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Thanks for kitty info. We also have an 18 year old cat that has recently started using her "alternate voice" at random times during the day. We used to only hear that a bath time, which is so tramatic to her. She makes a sound similar to a developer who's been asked to create some Crystal Reports.

I chalked up the recent behavior to kitty dementia, but I'll be on the lookout for any seizures.

Fred

Hey fred,
Haha i laughed out loud about the Crystal Reports.

Your cat is likely just having kitty dementia.. I think the yowling and the seizures aren't related other than both are something that elderly cats may experience.

You are totally right..that is the bath time voice. Kitty does it after she eats, after she drinks water, after she uses the restroom and then random times when she's just walking around. Often at night or when I return home from work. When I yell her name, she goes back to regular meow. Drives me crazy!

Good luck with your 18 year old kitty.. is she a calico?

Hi-
My 19 year old cat has also been having seizures lately. The most recent one was triggered by the noise of my coffee grinder this morning. It was just what I needed to see to confirm my suspicion that high pitched noises are the trigger. She also starts to twitch and you can practically see her brain go balistic when I crinkle a wrapper. She has also gone into a seizure several times when I unexpectedly come out of my bedroom in the middle of the night....not sure if it was a high pitched noise or her just being startled. Good to know I'm not the only one whose cat's seizures are triggered by noise.

Our Mankat started having seizures last year, at about 16 years old. We took him to the vet twice, and they really would not listen to the possibility it was a seizure, after we told them he did not drool. I thought this was ridiculous, as he was clearly having seizures... one or two a month. The last time, they did over $200 in pointless tests, not related to seizures. So I thank the people posting here, and elsewhere, where I have gotten a true understanding of what is going on with our guy, and what the options are. Also, this site is the first one which I found which points out a key aspect of Mankat's seizures: Sound! Sharp, loud sounds make him twitch, and might start a seizure. But at times he is so sensitive that using the keyboard, or putting down a glass does it. When I can find a vet who will listen I may go back again. Rich.

Hey Rich,
I'm sad that you left an invalid e-mail address! I hope you come back.

I wrote to Betsy and told her about a study I found on the Internet that linked mice with kidney disease to sound-induced seizures. Kitty has kidney disease and I'm pretty sure this is the cause of her seizures. I read elsewhere that cats with kidney and liver disease are prone to seizures because of all the toxins that build up.

Anyway, I suggested to Betsy that she get her cat checked for kidney disease..and that Kitty drinks a TON of water and that's a symptom. She wrote back and said she did notice a huge increase in her cat's water intake and she's gonna schedule an appt with the vet to get her checked.

My vets never really acknowledged that kitty's seizures are sound influenced.. and never acknowledged that the kidney disease could be the cause. They just kept suggesting test after test. F all that. Cats with kidney disease are put on a low-protein diet because protein digestion causes lots of byproducts. I found a pretty good supplement though from Wyson (sp?) and kitty likes the flavor. She went 9 weeks (the longest by 1 week) w/o a seizure after I started feeding her that.

Yep! Kitty is sensitive to me playing video games and sometimes typing. Other days, you can bang a hammer and she isn't too effected. Poor thing though, crunching her hard cat food sometimes makes her spaz.
Good luck with your kitty. If you come back, please leave your email.. I'd like to keep in touch.

Hi,
My 16 year old cat had a seizure yesterday. It was very scary since I knew nothing about it and thought she was dying. 16 year old kitties are already very old and many are already dead at this point. I thought her time had come. I was semi holding her and helped her to recover ( to my sruprise). She is totally back to normal. I did not know it could be caused by noise. With 16 years there is the question of going through countless bloodtest and vet -visits. What will I do about it once they ( might) find the reason for the seizure? I am glad to read you can help them by holding the cat to let the seizure pass.
I am sure her kidneys are not working up to par because she is very thin ( good appetit though).
I do have a question. Since she is an indoor-outdoor cat she is also registered ( she stays in the yard-seldom wanders off ). For that you have to send them the proof for the vaccination. Should she really be vaccinated at this age? That is like vaccinating and 85 year old man !?
Greetings
Conny

The reason I got tests for Kitty was just to be sure there was nothing like a bladder infection that I could help clear up. Bladder/kidney infections hurt a ton and I'd be sad to know that I let it go on so long. But..she didn't have anything and now we just deal with her seizures.

