New Issue - Seizures

[kathyfrank]

Hello fellow cat lovers. So my Moe is 8 years old, and dx'd with IBD that could lead into cancer (vet has him on cancer med too). Moe also has a pinched gall bladder - something that he was likely born with. So I have caught Moe seizing twice now - once quite a while ago after giving him the flea med (for cats) Vectra (washed off - seemed fine) and the other night when he was about to eat. One day I came home and his underside seemed to be filled with liquid like he got into a cleaner or something. Nothing in the house was disturbed, and the liquid wasn't colored and didn't smell. It has been a mystery until the vet told me today he could have had a seizure and urinated on himself. So I am finding out that nothing much can be done unless they become common and then medication is prescribed. Here is the question: How do I know how much he is seizing? I work, and he spends his days sleeping upstairs (always been very low energy - sleeps under the bed all of the time). If he is actually seizing a lot, I would of course want that taken care of. And if the seizures are too much for him, I would want to put him down because I don't want him suffering. He is sick enough to begin with - but we are managing on meds and he seems okay. I just have no idea how to gauge how much this is actually happening since he is not around me a lot of the time. Has anyone had any kind of similar situation? Any advice or info would be appreciated.

 

[kittypa]

I have a 16 year old female with 2nd stage kidney disease who has had a couple seizures in the last few months. It’s awful when it happens but she seems to shake it off pretty quickly.

If your kitty spends most of his day in the same spot, a little web cam might work well for you. They’re very reasonable in price now.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm so sorry you're going through this!
I was think of a camera as well ...

 

[kathyfrank]

I have a 16 year old female with 2nd stage kidney disease who has had a couple seizures in the last few months. It’s awful when it happens but she seems to shake it off pretty quickly.

If your kitty spends most of his day in the same spot, a little web cam might work well for you. They’re very reasonable in price now.

Great Idea! Is there anything you are doing for the seizures?

 

[kathyfrank]

I'm so sorry you're going through this!
I was think of a camera as well ...

Thanks. Its hard to see a seizure. I feel so bad for Moe

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[kittypa]

Great Idea! Is there anything you are doing for the seizures?

The first time it happened I grabbed her up and rushed off to the vet, but ultimately there’s no trigger or condition identified, so there’s nothing we can do for now.

 

[kathyfrank]

The first time it happened I grabbed her up and rushed off to the vet, but ultimately there’s no trigger or condition identified, so there’s nothing we can do for now.

Its hard...The vet has no idea why this is happening. The only thing I can think of is a possible reaction to flea meds....or he may have developed a brain tumor or something like that. I don't want to put him through scans to find out - he is just not well enough. He does shake his head slightly, I think too often. There is nothing wrong with his ears - just checked out yesterday. The shaking made me think there could be something in his head going on. Ugh.....I wish I could help him.

 

[kittypa]

Its hard...The vet has no idea why this is happening. The only thing I can think of is a possible reaction to flea meds....or he may have developed a brain tumor or something like that. I don't want to put him through scans to find out - he is just not well enough. He does shake his head slightly, I think too often. There is nothing wrong with his ears - just checked out yesterday. The shaking made me think there could be something in his head going on. Ugh.....I wish I could help him.

One of my cats was recently treated for poisoning after our yard was treated for fleas. One of his symptoms was him shaking his head and flicking his ears a lot. This remained when the other symptoms had subsided. I actually took him back to the vet to make sure there was nothing wrong with his ears. One week later these symptoms are subsiding. Interesting that Advantage II is a pyrethroid just like the Cross Check product the exterminator used in the yard.

 

[kathyfrank]

One of my cats was recently treated for poisoning after our yard was treated for fleas. One of his symptoms was him shaking his head and flicking his ears a lot. This remained when the other symptoms had subsided. I actually took him back to the vet to make sure there was nothing wrong with his ears. One week later these symptoms are subsiding. Interesting that Advantage II is a pyrethroid just like the Cross Check product the exterminator used in the yard.

Do you think that the toxic effects of flea meds clears from the body - eventually? I have been trying to find out online, but can't seem to find an answer to that question. The vet has me using homeopathic drops called Liver Support which is supposed to clean out the liver. Idk if it is helping or not. I'd like to get all the flea stuff out of Moe. I'm not going to give topicals again. I think it is too hard on him. He never goes outside, but I live in FL and have a screened in lanai, and I guess fleas can get through the screen. So I need to protect him from those horrible bugs....but I don't want to use anymore flea meds. I thought about sprinkling DE on the carpet area and outside. It is a small area, so that is doable...

 

[kmoulus]

I'm so sorry for you and Moe. Three years ago, my Speedy had three or four seizures, it was terrifying. If he has another one (and I hope he doesn't), try to record a video that you can show to your vet. My vet told me that it is extremely difficult for a lay person to tell the difference between a seizure and syncope, that's why a video will be helpful.

By the way, Speedy was diagnosed with ideopathic seizures and placed on phenobarbital. About a month later, during a routine cardiac exam (she has HCM), they found fluid around her lungs. She wasn't having seizures at all, she had syncope (fainting) from lack of oxygen. A prescription for lasix cleared it up.

