I'm new to the site which I found looking for answers on what to do for our 2 yr old who started having seizures last week. She is a rescued kitty from property. We TNR lots of cats, rescue some and provide homes. The ones that have been given the indoor rescue have either been abandoned by mum which required bottle feeding or been in the right place at the right time. 2 years ago we rescued 3 kittens from a mother who we've previously tried to TNR but was never successful. We discovered she was keeping the kittens in a wood pile in our back yard. When the kittens started wandering on their own we decided to try to trap the mother. We finally trapped her. While she was waiting for her next morning trip to the clinic we worked on coaxing the kittens out of the wood pile. They were about 7 weeks old at the time. We discovered one of them was a bit "special". She first appeared blind to me. Once we trapped her we found she was not blind, but simply had an issue with balance and perception. Her name is Goober. The other two appears perfectly healthy. Long story short, they became indoor kitties because we could not return the Goober to the wild as she would not make it. When we first took Goober to the vet, the vet knew right away what her problem was. Sorry, I cannot recall the name. The vet said she could develop problems, get worse, or stay the same and live a healthy, happy life. Goober was very energetic as a kitten. Very sensitive to noises but still affectionate and clingy. When the kittens were quarantined on our glass porch, the mother would come visit. They all recognized mom but Goober seemed to have a stronger draw towards her. Goober's brother is (Jarvis) and I'll say twin sister (Queenie) because the two girls are solid gray.
This post is really about Queenie but I thought the background on Goober would be important since there is clearly something about her. Queenie has never been a clingy kitty. In fact, she was quite angry as a kitten. It took us a good 2 months of working with her before she would tolerate is picking her up and playing with the group. As she grew older she became more of a house cat, laying on the bed at night, lounging on the couch, but she would never let you pet or pick her up unless it was on her terms. If you did, she would not freak out, but she would squirm so much you had no choice to let her go. About two weeks ago Queenie started becoming very vocal and affectionate. At first I thought it was just normal as she became more comfortable with us although she's been in the house two years. My wife took notice that she would meow and purr almost non stop.
Last Friday my wife was up late watching TV and Queenie started shaking and drooling. This turns out to be the first seizure someone witnessed. I witnesses a seizure the next morning about 6:30am. She was in a prone position and snapping at air. When I went for her she tried to get away. This made me think she was not unconscious. It lasted about 30 seconds and when it was over she hat a crying meow for a few minutes but went right back to the new attitude she has been showing the past couple of weeks. She also went straight to the food bowl and would eat like a starving feral. An hour later it happened again. Now we're freaking out. We had already started writing down everything to show the vet when we took her. We watched her constantly with cell phone in hand ready to get video as we figure that is the best thing to show the vet. Between Saturday morning until Monday afternoon's vet appointment she had no less than 15 seizures. They all had the same characteristics and lasted the same amount of time. The vet drew blood for testing and gave a regular examine. Everything about the physical exam was normal. The vet suggested we wait until the blood test results come back before starting any anti-seizure medication because of the unknown causes. As we were getting ready to leave the vet, they had just put Queenie back in the carrier and she started convulsing. This was good because the vet got to see first hand what was happening. He characterized it as a focal seizure and gave her a IV valium to calm her down. He also gave a script for 1.5ml of Phenobarbital twice daily.
The next day he called and said the blood test showed nothing abnormal. We feared this the most as we know we have an epileptic cat. He said to continue the medicine as prescribed and he would check back on her in a few days to follow up. We didn't start the phenobarbital until Wednesday because the pharmacy had to special order it. She got her first dose Wednesday night. Nothing had really changed with her seizures other than we thought they were becoming a little more violent. Still lasting about the same. Thursday morning we're getting ready for work and school and she vomits up partially digested food. She had been given her morning dose of meds about an hour earlier. The vomit had a piece of carpet string and some maple flower blossoms that we must have tracked in on our shoes. Later that day she vomited again but this time only foam and a little liquid. We also did not see her eat much that day. I called the vet to provide an update and ask about some questions about the medicine, possible causes of vomiting, lack of eating, and what to do next. He recommended increasing the dosage for a few days to 3x 1.5ml each to help build up the serum in her body. After a few days we go back to 2x per day. He was not concerned about us not seeing her drink because she could be drinking and we're not watching her 24x7. The eating did concern him but not as much. He recommended stinky food or stage 1 baby food. So we tried some canned stinky food later that day which she ate some of.
It's now one week later. The seizures are still ocuring but different. For the past few days she has been falling on her side when she has them. They are not all the same level. Some have been minor and some major. Her attitude is definitely changing though. I know the phenobarbital can do this for several days or weeks so I'm not concerned about it. After she has a seizure she will walk around, tail up, rubbing your leg, getting pets, but growling and almost ruffing like a dog. I think the drool could be causing some resperatory issues for her. Today I had to call the vet to request a pill form for the meds because Queenie is now angry and will not let us inject the liquid with a syringe in her mouth. We picked up 15mg tablets that we have to give one-half, 2x per day. This is easier with a small piece of turkey or chicken balled up.