I got Kitty vaccinated last year and she limped and hid for a couple days but then bounced back. I think if the vet approves vaccinations, then it's okay.

Hi,

My 17 year old cat just started having seizures-he's had 2 in
the last two months and I was wondering if anyone knows of
an alternative to the vet meds they use for this-barbituates.
He's so tired already that I can't imagine that this will make
his overall health better. He seems to bounce back but it takes a few days to get to where he was before the seizure. I'm glad to have found this site to see how other people cope with this problem.

These posts are encouraging - at least there are others out there with similar problems! My Mandy (17 years old) got very lethargic and started circling the walls of the bedroom very suddenly a few weeks ago. Of course, I took her to the vet, but after tests, all the vet could say was that the results were inconclusive, and to try to build her up a bit by force feeding. She did improve a bit, and was less wobbly and lethargic, but one morning she was as bad as ever. That was the point at which I suspected something neurological, simply because her behaviour change was so marked and so sudden, and the tests had turned up nothing. I didn't want to take her back for more tests - the expense, the stress for Mandy, and the vet was mainly talking about checking out things that can't be treated anyway, like FIV. She's already had the tests for infection and kidney function etc. So I've kept her at home, shut in one room so she can't fall over anything. Now, I've actually seen her have seizures, so I know that's part of the problem; she was probably having them all along, but at night or when I was at work. I don't really know what to do. I don't want to put her through a lot of treatment (I've had to medicate her in the past, and it takes so much out of her, because she fights). I have to travel soon, and my regular cat-sitter isn't too confident about looking out for a sick cat. But Mandy doesn't seem unhappy, and I don't want to euthanize her. Still, the seizures must be becoming more frequent, if now I'm seeing them happen, and it doesn't seem like there's much more to do for an elderly cat than to try to keep her comfortable until the end - or to take her one last time to the vet.

Hi,
My 16 years old cat ( quicky) as been having having seizures every 2 months, the vet cant find nothing bad in him so after lots of reading i am guessing it as epilepsy ( in the last seizure , the first one i saw with my eyes, i was afraid he would choke so i put a finger in his mouth and got a nasty bite).
After the seizure he goes some days a litle lethargic, is this the same with your cat?

hi, my name is alyson, and i live in the UK, i have a cat who has had epilepsy since she was 7, she is now 12, and the vets put her on diazepam, (valium), plus phenobarbs, which helped her, but also she spent a lot of time sleeping, but she got better with these , her fits were few and far between, and almost stopped for a couple of years, but this year, they have come back so bad, and the medication is not helping, but i have come across this site which is very helpful and the product has helped to some extenct, but i feel her fits which is about 40 a day, has done to much damage as nothing seems to ease her now, its nice to be able to share this with your people, and hope all will be well with you, god bless you all and here is the link which i hope you will find helpful, alyson

http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/easesure-epilepsy-seizures-treatment.html

