~I am sure the Vet already explained all of this to you, however I thought some of this may be helpful to you dv8:
Feline Seizures and Epilepsy
The intent of this page is to provide information for people whose cats have had seizures. Seizures are a serious problem, and a cat that has had a seizure should be taken to a veterinarian for proper diagnosis. A proper diagnosis may be expensive and may take some time, but there is usually an underlying cause that can be eliminated or appropriate treatment that can be prescribed.
The information in this page is not meant to substitute for a veterinarian's advice, but to aid those who are trying to learn more about their cat's illness and to encourage owners of cats that have had seizures to have their cat's illness diagnosed as quickly as possible. More clinical information is available through the references at the bottom of this article.
Note that this page is maintained at infrequent intervals. There are a number of URLs at the bottom of the page that may offer more helpful advice, including internet support groups. I welcome email suggesting updates to the page, but it may be some time before they are acted on.
What is Epilepsy?
It is important to understand the difference between epilepsy and seizures. Seizures, which range from unusual mood swings to uncontrollable thrashing and loss of body control, are symptoms of a disease. Causes of seizures include infections, tumors, toxic chemicals, and epilepsy. Most seizures in cats have a cause other than epilepsy. It's most useful to think of epilepsy as a word for seizures for which no other cause has been found.
You will sometimes see epilepsy divided into idiopathic, or primary, epilepsy; and symptomatic, or secondary, epilepsy. Idiopathic epilepsy is the term used for seizures that appear to have no other cause. Symptomatic epilepsy refers to seizures caused by an underlying condition.
Regardless of the terms used, the primary goal when treating a cat with seizures is to identify the disease causing the seizures, assuming it is epilepsy only if no other cause can be found.
General Advice
Seizures should not go untreated. There are risks of choking during a seizure, and more importantly, the seizures may be symptomatic of an underlying disease that can and should be treated. Anti-convulsant drugs may be effective in controlling the seizures, depending on the exact diagnosis.
Observing Seizures
If you observe your cat having what you believe is a seizure, the most important thing to do is to observe every detail you can about it so it can be described to your vet. Frequently, your vet will never actually be able to observe your cat having a seizure, so your description is important to the diagnosis. Try to observe breathing patterns; paddling, motion, or rigidness of limbs; eye dilation or motion; salivation; body twisting; muscle twitching; and duration. It is important to observe which parts of the body are involved. After the seizure is over, your presence and attention will probably comfort your cat as it regains consciousness.
Please note that there is an incredibly wide range of symptoms associated with seizures. Generalized convulsions are rare in cats. More common is the "partial complex seizure," which involves an "altered consciousness" and can involve anything from a lack of motion to bizarre behavior such as attacking invisible objects or frantic running and collisions with objects (yes, I know your cat does this normally, this is why it's difficult to diagnose). The major indication that unusual behavior is being caused by a seizure is the presence of "features typical of seizure activity such as facial twitching, salivation, or progression to generalized seizure." (Parent and Quesnel, 1996)
If a cat is having a single prolonged seizure, continuous seizures without recovery between them, or two or more isolated seizures within 24 hours, seek medical attention immediately. Aggressive treatment is recommended, usually intravenous dosage of diazepam.
Diagnosis
Your close observation and careful description will help your vet make a diagnosis. Specifically, partial motor seizures are more indicative of symptomatic epilepsy (suggesting an underlying disease), while idiopathic epilepsy usually causes strictly generalized seizures. This distinction is not conclusive; it is just one piece of evidence to be considered.
A complete physical and neurological examination should be performed on any cat with seizures. Blood tests should almost always be done, because they are good at detecting many illnesses that may be causing the seizures. Tests frequently include FeLV, toxoplasmosis, FIV, FIP, urinalysis, complete blood cell count (CBC), and biochemical profile. If these tests don't pinpoint the cause, your vet want to perform more tests, or refer your cat to a internist or neurological specialist. Further tests may include analysis of spinal fluid to detect encephalitis and imaging procedures, such as MRI or CT, to detect lesions such as tumors.
