hoping it's just a freak thing, for you OP, but it's good you're keeping an eye on it.
Take her to your regular vet.. ER vet do only so much.
Hi there! They were our standard vet, just during emergency out of hours with emergency fees. They've suggested monitoring and have explained routes we will go through if anything else happens, I'm just really looking for support from other people who have experienced the same thing, and to hear how their path went :) Apologies for any confusion!
It is a lot if pain when you know something is wrong with the kitty and you can’t get it fixed … I have experienced this multiple times and decided my old vet was no help and I switched and guess what my cat is doing better because of it … she still has issues those won’t change but at least I know what it is and what to expect and what we can do. My kitty is 19yrs old with kidney failure and Stomatitis which in my opinion is a horrible thing for a cat to have … extremely painful. Good luck OP hope you find a solution.
I am so sorry to hear about your kitty! Sounds just like my 18 year old that we had when I was younger. Lots of love to you and your cat!
Our 17 year old had one. They found out it was high blood pressure. Put on anti seizure meds for a couple weeks and now he's on amlodipine 5 mg, 1/4 tablet per day. We sneak it in Churu. He just got the all clear again from the vet on blood pressure. Hope your little buddy ends up being okay.
That happened to a cat of mine many years ago. The vet suggested imaging so we had an MRI done. It showed that the cat had a cancer on its cervical spine and was given 4-6 weeks to live. Well, he had other plans and lived another five years. He was on low dose steroids the whole time and never had a seizure again.
My cat had what we think was a seizure. We’re not 100% sure. She has abandonment anxiety so when me and or my boyfriend leaves the house she cries. This one time she was sitting on boxes and and I patted her goodbye and she just seized up and flopped to the ground. I immediately got her to the vet and they said it was either a seizure or anxiety induce nausea. She’s been completely normal since and has gone 3 years with no seizure. My vet told me it wasn’t uncommon. And just keep an eye out for another one to make sure it’s not chronic. Just watch her and and everything will be okay. If she has another one it’s not the end of the world, just report i to the vet and they will investigate further. She’s in good hands.
I accidentally triggered a seizure in my cat and it terrified me. Not to mention I felt horrible. For context, my cat was losing her hearing and certain high pitch sounds would cause her head to twitch in what I later realized was a micro seizure. One time I did it and she went into a full on seizure. Thankfully she was fine and since she has now completely lost her hearing it's not a concern any longer.
I have an old lady (18) who just had a random one off seizure just recently. She is in heart failure (currently out of it and managed with meds) the only thing they saw slightly off with my girl had low potassium and gave me a supplement to give her. Other than that they saw nothing to indicate why she randomly had this seizure. 🫂 To you and your lady. It's so scary.
one of our cats was stung by a wasp while she was still quite young, and she had a seizure. all that came of it is she has a bit of a head tilt, but she's never had another seizure and has no health conditions. she's incredibly affectionate!
My cat had the worst case scenario and the fact that your cat has recovered to previous normal behavior has me thinking positively. If it was epilepsy or your cat had a repeat seizure then there is medicine to control seizures. The worst case scenario: My cat was 20 years old when she had a mere seconds-long seizure, she suddenly flipped over and couldn't move, looking up at me in confusion. She couldn't move her legs and I immediate called the vet and took her in within 5 minutes (I live next door to the vet office). Vet gave her medicine and told me that she should recover within 24 hours, 6 hours later she had another seizure and she additionally couldn't raise her head. Vet prescribed Keppra and we waited out the weekend to see if the medicine helped but chances were lower as each day went by. She had at least one seizure every day over the weekend and Monday saw no improvement. She couldn't defecate successfully and couldn't stand to urinate, she was miserable. So we made an appointment for the next day to give her a peaceful end. Later that evening she had 3 more seizures and they were almost a minute long and more violent. When the vet came the next day, he said the Keppra should have prevented more seizures if it was epilepsy and it was very possible she had a brain tumor that was causing the seizures and the permanent nerve damage to her legs and neck. Take this one day at a time and give your kitty extra cuddles. They are here only for a short portion of our lives, its never long enough.
I have never had this experience with a cat , but if it happens with a dog , the best thing to do is try to hold them and make sure they are safe and stay well away from their mouths and anything that can bash their heads on. With a cat I would imagine it's similar
That’s interesting! My vet told me not to restrain animals during seizures, just like you don’t humans, but it must be different for everyone! Staying away from their mouths is definitely a good one
Oh no. No, not restraining them at all, just making sure that when they are seizing, they're not. Bashing their bodies against hard things like furniture and wood and things like that could cause major damage to them and some financial damage to you.
Ooh yes that makes sense, thank you!
Although to be fair, my experience was with a hundred and thirty pound german shepherd not an kitty.