HELLO, MY NAME IS LAURIE AND MY CAT MOOKIE JUST STARTED HAVING SEIZURES HE IS ABOUT 1YR OLD .. LAST WEEK WE NOTICED THAT HE HAD FALLEN OFF THE WINDOW
SILL AND THE TALL KITCHEN CHAIRS.. THEN ON FRIDAY WHEN WE GOT HOME FROM WORK THE KITCHEN FLOOR WAS A MESS SO WE DECIDED TO STAY HOME ALL WEEKEND AND THE SEIZURES JUST GOT WORSE .. MOOKIE WAS HAVING THEM ABOUT EVERY 2 TO 3 HOURS BY SUNDAY IT WAS EVERY 1 1/2 TO 2HOURS... WE BLOCKED HIM OFF IN THE HALLWAY AND WE WAITED TO HERE HIM HAVE ONE THEN WE WOULD RUN TO HIM BY PUTTING A PILLOW OVER HIS BODY AND HEAD UNTIL HE WOULD STOP THEN WE WOULD TALK TO HIM.. WE TOOK HIM TO THE VET ON MONDAY AND THEY GAVE HIM SOME MEDICNE SAID THAT HE WASN'T HAVING ANY MORE SEIZURES BUT WHEN WE GOT HOME FROM THE VET ON TUESDAY EVENING HE HAD A SMALL ONE AND STILL IS HAVING THEM SO THE VET SAYS TO DOUBLE THE DOSAGE BY 2PILLS A DAY I THINK THE VALIUM IS MAKING HIM VERY
SLEEPY AND GROGGY HIS BACK LEGS AREN'T WORKING VERY WELL !! THE SEIZURES WERE VERY HEART BREAKING TO WATCH AS HE WAS HAVING A GRAND MAL SEIZURES EVERY 2HOURS... I HOPE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE TREATED ... ANY COMMENT'S ARE APPRECIATED...
LAURIE

My cat is 15 and has been having fits for more than a year. They started one morning when my alarm clock went off. For the last 6 months he has been on phenobarbitone twice daily. Now having fits about every 10 days, very weak on back legs afterwards and very hungry. The fits are not always sound activated and I know when he going to have one soon as his head nods and he dribbles for a few days before, and is also extremely clinging. Also sometimes when cleaning himself his legs shudder. He's not difficult to look after, but it is heartbreaking to watch. Linda

hi laurie, so sorry to hear about your cat, yes this is very upsetting when the fits happens, in my opinion having to cope with this for 7 years, one thing i have learnt is not to over power the cat whilst the fit is happening as this makes them worse, what i do is gently go to my cat from the side and gently stroke her side and softly talk her out of it, if i go in front of her face she jerks like hell making the fit worse, at the moment she is on phenobarbitones, 1/2 twice a day, which yes they make her groggy as they are sedatives, but given time they do over come it, they have calmed down a bit, but from my experiences there are a factors which trigger the fits, such as being to hot or cold, noise, change of food played a big factor in mine, although her blood tests are clear the vets over here know she has fits and only the tablets are at hand, but now we discovered her thyroid level is high and am going back next week to repeat the test and if its still high she needs to be treated, which in my case can not afford the operation but will need to be on more tablets every day for life, try and perservere with the tablets i know its hard but they will get better in time, i hope this helps you a bit, take care now and i hope things get better for you, alyson....

My 23-25 yo cat began having seizures 3 weeks ago. She'd fall to the floor and her paws would curl up. The first time I witnessed it she slept it off and was fine for a week. The next time it happened she couldn't eat or drink even though she tried and tried for 24 hours. It's as if she couldn't open her mouth but her mind kept telling her to try. I took her to the vet the next morning and he gave her fluids and a cortisone shot. When I got home, she was really thirsy and hungry and tried to eat and drink again. She then started to wobble and couldn't walk. I laid her on her side and she started to doze but continued having seizures in the form of twitching. I left for about 3 hours and when I returned she was on the floor with all four legs splayed and seemingly stunned. I picked her up and she meowed just barely but without opening her mouth. I held her for awile an she twitched non-stop.

At this point I went back to the vet and he recommended euthanizing her. I was stunned. I didn't know what to do. She was unresponsive. After reading all of these stories of recovery and even before, I feel tremendous guilt for not waiting 24 hours or longer to see. I miss her so much! My question - has anyone else found their pet with legs splayed out around them, stomach on the floor and head up but out of it?

