Epi-cat change in behavior

[Michaleto’sMom]

This is going to be a long-winded post because a lot has gone on with my two boys over the past few months and I’m trying to sort it out.
My epi-kitty Michaleto (pic above for cat tax) has been doing well. No seizures since January. He’s been acting differently. (he also has high blood pressure and HCM but has been seen by his cardiologist a couple months ago and his condition has improved)
Part of me thinks it’s behavioral but part of me is worried it’s something else.
His brother, Cezare, was hospitalized July 1 and after a couple of weeks we found out he has IBD/SCL (small cell lymphoma). He started steroids and chemo, and I feel like since that started, my epi-boy has been different. I know cats can sense things, changes, and sometimes it can cause them stress.
They’re both indoor/outdoor and have ALWAYS chosen to go to the bathroom outside. But for the past few weeks, Michaleto will pee in the litter box, during the day only. At night he pees outside. (We went through a behavioral peeing thing when he was young but he’s 11 now and haven’t seen a behavioral-based marking/peeing since he was 1)
He also spends more time inside, and worryingly he’s been going into the closet for naps in the morning also.
He’s been to the vet and has had all his bloodwork normal and urine sample normal too. Physically, they found nothing wrong with him. (Even took an ultrasound)
The only thing they found was an increased eosinophils, which she said was most likely because of fleas- which he had. Flea meds have been a struggle since his diagnosis and we struggle to find one that’s effective and safe for an epi-kitty.
Some mornings I wake up and he’s sleeping on the floor near my bed or in the en suite bathroom in eyeshot. Typically, he would spend most of his day and night chilling on the patio in his favorite chair. He still does this but not as much.
I’ve tried to attribute it to raccoons in the backyard. Cooler nights outside (he has arthritis too). Something else new outside that bothers him. Maybe his brother getting a ton of attention. I can’t figure it out.
I can’t tell if it’s behavioral or more. Maybe it’s just his arthritis.
The closet thing is the most worrisome because a few weeks before both of his grand mal seizures, he went into the closet. I know sometimes epi-cats get sensitive to light, etc. sound doesn’t seem to bother him.
I’m rambling. Thank you for reading this far if you hung in there. Anyone have a cat that has gone through something like this? Am I over-worrying? Like I said, vet said all his tests looked completely fine!
Thank you

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Some cats can be affected by another cat who is ill, and even meds can bother another cat due to odor changes. So, perhaps that is possibly what is going on with Michaleto. But, it seems worrisome that some of the things now going on, especially appearing to avoid sunlight, are things he apparently has gone through before his previous seizures.

I am unclear on the timeline of any of this, or how long ago Michaleto was seen by the vet. You also don't mention if he has any certain condition(s) causing the epilepsy, and if he is on any medications for them, when he started meds and if there have had to be adjustments made from time to time.

Is his vet a specialist who regularly deals with feline epilepsy? Have you discussed the changes in him to the vet? If not, that would be the first thing I would do. It just doesn't seem like this is a behavioral issue unrelated to his epilepsy, and I would guess the vet would be somewhat concerned as well.

 

[Michaleto’sMom]

FeebysOwner tganks for your response.
Michaleto had his first grand mal seizure April of 2023, then another small seizure 3 months later. Vets said no meds needed since it was only 2 seizures almost 4 months apart.
he ended up seeing a cardiologist though, since the vets found high blood pressure and grade 2 heart murmur. Cardiologist confirmed high blood pressure and mild HCM. Initially we thought perhaps the seizure was due to his blood pressure, but not certain. We’ve upped his blood pressure meds once and 2 months ago the cardiologist said blood pressure was great and the thickening of arteries has improved.
his 3rd and worst seizure happened in janauary of 2024 and lasted just under 3 min so I rushed him to ER vet again and they put him on phenobarbital. No seizures since but at his appt a couple weeks ago they tested and found he was sub-therapeutic on Pheno so we upped his dosage. So it is possible he was feeling off due to not having a high enough dosage. We’ve been at the increased dosage for just over a week and a half.
i know all of this could be because his Pheno dose wasn’t high enough and we have just been lucky to this point he hasn’t had another seizure.
He’s never chosen to use the potty box though, this is an entirely new behavior. His official diagnosis is ‘idiopathic epilepsy’ and no he has not had any scans for diagnostic as they are expensive and regardless, they treat symptoms.
Thanks again

 

[FeebysOwner]

If peeing in the litter box started after the increase in his Pheno, it could be the cause of him using the litter box since he is spending more time inside and the litter box is closer. Upping the dosage can also cause temporary lethargy which might be behind why he goes to the closet for a quieter place to rest. If he is tired, his interest in spending time on the patio might be dwindled a bit. And, sure some degree of any of this could be partly due to an increase in his arthritis.

There are some cautionary issues between using Pheno and heart disease. Does his cardiologist know of the increased dosage and whether his condition can be affected by it? I presume his blood work includes a chemistry panel and a thyroid check? Did you say he has seen a specialist in neurology/epilepsy?

