Not every cat owner can imagine that their pet, like some people, can be sick with epilepsy. Nevertheless, according to doctors, this ailment among feline representatives has recently been more and more common. At the same time, many people pay attention to the strange behavior of their “pussies”, but they cannot explain it. It doesn’t even occur to them that the animal is suffering from such a terrible disease.
In this article, we will talk about how epilepsy looks in cats. Symptoms, treatment and prevention of this disease will also not go unnoticed.
What is epilepsy
It should immediately be said that this disease is not infectious. The reasons for its occurrence can be very diverse. Often, noticing the strange behavior of a cat, the owner may think that the animal is fooling around and not attach any importance to this. But in vain ...
Epilepsy in cats (we will consider the symptoms and treatment below) is a special brain disorder that can be recognized by convulsions and convulsions that last for a short time. Such a disease can occur not only in cats, other animals are also affected, and, of course, people. Sometimes the disease is caused by disorders in the brain, and sometimes there are other reasons.
As a rule, the diagnosis of epilepsy is made when seizures and convulsions are repeated with one or another regularity.
Terms
To better understand the essence of the disease, let's define some of the terms that accompany it:
- the prodrome phase is the period when anxiety and some nervousness appear in the behavior of the animal; the cat has an irresistible need for movement, and she begins to run around the house uncontrollably;
- postictal phase - time after seizures; during this period, the cat may be drowsy, show signs of depression; attacks of "wolf" appetite, a certain excitement may also disturb; this phase can last from 24 to 48 hours;
- an attack - the convulsions themselves; twitching of limbs, convulsions, loss of control over the physiological functions of the body, severe deflection in the spine; this condition usually lasts 1-3 minutes;
- partial seizure - does not cover the entire body, but only certain muscle groups; may manifest as uncontrolled aggression, attempts to bite a non-existent object, tail or paw tremors.
Types of disease
First of all, you need to understand what kind of epilepsy happens in cats, the treatment will depend on this. Specialists divide all seizures into two main types:
In the language of medicine they are called a little differently: idiopathic and symptomatic.
Real epilepsy is quite difficult to diagnose, determining the true cause can be very difficult. Many doctors tend to believe that genetic abnormalities of the brain or birth injuries in kittens are to blame. The disease manifests itself at a very early age, practically does not respond to treatment, has been haunting a cat for life, and over time, the duration and severity of attacks increases. The treatment for real epilepsy is very long and complicated. In some especially severe cases, in order to stop the suffering of the animal, they even suggest euthanizing it.
In contrast to the previous option, false epilepsy is acquired in nature. In this case, the symptoms are most often the result of other diseases or head injuries. Moreover, from the moment of injury to the appearance of the first signs, a rather long time may pass, the owners may not suspect that their cat is in danger.
Symptoms
What does epilepsy look like in cats? Symptoms of this disease are quite eloquent. Most often, the harbinger of an attack is complete immobility. The animal, as it were, freezes, the gaze rises to one point, there is a loss of orientation, the cat does not react to external stimuli.
When the attack begins, the animal falls and begins to twitch in a fit, wriggle and bend back. Convulsions, numbness of the body are observed, partial respiratory arrest is possible, the legs are extended. During an attack, involuntary emptying of the intestines or bladder may occur, the cat no longer controls these processes. The jaws of the animal are constantly moving, as if they were chewing something, and their paws twitch, depicting a run. White foam may come out of the animal’s mouth. If it is not white, but pink, it means that your pet has damaged his tongue or cheeks and he is bleeding.
This condition can last from a few seconds to several minutes. After the attack, the cat becomes lethargic, breathing heavily, and wakes up for a long time. Sometimes after an attack, the animal may lose sight and hearing for several hours.
Causes
Why does epilepsy occur in cats? The reasons can be very diverse. As already mentioned, epilepsy can be a symptom of some other diseases, as well as be congenital, due to genetic changes.
It is impossible to establish the causes of the disease and help the animal on its own. The timely consultation of a specialist is important here. If you contact the veterinarian on time, you can establish the cause of the disease and alleviate the condition of the animal.
In order to correctly diagnose the source of the disease, you need to pass some tests and do special tests. If it turns out that epilepsy is false, then the underlying disease must be treated , and seizures will pass by themselves over time. It is more difficult when idiopathic epilepsy is diagnosed - here the animal will need constant care and help of the owner throughout its life.
Diagnostics
Even if you know how to treat epilepsy in cats, this does not mean that you can do it yourself. To correctly diagnose, it is not enough just to see the attack and understand that it fits the picture described above. Everything is much more complicated here. To make sure that the diagnosis is correct, the doctor should prescribe your pet biochemistry, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, MRI or computed tomography, EEG, chest x-ray.
Only after receiving the results of the maximum number of studies, as well as after listening to your detailed description, or rather seeing a video of the attack, the doctor can understand the true cause of the disease and prescribe adequate treatment.
What cats are predisposed to epilepsy
Many "cat owners" would like to know whether epilepsy in cats depends on the breed of the animal or any other features. To date, no relationship has been recorded between the breed of the animal and the frequency of diseases. But there is a connection between epilepsy and the sex of the animal. It has been established that cats suffer from this terrible disease more often than cats.
If the disease is congenital in nature, then the first attacks usually occur during puberty of the animal. If epilepsy is false, then any temporary connection is very difficult to establish. Although epilepsy is inherited, it does not always happen precisely from mother to children. Sometimes the disease manifests itself in the second, and even in the third generation. Therefore, if you are breeding cats, then regardless of the form of the disease, the animal should be excluded from the "tribe".