Thanks. Anna

Hi, I too am a cat lover looking for hints on how to help my own 80-year-old lady cope with her age. But my comment concerns the seizures some of you are reporting. My fiance adopted an elderly stray who suddenly started seizing after we had him for about two years. The vet figured it was a brain tumor and gave us valium for Tiger. The prescribed dose knocked the poor thing out, so we lessened it to where it kept him alert and seizure-free, which he was until he died (at a ripe old age, we're sure!). These d*%^#$ cats...I was a dog person until my five adopted me! Now I wouldn't live without them; they are the soul of my home.

I found my cat Stella (a beautiful Tortoishell) about 5 months ago. She was in pretty bad shape and when I took her to the vet she told me Stella was declawed, had been spayed, and was probably about 7 years old- but there's no definite way to tell how old she really is. I think someone must have abandoned her because they didnt know how to deal with the seizures (I didnt know this at the time I found her). She is the sweetest thing and has recently had two seizures (that I know of). The first was in the middle of the night about 6 weeks ago and the second was last night. These are the only two I have observed, but I wonder if they happen when I am not around too. After reading these posts, I also wonder if she might be a lot older than the vet thinks. Does anyone else's cat have seizures in the middle of the night? I made a vet appt., but am rethinking it since pretty much everyone here said the vet couldn't really help. I have also read that seizures once in a while arent deadly, so I wonder if I should just help her through them when I can and not even worry about taking her to the vet. She had bloodwork done when I found her and everything came back normal, so I am hesitant to go through it all again. Any thoughts, suggestions, or words of wisdom would be much appreciated for how to handle my little epilectic one. I am pretty sure they are grand mal seizures as she convulses, her eyes dialate, she froths at the mouth and looses control of her bowels for 45 seconds to a minute. I just womder what might be setting her off in the middle of the night... weird. It scares the crap out of me becuase I am usually in a deep sleep state and jerked awake by her sudden convulsing and hissing/spitting. I want to be a good pet owner and help her as much as I can, but I dont want to go to the vet and spend all that money to find out they have no idea what the deal is- plus if they acted like I was crazy and it wasnt seizures, I might have to chuck norris kick someone. It's nice to read everyone else's stories, I dont feel so alone.. Happy Holidays and bless all the little epileptic babies out there...

My 13 yr. old kitty just had her first (that I know of) seizure 1/2 an hour ago. I called the vet who was too swamped to see her and another who won't be back in the office for another hour, looked in my cat book and could find almost no info, so here I am on the net. I was very glad to find this site, it has eased my fears somewhat. Sounds like I should have some routine blood tests for kidney funtion etc. and then just try to keep her safe and as comfortable as I can during and after the seizures. If they begin coming to often and cause her too much pain, distress or fear and discomfort than I will take her to the vet and have her put to sleep while holding her in my arms. I love her too much to watch her suffer. You see, she has spent many years getting me through my seizures. God Bless you all and thank you all for contributing to this site and helping ease my fears somewhat (as much as anyone can when we are watching our friends suffer)

Hi Chrissy, wanted to thank you for writing to me. Seizures are so frightening and it is nice to know that others care. I wanted to post heremy response to your e-mail. I got to thinking about it and I think it is important for everyone to condsider the options if the need for euthanasia arises. Here was my response: (and may God bless each of you and your furry friends!) Bobbi is doing fine after her seizure and I am hoping that the seizures will have long periods between them. As for holding the cat (during euthanasia) I think it depends on the person. It is definately traumatic, can't deny that, but for me and my family (who have in the past held a dear furry friend while they passed) it has helped to ease the pain somewhat, to know that your friend did not pass away alone or frightened in the arms of a stranger. I felt and stil feel that it is very comforting for the animal to be snuggled in the arms of a family member while they are passing.

