Is Boo having seizures?

[skysimone]

Just wanted to add.. not trying to double post but I want to make sure that any readers who find one thread or the other are able to follow both.

I found a woman on youtube whose cat stopped having the seizures hwen she discovered that perfume and oats make it trigger


My cats jerking movements are more detailed in the other thread.. but thank you to Boos mum for linking me to this thread.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/247072/jerking-cat#post_3425115

Since there is not a lot of info on this stuff online, I find it important that all the info is linked together for ease of finding. Thanks again. will update Monday

 

[worriedsomuch]

Hi,

Were you talking about me when referring to the worried lady? If so, that's me. Yes, Grace is still having her facial twitching and jerking. The vet conceded that she *might* have a minor seizure disorder although he still doubts it. He thinks it could be her allergies and ear problems, still. He also said she can most likely live with it. I have only caught the tail end of her tics on video so the footage is unfortunately useless. I haven't been able to have the neuro look at it. It's been so hard to catch it to show the vet. Right now she is okay. Her behavior is fine, running, jumping, playing. The only issue she had this weekend was hairballs. Due to her allergies, she is grooming a lot and now threw up a hairball. I've watched that video on Youtube (I think it's on here too). Her cat's twitching is pretty much identical to Grace's, although she has some variations too. Does your cat's jerking look like that? I saw she said the cat had allergies so perhaps there is a connection? How is your cat doing? Grace does eat Whiskas from time to time, more often Fancy Feast though. I'm not sure if that food would cause seizures. I imagine there would have to be several reports before they could substantiate the claims.

 

[denice]

Have you worked on finding what she is allergic too?  Patches came up with a yeast infection in his ears and I have eliminated chicken, actually all poultry from his diet.  He was treated with the steroid and antibiotic drops and so far his ears look clean to me.  I am taking him back Thursday to get his mouth checked from two extractions and it will be 1 1/2 weeks since he finished the drops.  Hopefully the vet will also say that they are still clean.

 

[goholistic]

I'm so sorry I missed the recent posts in this thread.

@skysimone, I'm sorry to hear Teddy is dealing with this, too. It seems like a mystery to a lot of us. Boo's twitching and head jerks seemed to have decreased lately. I have not changed anything at home, although I did recently start using purified water in their drinking fountain instead of tap. Hmm...

When I was doing research on this, I came across so many varying theories and opinions. 

 

[worriedsomuch]

 
Have you worked on finding what she is allergic too?  Patches came up with a yeast infection in his ears and I have eliminated chicken, actually all poultry from his diet.  He was treated with the steroid and antibiotic drops and so far his ears look clean to me.  I am taking him back Thursday to get his mouth checked from two extractions and it will be 1 1/2 weeks since he finished the drops.  Hopefully the vet will also say that they are still clean.

No but I am working with the vet to try to figure it out. He seems to think it is seasonal and she could suffer with every season, sadly.

GoHolistic, yes there are so many varying opinions on this twitching. Some tell you it's perfectly natural for a cat to have some twitching prior to sleeping or while deeply relaxed and purring. The crazy thing is Grace's sister, Delilah, actually experienced some quick facial twitches yesterday while sitting in my lap and purring too. I don't know if you'd call this genetic or possibly some kind of normal behavior when relaxed. It's perplexing to say the least. Grace still has her good days and bad days. Sometimes she twitches a few days in a row and sometimes I see nothing for a few days. Last night I definitely saw her twitching while she was purring though. Then this morning, she was standing on the table, looking relaxed and sort of sleepy and she experienced a quick burst of the twitching. I've spoken to the vet numerous times (as well as the other two in the practice) and they keep saying it's her allergies.

 

[skysimone]

 
Just wanted to add.. not trying to double post but I want to make sure that any readers who find one thread or the other are able to follow both.

I found a woman on youtube whose cat stopped having the seizures hwen she discovered that perfume and oats make it trigger


My cats jerking movements are more detailed in the other thread.. but thank you to Boos mum for linking me to this thread.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/247072/jerking-cat#post_3425115

Since there is not a lot of info on this stuff online, I find it important that all the info is linked together for ease of finding. Thanks again. will update Monday

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!!!!!!!!!! LADIES!

I have an update.

after much thought, research, and panic filled tears, I recalled that the first thing my vet said to me Tuesday morning last week (10 days ago) when I took Teddy to the vet after the first signs of jerking, the vet said to me, "What is he eating"

I replied 'just the vet biscuits' not really thinking to acknowledge that once a week both cats share a tin of whiskas. Normally I buy the chicken casserole tin. I'd bought loaf style by mistake.

and the cats hadn't finished it over a day or so.

I googled 'whiskas food causing seizures' and guess what? There were reports of women who fed their cat tinned whiskas prior to their cats having fatal seizures!

I threw the can in the trash, and fed both cats a pile of grass and shut them in the bathroom, hoping to theoretically induce the vomiting that they'd induce on themselves if they were outdoors.

They chowed down the grass but neither cat vomited. That night I gave them some of my roast chicken, and just vet bikkies

Teddy continued to do less obvious jerks over the weekend, and Monday morning Teddy did a few jerks, and I spent the day crying in a panic.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Teddy has been jerk free that I can see.. as the videos I shared showed, Teddys jerks are very obvious.. not something you can miss..

It is 2.30pm Friday afternoon, 10 days after the jerking started... Teddy did one jerk sitting on my lap about an hour ago, but compared to last week when there was 5 in the morning and 5 in the evening, I really believe that the can of whiskas caused this medical symptom, a neurological symptom that I consider VERY serious.

He is alert and his behaviour is usual. No abnormal behaviour. I really do believe that the myoclonic jerks were caused by the can of whiskas, but I will keep you all updated if that changes.

He's asleep right now and he's doing that 'sleeping cat twitch' that is NOT like the myoclonic jerking.

I think every cat I've ever had has had those 'vivid dream sleep twitches'

I have noticed a couple of times that he's been on my lap and he's shaken a leg, but that may just be normal.. (ie coz of the jerking I'm watching him in a paranoid way)

I honestly believe the tin of whiskas caused the situation.. will keep you posted

 

[goholistic]

Wow....seems too coincidental that the jerking would stop or lessen after stopping the Whiskas! Great for you to use your gut feeling!  

 

I don't know where you're located, but we have Whiskas here in the U.S. In my area, it doesn't come in a tin can. It comes in a plastic tray with a foil-top lid that you pull back to open. I wonder if the tin was tainted or had lead in it. Of course, it could be the food, too. 

Anyway, I'm so glad to hear that Teddy seems to be returning to normal! 

 

[skysimone]

Updating the other thread now. Teddys seizuring has returned.

 

[goholistic]

 
Updating the other thread now. Teddys seizuring has returned.

I'm so sorry to hear.  

  How frustrating. 

 

[worriedsomuch]

Unfortunately I have very bad news to report. Grace had an INTENSE bout of facial tics with serious head tremors today. I'm still shaking over the whole thing. I am going to write what happened in her ear infection thread.

 

[goholistic]

 
Unfortunately I have very bad news to report. Grace had an INTENSE bout of facial tics with serious head tremors today. I'm still shaking over the whole thing. I am going to write what happened in her ear infection thread.

I'm so sorry! 

  I responded in your thread.

I've hardly noticed any facial tics in Boo recently.