The thing is if there is an actual cause for the epilepsy, it may require some other treatment beside Pheno. The only way, as I understand it, to know that is through further testing. Have you read up on epilepsy and its potential causes?
Epilepsy in Cats: Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment - Cats.com

 

[Michaleto’sMom]

Thanks for all the detailed information FeebysOwner .
he started peeing in the litter box before we upped his meds, but before we realized we need to have his meds. He wasn’t in the closet so much before I changed his meds, but he was disappearing during the day, which is not like him, but it was somewhere outside, he has had a blood panel done and everything came back perfectly normal. His cardiologist is aware of his meds.
He has not seen a neurologist, because we do not want to go through the excessive testing that they will suggest. His vet works at a clinic with a team of 8 vets who all consult when needed.
It is a strange and interesting case, as he’s only had three seizures in about two years. I still think there was a correlation between his high blood pressure and the seizures, but even his cardiologist says there’s no way of knowing.

 

[xenonentity]

M Michaleto’sMom Hello to another epi-kitty parent! We're dealing with idiopathic epilepsy for our kitten Paprika. It's definitely been a learning curve that we're still trying to figure out.

Could the change in behavior have to do with the fact that his medicine dose has changed? Maybe he's feeling a bit off due to the adjustment for the new dose?

None of it on its own seems particularly alarming to me, though I'm of course not a vet. I'd probably just keep an eye on him, and of course bring the changes up with the vet and see what they think.

 

[Meowmee]

This is going to be a long-winded post because a lot has gone on with my two boys over the past few months and I’m trying to sort it out.
My epi-kitty Michaleto (pic above for cat tax) has been doing well. No seizures since January. He’s been acting differently. (he also has high blood pressure and HCM but has been seen by his cardiologist a couple months ago and his condition has improved)
Part of me thinks it’s behavioral but part of me is worried it’s something else.
His brother, Cezare, was hospitalized July 1 and after a couple of weeks we found out he has IBD/SCL (small cell lymphoma). He started steroids and chemo, and I feel like since that started, my epi-boy has been different. I know cats can sense things, changes, and sometimes it can cause them stress.
They’re both indoor/outdoor and have ALWAYS chosen to go to the bathroom outside. But for the past few weeks, Michaleto will pee in the litter box, during the day only. At night he pees outside. (We went through a behavioral peeing thing when he was young but he’s 11 now and haven’t seen a behavioral-based marking/peeing since he was 1)
He also spends more time inside, and worryingly he’s been going into the closet for naps in the morning also.
He’s been to the vet and has had all his bloodwork normal and urine sample normal too. Physically, they found nothing wrong with him. (Even took an ultrasound)
The only thing they found was an increased eosinophils, which she said was most likely because of fleas- which he had. Flea meds have been a struggle since his diagnosis and we struggle to find one that’s effective and safe for an epi-kitty.
Some mornings I wake up and he’s sleeping on the floor near my bed or in the en suite bathroom in eyeshot. Typically, he would spend most of his day and night chilling on the patio in his favorite chair. He still does this but not as much.
I’ve tried to attribute it to raccoons in the backyard. Cooler nights outside (he has arthritis too). Something else new outside that bothers him. Maybe his brother getting a ton of attention. I can’t figure it out.
I can’t tell if it’s behavioral or more. Maybe it’s just his arthritis.
The closet thing is the most worrisome because a few weeks before both of his grand mal seizures, he went into the closet. I know sometimes epi-cats get sensitive to light, etc. sound doesn’t seem to bother him.
I’m rambling. Thank you for reading this far if you hung in there. Anyone have a cat that has gone through something like this? Am I over-worrying? Like I said, vet said all his tests looked completely fine!
Thank youView attachment 484526

He is gorgeous I don’t know if what he’s doing- hiding in the closet and then peeing in the box are related to his heart, disease or the increase in the Phenobarbital, however, hiding in the closet or sleeping in the closet is probably the most worrisome, as well as staying close to you when he sleeps

So it could be being caused by something else… Either related to his heart disease, related to, a possible cause for his epilepsy, or it could be something totally different.

also, heart, disease and cats can cause seizures too. Did the cardiologist think that could have been the cause?

Has he been screened / tested for things like toxoplasmosis and the others mentioned on the link provided?

Is he on a real anticoagulant to prevent clots?

I hope that by talking to your DVM and maybe with help from people here you can figure out what’s going on with him.

 

[Michaleto’sMom]

M Michaleto’sMom Hello to another epi-kitty parent! We're dealing with idiopathic epilepsy for our kitten Paprika. It's definitely been a learning curve that we're still trying to figure out.

Could the change in behavior have to do with the fact that his medicine dose has changed? Maybe he's feeling a bit off due to the adjustment for the new dose?

None of it on its own seems particularly alarming to me, though I'm of course not a vet. I'd probably just keep an eye on him, and of course bring the changes up with the vet and see what they think.

I’ve already spoken to my vet and as mentioned above he was seen by his vet 2weeks ago. He had an ultrasound and a full blood panel done as well as testing his phenobarbital levels to make sure he was in therapeutic range. He was sub-therapeutic so we upped his meds, but the peeing in litter box happened before we upped meds.
All his tests came back normal, so there was nothing that stood out for the vet as worrisome.im imagining that since his Pheno was not at therapeutic levels he may have been feeling like another seizure was coming on…. Hoping the increase in meds will help stave that off. But in the meantime I know the increase in meds can make him groggy and lethargic.
he’s been his normal self other hours of the day. Silly, asking for belly rubs in the sun, eating and drinking normally.
It’s confusing.
Maybe it’s just because his brother is sick with cancer and going through chemo so he smells differently. Maybe it’s the family of raccoons out back.
Maybe he’s just my little weirdo cat but he does make me worry