You should be aware that few vets have any experience with seizures in cats. They are rare, compared with seizures in dogs. Ask your vet questions about what tests they are considering and what your options are. A vet should not be offended if you get a second opinion. This is important to remember because I have received email from owners of several cats that have died from conditions that could have been detected with a simple blood test and treated quite easily, but were not. If your vet cannot find any cause of the seizures and has not done bloodwork, you should be concerned.
Treatment
If a disease is found to be causing the seizures, the best treatment is to remove or correct the underlying problem. The success of such treatment depends on your vet's ability to identify and treat the disease or remove the growth that is causing the seizures. For example, certain kinds of tumors can be removed by surgery if caught early enough.
If the diagnosis is epilepsy or if the underlying disease is difficult to treat and/or not becoming worse, then the usual therapy is to control the seizures with anti-convulsant drugs. Phenobarbital is considered the initial drug of choice for feline epilepsy. Diazepam (valium) may also be effective but is more likely to cause liver problems. The dosage must be adjusted individually to minimize side-effects. Again, this will require your careful observation; you will want to find the lowest dosage that will control the seizures. Potassium Bromide has also being used to treat epilepsy, particularly in cases where liver problems or ineffectiveness may prevent phenobarbital from being used to eliminate the seizures. However, potassium bromide has been known to cause other health problems, therefore more modern anti-epileptic drugs may be more appropriate.
Some people have suggested that a taurine deficiency may cause seizures. I have not yet seen any information based on scientific research that would support this belief. However, it is certainly true that a cat having seizures should be fed a balanced diet that supplies adequate taurine.
The success of treating your cat's seizures depends on the cause of the seizures and the cat's response to medication. This is a difficult condition to diagnose, so it may take several trips to the vet as different diagnostic paths are pursued. Furthermore, your vet should not be upset if you seek a second opinion. If it is difficult to find the cause of your cat's seizures, your local vet may refer your cat to a veterinary internist, neurologist, or a regional teaching hospital that may be able to pursue a wider variety of tests and treatments and will generally be cheaper.
What You Can Do
Take your cat to a veterinarian
The most important step is to find a good veterinarian to take care of your cat. If your cat has had one seizure, you should call and make an appointment. If your cat has had more than one seizure in 24 hours, find a vet IMMEDIATELY.
Learn about seizures and epilepsy
This page is a good starting point, and the links at the bottom are excellent places to learn more about feline epilepsy.
Make sure your cat gets quality care
Ask your vet questions to see what tests are being done, what problem they suspect and what future course of action they recommend. Feline epilepsy is rare, so many vets are unfamiliar with it. I have received email from people whose vets have not even done blood tests on cats experiencing seizures and from people whose vets have just said to monitor the behavior of a cat that was having seizures more than once a week. In both cases, the seizures were curable, but the vet was doing nothing to help the cat. Bloodwork should always be done, and phenobarbital is generally prescribed when no other problem is evident. If your vet seems unaware of how to diagnose or treat seizures, find another vet who can. Seizures, or the disease causing them, can be fatal if not treated properly.
Decide what your limits are
The decision of what lengths to go to is an issue between a pet owner and veterinarians. After our vet was unable to diagnose what was causing seizures in our cat, Shadow, we were referred to a vet school. The vet school didn't find anything in their initial tests, either, so they asked us if we wanted to pursue an MRI or spinal fluid test. Because of the high cost and smaller chance that a useful diagnosis would be made from these tests, we elected not to pursue either of these options at the time and began treatment with phenobarbital. Since that treatment completely eliminated Shadow's seizures for nine years, we never had a reason to reconsider these options. Shadow eventually died of cancer unrelated to the seizures.
Follow up on the care
In some cases, your cat may be put on permanent medications. For Shadow, this was phenobarbital twice per day. If you need to give your cat regular medication, work it into your schedule and consider how to handle extended absences. When we lived in apartments, we took Shadow with us on most trips. Later we had friends and family closer who could stop by our house twice a day to take care of him.
