Earlier today the cat was sitting by the back door, looking out through the screen and sniffing the air. ‘Mom’ keeps an eye on him, because he has a history of seizures that might be cause by sunlight and/or shadows. I saw him get up, and ‘mom’ got up immediately. I looked at him, and he was unsteady. He was having a seizure. I’d seen two others, but they were mild and were over in a few seconds. This time it was bad. ‘Mom’ held him and he tried to get away. He was definitely in distress. Worse, this seizure was going on and on. The cat threw up on her. He’d never vomited during a seizure before. (I tried to clean her up while she held the cat, and cleaned the vomit off of the floor so the cat wouldn’t step in it.) I called the nearest vet, but they’re closed on Sundays; so I called the emergency number on their recording. As ‘mom’ talked to the vet, the cat started coming out of it.
It was freaky, watching him. His pupils were dilated, and his eyes were twitching back and forth. Poor thing! After it was over I went to the corner market and bought some wet food, and ‘mom’ mixed some phenobarbital into a teaspoon of it. He ate it up. Now he’s sleeping in the crook of my knees as I recline on the couch.
He’s been doing so well since he’s been here! He’s been off the phenobarbital for a year. Now he’s back on, and he’ll have it twice a day. Seems like a lot of trouble for him to go through just to get some wet food.
Ever notice how cats always do this sort of thing on a Sunday? The only time my old cat (now late and missed) went into a diabetic coma was on a Sunday. Freaked my out but thanks to honey he came out of it eventually. The vet I use now thankfully is open 7 days a week 8a-8p, so we catch most problems without needing to use the emergency room.
I have a cat who has seizures, too. They are pitiful to watch, aren’t they? Mine tends to purr and be really happy about 10 minutes or so after she has one, so I know they aren’t that awful for her, but I still hate them. She is such a good girl that she jumps on the bed for me to give her the phenobarbital twice a day. I trained her by giving her lots of attention after the pill.
The SO sobbed a couple of times while she was holding him. She said last night that she was afraid he’d slip into a coma and he’d have to be put down. :eek: That hadn’t occurred to me. She’s a nurse and considered the possibility that that could happen. But as a nurse she was aware that seizures could go on for minutes so she held on.
This was the worst seizure he’s had. She says it lasted ‘at least three minutes’. It felt like at least five minutes to me. The first one he had, a couple/few years ago, he was twitching on the floor after having fallen off the couch; but it only lasted several seconds. The first one had been the worst one until Sunday. It was very scary. He’s a good cat, about eight years old, who knows not to wake up the humans. He usually sleeps next to me, and when I up I let him literally climb all over me. He’s a sweet, handsome boy. I dread the day he has to be put down. But for now, we’re making sure he’s safe, healthy, and happy.
Right now he’s lying on a blanket on the back of the love seat, looking out the window. (A scruffy long-hair black cat wandered by a few minutes ago.) I don’t have any recent pics, but here are three from last year. (He was sick last year and had his belly shaved for the ultrasound.)
What a nice kitty. Encouraging anecdotal data point: a friend’s cat was on meds for epilepsy for 11 years until he died of unrelated causes at a ripe old age.
That hadn’t occurred to me. She’s a nurse and considered the possibility that that could happen. But as a nurse she was aware that seizures could go on for minutes so she held on.
