Feline Epilepsy

My cat has feline epilepsy and it can be very frightening.  However, at two years old, my kitty, Benny, seems to have grown out of his epilepsy.

There are lots of theories for the cause of epilepsy in cats.  In any case, an epileptic seizure is caused by a disruption of the brain cells.  The nervous system is then sent various signals that create the "seizure" of the body that we see.  The symptoms are as follows:

Severe:
The first seizure Benny had was the worst.  With no warning, he collapsed onto the floor with his feet tucked under his body.  He then craned his neck forward and let out several yells or wails.  His eyes were dilated and unresponsive and he would not respond to touch or sound.  Benny began panting and frothing at the mouth.  He laid like this for about 2 minutes.  He then rolled onto his side and his legs stood straight out, stiff, and trembling.  My first thought was that he had been poisoned.  I interrupted this state by picking him up and I rushed him to the vet.  Sometime during the car ride, for no apparent reason, he "woke up" from his seizure, started crying and looked around as if he were frightened.  His feet loosened up and he began to shift position in my lap.  After an hour of Benny's latter state, he returned to his normal self and went on to chase the laser pointer that evening as if nothing had happened.

Moderate:
After a few seizures that were rather like the first one, they began to lessen in intensity. A moderate seizure would include wailing and some drooling.  His eyes would dilate and he would stiffen up.  But, his body did not tremble and he could be easily moved, though he remained tense.  This kind of seizure would last 1 to 1 1/2 minutes and then it would take him about half and hour to recover his normal self. 

Mild:
After about six or eight months, his seizures occurred less and less often.  He sometimes would have a mild seizure that would consist only of eye dilation and crying. At this point he began to cough when he had a seizure and appeared almost as if he was going to cough up a hairball.  It would last under a minute and it would take maybe ten minutes for him to recover.

Possible Causes:
Pet owners know that cats have hairballs regularly - its a feline trait.  But, Benny has only once coughed up a hairball.  There is one elementary and apparently "silly" theory for the cause of cat seizures: the inability to vomit.  Medically, it is possible for a seizure to be caused by sudden fright or stress.  It is possible that a genetic adolescent disorder could have made vomiting difficult or impossible for Benny, as it is for horses.  The traumatic experience of not being able to vomit might have caused the upset in his system.  This theory is most applicable to his mild and perhaps moderate seizures.

Another possible theory is that he over-exerted himself physically to the point where his brain cells were overloaded and his body panicked. Such is possible for an energetic kitten.  This theory seems the most sound, but on at least two occasions, Benny was napping when a severe seizure began. 

Possible Cures:
There are medications that are meant to stop epileptic seizures in cats.  The medications slow the brain activity to make exertion less likely, though they cannot guaranty the elimination of seizures.  The cost, and especially the side effects of the medication the vet offered convinced me not to go that route.  The medication was a low dose of a type of anesthetic.  Benny's behavior would have drastically changed.  To my understanding, he would have been lethargic and would have had to have been weened off the medicine over several months since it was, in a sense, addictive (being the equivalent of a narcotic drug). 

Following the advice of one of my uncles, I bought a laxative for cats, which is supposed to prevent hairballs.  When Benny was kept up on the "medication," he seemed to do much better and the severity of the seizures seemed to dissipate.  Of course, this is a preventative treatment and cannot stop the seizures themselves from occurring.

 As far as what to do during a seizure, I found that there was no way of comforting Benny as his body had control over his mind.  Still, try to stroke the cat softly and make sure he is as comfortable as he can be.  Talk softly to him.  If there are any lights on, turn them off, as light can bother a cat's eyes in that state.  Be ready to comfort him after the seizure is over.  You might hold the cat for awhile or just see that he has a soft blanket to lie on in a quiet place.