What Does a Cat Seizure Look Like?
Seizures can be frightening and life-threatening for your cat, yet typically don’t last longer than 3-5 minutes.
Epileptic seizures usually have their source outside or inside of the brain. Drugs, metabolic conditions or cardiovascular issues may all play a part.
Other causes could be within the brain itself, including seizure disorders or epilepsy which require long-term, often lifetime treatment with antiepileptic drugs.
Twitching of the Face
A grand mal seizure occurs when your cat loses consciousness and muscle function throughout their entire body, including their head. They may jerk, shake or convulse; their muscles of their face twitch as a telltale sign they’re having one; this can be frightening to watch and may prompt pet owners to be on guard against such seizures as well. They will likely clench their teeth or bite during such episodes while others drool or even defecate during these seizure events – telltale indicators of when your cat is experiencing one such episode as well as having passed beyond its pre-ictal phase.
Staying calm while your cat has a seizure is key to their wellbeing and safety. Beware of trying to shake them out of it as this could cause injury, placing pillows and blankets around them during an episode can prevent injury from taking place and block any hazards like stairs or couches from inflicting harm during this episode. Keep track of seizures by date, length, etc. so your vet can pinpoint their source.
Once their seizure has subsided, you should comfort them and assure them everything will be alright. They may become disoriented and blind during this period; recovery typically takes anywhere from minutes to several hours before many are unaware it ever happened at all.
Noting any additional symptoms associated with the seizure is also key, including whether or not it recurred, its length and if there were signs of pre-ictal or ictal stages. Giving as much detail about this event as possible to your vet can help them diagnose what’s causing it for your cat.
Take your cat to the vet. He/she will perform an exam and listen to what has been happening with them before running lab tests to help develop a diagnosis. They may suggest medications to control frequency or severity of episodes/events.
Shaking
Cat seizures can cause them to shake violently, which could be an indicator of serious issues; particularly if multiple seizures are occurring rapidly without much recovery between seizures. This could indicate epilepsy – a neurological disease which often manifests these types of symptoms in cats.
Cat seizures typically last only a few minutes before your pet recovers on its own, however if seizures become frequent it’s wise to visit a veterinarian immediately.
If possible, video recordings of events involving your cat should help your veterinarian better assess and diagnose what has transpired. This will enable them to pinpoint exactly the type of seizure your feline is experiencing as well as its cause; furthermore they will need information regarding any underlying illnesses or potential exposure.
Focal and generalized seizures are two distinct types of cat seizures; focal seizures impact one area of the brain and can produce subtle symptoms such as facial twitching, drooling and tail chasing; generalized or grand mal seizures affect more of the body as a whole and often result in tonic-clonic movements and loss of bowel and bladder control.
After experiencing either focal or generalized seizures, you can usually identify which kind of seizure your cat has had by watching its behavior afterwards. A focal seizure will usually leave your cat looking disoriented and exhausted with an “possessed” appearance; generalized seizures typically have more unsettling aftereffects like aggressive behavior, urinating in unexpected places, defecating in unexpected spots and sudden changes to posture or movement patterns.
Concerns surrounding cat seizures often include their potential life-threat. Although this is usually not the case, if an episode lasts more than several minutes or occurs repeatedly without time to recover between episodes, this could prove fatal. If your cat can get to their veterinarian promptly after suffering their seizure and has no underlying illness diagnosed yet, recovery should typically occur quickly.
Convulsions
Cats having seizures often experience convulsions of their body. These may include sudden head and leg movements, paddling like fish in water, chewing, salivation, chewing and defecating (urination/defecation). Episodes may last from one minute up to an hour or more.
These events can be frightening for cats, leaving them disoriented and disoriented when recovering from them. At this stage, it is crucial that your cat remains safe by making sure he/she cannot hurt themselves or knock over anything while experiencing the episode. Furthermore, taking notes so as to provide as much detail to their vet is crucial in aiding recovery from this episode.
An onslaught of seizures often begins with symptoms like loss of appetite, restlessness or nervous behavior; this is known as the aura or pre-ictal phase. Some cats will go on to experience generalized seizure during this stage characterized by sudden collapse, violent shaking of all four limbs and loss of awareness as well as autonomic release through urine production and defecation.
Other cats suffer from petit mal seizures. Though less dramatic than generalized seizure episodes, these episodes still last up to an hour and involve facial and jaw twitching, kicking, salivation, autonomic release and unconsciousness for up to 15 minutes at a time.
No matter if it’s grand mal or petit mal, your cat must be seen immediately by a veterinarian for evaluation and testing to ascertain its cause – these tests could include blood work, urinalysis or even an MRI exam if appropriate.
If your veterinarian can identify what’s triggering your cat’s seizures, they’ll recommend a tailored treatment plan for its relief. Usually this involves regular dosing with anticonvulsant medication – often lifelong in nature – which will be tailored specifically for their unique condition; medications will be closely monitored while blood work will be conducted periodically to make sure that adequate levels are in their system.
Unconsciousness
Cats suffering seizures will usually experience short periods of unconsciousness due to the inability of their brains to send signals to keep them conscious. During this period, cats may exhibit full-body convulsions, chewing gum fits, drooling and foaming at the mouth, paddling movements of legs, loss of bladder control as well as their head being thrown back along their spine – this phase is known as “ictal phase”, lasting anywhere from five minutes or longer.
Myoclonic seizures that arise when cats are startled or overexcited do not result in loss of consciousness; other forms of seizures, however, often do. A study found that myoclonic seizures occurred in 95% of cats studied with FARS (Feline Autonomic Respiratory Syndrome); this form is known as startle reflex seizure.
As you comfort your cat after they experience a seizure, it is crucial not to interfere with their movement or attempt to snap them out of it by changing their position, which could result in being bitten or scratched and making recovery more challenging. Instead, allow their seizure to finish before gently moving them away from any potential risks in their environment.
Not all seizures in cats need immediate treatment; typically treatment begins after multiple or severe seizures have occurred or when epilepsy recurrs regularly.
Your veterinarian will use the information you provide about your pet’s seizure symptoms to ascertain if there is a neurological cause behind their seizure, such as an underlying medical condition or toxin exposure. Therefore, it’s crucial that you describe all pre-ictal, ictal and post-ictal phases so they can diagnose your cat effectively while also treating them more efficiently.