When to start treatment
In order to start treatment correctly and on time, it is necessary to count and fix epilepsy attacks in cats. Treatment depends on how often they occur.
If your pet’s epileptic seizures occur no more than once or twice a year, while the animal does not suffer from any concomitant disease, then treatment should not be prescribed. Your task is to carefully monitor the pet and try to reduce the risk of injuries to a minimum limit.
If epileptic seizures are repeated once a month or more often, the animal needs treatment with special anticonvulsants. Do not forget that only a doctor should prescribe them. An improperly selected drug will entail an increase in the severity and duration of the attacks. Exact observance of the doctor’s recommendations, proper care will reduce the frequency of attacks and ease the condition of the animal.
Advice of a neurological veterinarian
Epilepsy in cats is a disease not well understood. However, you can help your doctor determine the type of illness. To help the doctor, try to think through the answers to such questions in advance:
- When did the first attack happen and when did they become more and more stronger?
- What is the frequency of seizures?
- Are they spontaneous (erratic) or regular?
- Have you noticed the connection between seizure and feeding, sleep, agitation, or other events?
- Are there any other symptoms: increased thirst, poor appetite, or others?
- Did you give the animal any nutritional supplements or medicines?
- Were there any cases of falling from a height, other injuries?
- Have there been any poisoning or contact with poisons?
Answers to these and some other questions will help the doctor correctly determine the etiology of the disease and prescribe adequate treatment.
Epilepsy in cats: treatment, drugs
As already mentioned, epilepsy should be treated directly only when it is the primary disease. If it is false, then first of all it is necessary to treat the underlying disease, while the attacks are most likely to go away by themselves.
So, epilepsy in cats is a treatment. How to stop attacks and alleviate the condition of the animal? For the treatment of primary epilepsy, the following drugs are often used:
- Pregabalin
- Phenobarbital;
- Gabapentin
- Levetiracetam;
- Zonisamide and others.
Here it is worth saying that most often the treatment is life-long and is carried out strictly under the supervision of a doctor. Even if the attacks have not been repeated for a long time and it seems to you that the animal is completely healthy, in no case do not stop giving pills. Such actions may cause “withdrawal seizures”.
Treatment is considered successful if the frequency of seizures in the animal has decreased at least twice, and side effects are minimal or absent.
It is very important during the treatment to keep a special diary where to describe in detail all the seizures that happened: the number, time, duration, severity, how the attack occurred, whether there were cramps, respiratory arrest, and so on. Such records are very helpful in adjusting treatment. If treatment does not bring positive results, it must be corrected. Perhaps the wrong dose of the drug is used, or the animal’s body is resistant to a specific antiepileptic.
If seizures in the animal were absent for a year, the doctor may begin to discontinue the drug, gradually reducing its dosage. It is impossible to drop treatment sharply - epilepsy can return.
Does the disease threaten the life of a pet
Timely and correctly diagnosed epilepsy in cats, correctly selected treatment and adequate care are a guarantee that the disease will not bring irreversible harm.
A danger to the life of an animal occurs when an epileptic status is diagnosed. This is a long series of attacks in between which the cat loses consciousness. It is very important to immediately take the animal to the doctor. Each such attack is fraught with severe brain damage, fatal heart attacks and asphyxia (asphyxiation).
If epilepsy in cats is a symptom of another disease, such as brain cancer, then it all depends on how the latter affects the body of the animal. Here, the life of a pet depends more on the complexity of the underlying disease and its stage.
What to do to the owner
The success of treatment and the safety of the animal largely depends on what kind of help the owner provides him. To alleviate the onset of epilepsy in cats, you need:
- closely monitor the behavior of the pet; when the seizure is clearly approaching, you need to transfer the cat to the floor in a warm room and dim the light;
- with your hand you need to slightly raise and hold the head of the animal so that the cat does not beat it on the floor;
- no need to specifically open the jaw if the animal does not suffocate;
- if you saw foam from the mouth, insert the tip of a teaspoon between the front fangs and carefully hold it there so that the animal does not bite off its tongue;
- In no case should you put your fingers in the jaws of the animal, catch the tongue and try to pull it out; if the cat lies on a flat surface, the tongue will not go west and it cannot suffocate;
- you can also not press the animal to the floor or to your body - this fetters the movement of the animal and enhances the attack;
- get a special notebook and write down all the nuances of each attack;
- at least once a year, conduct a full examination of the animal;
- feed your cat only food specially designed for epileptic animals;
- try to protect the animal from stress, in no case beat him and do not scream, even if the cat is guilty.
Prevention of Epilepsy
Of course, preventive measures will not have any effect on genetic epilepsy, because the disease is from birth. But symptomatic epilepsy can be tried to prevent.
To do this, you need to carefully monitor the pet and adhere to several rules:
- regularly take blood tests, urine tests;
- monitor the state of blood sugar, check the kidneys and liver;
- prevent colds and infectious diseases;
- to exclude possible contacts with toxic substances, toxins;
- avoid overheating or hypothermia of the animal;
- Avoid personal injury, jumping, or falling from great heights, such as from a closet or balcony;
- Do not be zealous with the use of various biological additives not prescribed by a doctor;
- give any medications, including tablets from worms, only as directed by the veterinarian.