Needless to say we are very concerned for her health and prognosis. I've read a ton on this, probably too much. I'm keeping an optimistic attitude but still very concerned. I don't expect any internet diagnosis here, I'm just posting our experience to share with others and hopefully receive some in turn. The hard part about this whole thing is it has upset the other cats in the house. We have 7 total, large house, lots of individual space, but they kind of group together with each other. Her brother Jarvis is the only one who has not shunned her and comes to her when she's having a seizure. The little guy even helps clean up the drool from her ears and head when she's resting.
Sorry for the wall of text.
This post is really about Queenie but I thought the background on Goober would be important since there is clearly something about her. Queenie has never been a clingy kitty. In fact, she was quite angry as a kitten. It took us a good 2 months of working with her before she would tolerate is picking her up and playing with the group. As she grew older she became more of a house cat, laying on the bed at night, lounging on the couch, but she would never let you pet or pick her up unless it was on her terms. If you did, she would not freak out, but she would squirm so much you had no choice to let her go. About two weeks ago Queenie started becoming very vocal and affectionate. At first I thought it was just normal as she became more comfortable with us although she's been in the house two years. My wife took notice that she would meow and purr almost non stop.
Last Friday my wife was up late watching TV and Queenie started shaking and drooling. This turns out to be the first seizure someone witnessed. I witnesses a seizure the next morning about 6:30am. She was in a prone position and snapping at air. When I went for her she tried to get away. This made me think she was not unconscious. It lasted about 30 seconds and when it was over she hat a crying meow for a few minutes but went right back to the new attitude she has been showing the past couple of weeks. She also went straight to the food bowl and would eat like a starving feral. An hour later it happened again. Now we're freaking out. We had already started writing down everything to show the vet when we took her. We watched her constantly with cell phone in hand ready to get video as we figure that is the best thing to show the vet. Between Saturday morning until Monday afternoon's vet appointment she had no less than 15 seizures. They all had the same characteristics and lasted the same amount of time. The vet drew blood for testing and gave a regular examine. Everything about the physical exam was normal. The vet suggested we wait until the blood test results come back before starting any anti-seizure medication because of the unknown causes. As we were getting ready to leave the vet, they had just put Queenie back in the carrier and she started convulsing. This was good because the vet got to see first hand what was happening. He characterized it as a focal seizure and gave her a IV valium to calm her down. He also gave a script for 1.5ml of Phenobarbital twice daily.
The next day he called and said the blood test showed nothing abnormal. We feared this the most as we know we have an epileptic cat. He said to continue the medicine as prescribed and he would check back on her in a few days to follow up. We didn't start the phenobarbital until Wednesday because the pharmacy had to special order it. She got her first dose Wednesday night. Nothing had really changed with her seizures other than we thought they were becoming a little more violent. Still lasting about the same. Thursday morning we're getting ready for work and school and she vomits up partially digested food. She had been given her morning dose of meds about an hour earlier. The vomit had a piece of carpet string and some maple flower blossoms that we must have tracked in on our shoes. Later that day she vomited again but this time only foam and a little liquid. We also did not see her eat much that day. I called the vet to provide an update and ask about some questions about the medicine, possible causes of vomiting, lack of eating, and what to do next. He recommended increasing the dosage for a few days to 3x 1.5ml each to help build up the serum in her body. After a few days we go back to 2x per day. He was not concerned about us not seeing her drink because she could be drinking and we're not watching her 24x7. The eating did concern him but not as much. He recommended stinky food or stage 1 baby food. So we tried some canned stinky food later that day which she ate some of.
It's now one week later. The seizures are still ocuring but different. For the past few days she has been falling on her side when she has them. They are not all the same level. Some have been minor and some major. Her attitude is definitely changing though. I know the phenobarbital can do this for several days or weeks so I'm not concerned about it. After she has a seizure she will walk around, tail up, rubbing your leg, getting pets, but growling and almost ruffing like a dog. I think the drool could be causing some resperatory issues for her. Today I had to call the vet to request a pill form for the meds because Queenie is now angry and will not let us inject the liquid with a syringe in her mouth. We picked up 15mg tablets that we have to give one-half, 2x per day. This is easier with a small piece of turkey or chicken balled up.
Needless to say we are very concerned for her health and prognosis. I've read a ton on this, probably too much. I'm keeping an optimistic attitude but still very concerned. I don't expect any internet diagnosis here, I'm just posting our experience to share with others and hopefully receive some in turn. The hard part about this whole thing is it has upset the other cats in the house. We have 7 total, large house, lots of individual space, but they kind of group together with each other. Her brother Jarvis is the only one who has not shunned her and comes to her when she's having a seizure. The little guy even helps clean up the drool from her ears and head when she's resting.
Sorry for the wall of text.
We loved em all!