 

[kittypa]

Do you think that the toxic effects of flea meds clears from the body - eventually? I have been trying to find out online, but can't seem to find an answer to that question. The vet has me using homeopathic drops called Liver Support which is supposed to clean out the liver. Idk if it is helping or not. I'd like to get all the flea stuff out of Moe. I'm not going to give topicals again. I think it is too hard on him. He never goes outside, but I live in FL and have a screened in lanai, and I guess fleas can get through the screen. So I need to protect him from those horrible bugs....but I don't want to use anymore flea meds. I thought about sprinkling DE on the carpet area and outside. It is a small area, so that is doable...

It should clear up. I'm not a doctor or vet so I can't say for sure, but my kitty is well now. One thing they did was give him sub-q fluids to help flush out the toxins.

 

[kpc1024]

Camera is a great idea. Being aware is important. A cat seizing too long can lead to major brain damage/death. A cat seizuring regularly can respond to medicine. Sorry you have to go through this : (

 

[1 bruce 1]

Do you think that the toxic effects of flea meds clears from the body - eventually? I have been trying to find out online, but can't seem to find an answer to that question. The vet has me using homeopathic drops called Liver Support which is supposed to clean out the liver. Idk if it is helping or not. I'd like to get all the flea stuff out of Moe. I'm not going to give topicals again. I think it is too hard on him. He never goes outside, but I live in FL and have a screened in lanai, and I guess fleas can get through the screen. So I need to protect him from those horrible bugs....but I don't want to use anymore flea meds. I thought about sprinkling DE on the carpet area and outside. It is a small area, so that is doable...

We have a handful of cats that have had similar experiences with topicals, and we refuse to treat them.
Liver stuff can take awhile to subside, but assuming he has no liver disease or serious damage (most times, symptomatic) this might help him.
We used milk thistle on a dog that was next to meeting his maker and it took some time, but he bounced back and was 100% fine.
I would try the DE. Make sure it's food grade, just in case.
I would also consider teaching him to love a comb (if he doesn't already) and make a habit of doing a 10-15 minute flea comb every night or every few nights, so if he picks one or two up (it happens), you can nip it before it becomes a problem.

 

[kpc1024]

We have a handful of cats that have had similar experiences with topicals, and we refuse to treat them.
Liver stuff can take awhile to subside, but assuming he has no liver disease or serious damage (most times, symptomatic) this might help him.
We used milk thistle on a dog that was next to meeting his maker and it took some time, but he bounced back and was 100% fine.
I would try the DE. Make sure it's food grade, just in case.
I would also consider teaching him to love a comb (if he doesn't already) and make a habit of doing a 10-15 minute flea comb every night or every few nights, so if he picks one or two up (it happens), you can nip it before it becomes a problem.

Have you ever had cats have seizures due to fumes in new carpet/carpet glue?

 

[1 bruce 1]

Have you ever had cats have seizures due to fumes in new carpet/carpet glue?

No, but we don't have carpet.
We did install new floors a year or two ago and were careful to keep the cats away and air the rooms out (in the middle of January...BRRR!) for a few days before letting them back in to avoid fumes/dust, etc.
I wouldn't say things like topicals or chemicals always "cause" seizures, but it seems like they induce seizures in individual animals (or people) that have a predisposition.
I'm unfamiliar with Vectra, are there any side effects listed on the insert?

 

[kathyfrank]

We have a handful of cats that have had similar experiences with topicals, and we refuse to treat them.
Liver stuff can take awhile to subside, but assuming he has no liver disease or serious damage (most times, symptomatic) this might help him.
We used milk thistle on a dog that was next to meeting his maker and it took some time, but he bounced back and was 100% fine.
I would try the DE. Make sure it's food grade, just in case.
I would also consider teaching him to love a comb (if he doesn't already) and make a habit of doing a 10-15 minute flea comb every night or every few nights, so if he picks one or two up (it happens), you can nip it before it becomes a problem.

What brand of milk thistle do you like the best? I want to try it, but will need it in liquid form...

 

[kathyfrank]

No, but we don't have carpet.
We did install new floors a year or two ago and were careful to keep the cats away and air the rooms out (in the middle of January...BRRR!) for a few days before letting them back in to avoid fumes/dust, etc.
I wouldn't say things like topicals or chemicals always "cause" seizures, but it seems like they induce seizures in individual animals (or people) that have a predisposition.
I'm unfamiliar with Vectra, are there any side effects listed on the insert?

I found out afterwards it has a certain chemical that can be bad for cats. I used it on Moe and he had the seizure. I thought it was because he’s I’ll to begin with, so when I got another cat from a rescue I used it on her. The rescue said it should be fine. When I came home from work the cat was spacey, like she was seeing ghosts. She was also acting standoffish and just not right. I was able to get her into the vet right away and they bathed her and looked her over. She ended up being okay. When I went to my pet food store, I told them about it because they sell it. They said they hadn’t heard of any problems. I bought mine on Amazon and I’m almost wondering if it was bad, or mismarked and really for dogs, or something else. Amazon has some shady sellers sometimes. It’s the only thing I could come up with. But, I did read that it has an ingredient that can be bad for cats...I think it was something like permithin or something like that. I’d have to look that up, but I guess you should stay away from meds with that in it because cats can’t metabolize it.