Hello,

My 11 year old mini cat had a fit today. It was exactly as you descibed,on on her side but running, dazed for a couple of minutes then straight to the food bowl to eat for England, which was most unusual as she does not have a big appetite, being so tiny.

Your pages have both reassured me & frightened me (vet bills) but I would pay anything to make sure Mia Bananas is OK

Regards, Helen

Hello,
It was good for me to read this site, as my Indy has been having seizures for a couple of years now. He is 15. He has only had a handful, but they are as you described, exactly. He scrabbles on the floor, every muscle tense, and pees everywhere. It lasts about 30-40 seconds, and it takes him about 2 minutes to move afterwards. I found that louding tapping noises trigger these, especially me typing on my computer keyboard. If he is on my lap and I am typing, he will jerk his head as if startled. I know that this is when he gets the boot out of the office!

A strange thing about after his seizures... he will walk around the house looking at everything as if he is seeing it for the first time. He goes in every room, every closet, just fascinated.

After his first one he was rushed to the vet, and tests revealed nothing.

Hi Chrissy,

My 12 yr old sweet Siamese boy Orbit started having seizures for the first time about a month ago. My roommate was playing video games. I also narrowed it down to a sound trigger. It was very frustrating for me to have these blood tests done and I still know little of the cause of my baby's fits =( It was very comforting and helpful to hear your story and the others that followed. The vet has put him on phenobarbital and thankfully he has not had a seizure since his first two. He is not the same kitty as before although he has glimpses of the old Orbie...I am concerned about the long term effects of this medicine, but I am very happy to not see him having the seizures. I would love feed back if possible

Thank you!

Technics is 19, but looks like a cat half her age. In November she was diagnosed with kidney disease and put on medication. A check up in January showed her toxin levels almost back to normal. She's due a retest next month with a view to taking her off the tablets. She still drinks loads and correspondingly urinates loads, but other than that seemed fine - till she had a seizure 2 days ago. I was astonishingly upset by it, called the vet out as it was in the evening and had to ring a friend to give me a lift to the surgery as I was way too upset to drive. By which time Techy seemed fine and wondering what the fuss was all about! I was still tearful the next day when I took her back in for a follow up check, even though she seems fit as a flea again! BTW She too has a habit of waking me up in the early hours by wailing loudly at me, but I believed it was just her being a bit old and confused and deaf.... It was good to read this website - reassuring. Thanks.

Hi my 21 year old cat Pippy, has been having sound induced seizures for about 2 years. They are definitely triggered by high pitched repetitive noises. The vet was unconvinced by the sound induced nature of the attacks and organised hundreds of dollars worth of tests which told us nothing. After several apparently random seizures at home we realised in our case, that they were always associated with sound (rattling a can, the shower water echoing in the bathroom, electric tin opener, walking past her with a lawnmower (which wasn't running at the time)She begins with sudden jerky reactions, for instance if you clapped three times she would jerk exactly in time with each clap and then have a seizure. The family has learnt to check if Pippy is around before making loud everyday domestic noises. We have been very successul in controlling them in this way and the old girl is still going strong.

Good luck

My 16 1/2 year old cat just had a seizure. I startled her when I came into the living room, where she was sleeping on the sofa, and she began to shudder and twitch for what seemed like a long time. She did pee, but not "everywhere." I petted her and talked to her, thinking she was dying. When the seizure stopped, I think she couldn't see for a while; then like some of the cats described above, seemed very distressed, cried to me a lot, went to eat, and then "explored" the apartment, came back for more comfort, etc. Now she seems quite back to normal. Before looking on the Internet, I consulted a medical guide to cats which I own. It said (as above) possible brain tumor, possible effect of kidney disease (although her kidneys aren't bad), possible epilepsy. I'm so relieved that she didn't die or have a stroke. I had noticed that she was very easily startled lately, so I will take care not to surprise her or make sudden noises.

I've had her since she was 6 weeks old and arrived at my door in the hand of a construction worker, who had found her in a building site. She was hungry and thin, but already very tame and friendly. Some of these reports have given me hope, and I'll also try to avoid unnecessary tests. My sympathies to Anna, above, but I'm also amazed that her cat lived so long!

My handsome 14 year old Thomas just recently started having seizures when I took him in for just a vaccination and exam. You know routine maintenance for our kids. When the Dr. called me and told me my cat was freaking out I kind of chuckled thinking I warned them he bites and scratches to beware of the KITTY. When I arrived at the vet 10 minutes after the drop off I asked which room my little spawn of satan was in. The lady rushed me in the back room and my little boy was in an oxygen tank with his tongue hanging out panting horribly. Now, in 14 years I have never seen my baby pant period. Now he is in an oxygen tank. I walked over trying to calm him and asked what happened the vet just said he bit and scratched one of his techs and the safety of his techs.....man stops talking he is getting the death look at this point. Than all of a sudden his head goes back and he gets stiff as a board and starts yeowliing a the top of his lungs. I started screaming what is wrong with him. Obviously I thought he was dying. I was on my hands and knees before God begging them to help him. The vet responded "He's just having a seizure" like it is no big deal....Well excuse me Dr. Death but my cat is my son. I've been out 6k on him with CT scan, MRI, Spinal Tap, Every blood test and Urinaylis you can think of and disease I have a normal cat they say. Well hell it's not normal to have seizures now is it. Any advice from someone to help me get thru these seizures. He is on Phenobaritol and Keppra nothing stops the seizures. Please help me someone. I LOVE HIM so very much.

My 16-year-old cat has had a half-dozen seizures over the last 18 months or so. The symptoms are as described by others, and are usually set off by repetitive noises such as a computer mouse clicking or food pellets clattering into a bowl. Lately she has been having facial twitching but it doesn't develop into a full seizure. After a seizure she is disoriented for a while (as if she can't see or hear properly), and then tired but recovered within minutes. She sometimes howls loudly, especially after using the litter box. and also after a seizure. And lately it seems as though she is totally deaf, although I can't understand how a deaf cat's seizures would be set off by loud repetitive noises! I took her to the vet after the second seizure last year for blood tests, and the vet said it is probably epilepsy or a brain tumor. As long as the seizures were pretty irregular, I figured it was better not to try any epilepsy drugs. But after reading these posts, I wonder whether we really explored the kidney disease possibility fully enough. Lately I have noticed that her litter box has an odd, sickly odor. But I have not seen her drinking more water than usual. Perhaps because of her deafness (?) or dementia (?), she is easily spooked and now feels most comfortable spending most of her time on our bed or laps. Has anyone else noticed a symptom that may be unrelated but appeared before the seizures began: She sometimes has trouble retracting her claws properly and gets temporarily "stuck" to the quilt on top of our bed. I want to reassure people that seizures aren't that bad once you get accustomed to dealing with them. The involuntary urination is a bummer but my cat's seizures don't seem to be worsening or getting steadily more frequent over time.

My gorgeous girl had her first seizure yesterday. She will be 16 in July, and is the nicest, most gentle cat I have ever had. She came to me when I left home, along with her brother who was PTS when he was 12.

I was so scared yesterday, although I did manage to stay really calm throughout the seizure. I've read so much since it happened, so was very glad to find this site.

I think a plan would be to see how things go, and if there is another fit then get some bloods done, but no more tests. If there is no kidney/liver problem, then it's a probable brain issue from what I've read. A friend of mine who is a qualified vet nurse, although doesn't practise now, advised I keep her in one room. I don't feel right about that, but any opinions on that I'd gladly welcome. I just feel that she's had the run of the house for so long, she's old, she's been pretty healthy until this, and I'd rather she has her freedom for now. Obviously if she has more fits and more frequently I would have to re-think things and make a decision. I work from home, am rarely out for a whole day, so am around a lot.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance! Ginny