Grand mal and petit mal.
Epileptic cat treatment.
It is a more common disorder than you d think which makes it difficult for the party suffering from it to lead a normal life because they may suffer an epileptic seizure at any point.
A seizure is a sudden surge in the electrical activity of the brain causing signs such as twitching shaking tremors convulsions and or spasms.
Epilepsy is used to describe repeated episodes of seizures.
A treatment is usually considered successful if the cat is seizure free or the frequency of seizures has been reduced by at least 50 and no or minimal side effects of the medication are observed.
Epilepsy is a neurological disease that affects many different animals including human beings.
Older cats that are on potassium bromide treatment will need to be carefully monitored for kidney insufficiency.
If no specific underlying cause of the epilepsy can be identified the cat is diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy and general anti seizure medication may be needed to attain seizure control.
However in many cases treating the underlying cause of feline seizures may not be possible.
Ideally this underlying condition can be diagnosed and treated leading to resolution of the seizures.
Epileptic seizures are often the result of neurotransmitters in a part of the brain firing uncontrollably.
Your cat may suffer from a disease or condition for which treatment is not possible or practical.
The treatment for epileptic seizures does not aim to cure the epilepsy but aims to control it.
Seizures can also occur in a cat who does not have epilepsy but is rather the result of other causes.
Feline epilepsy is rare but not unheard of.
If a cat has idiopathic epilepsy or is not responding to treatment of the underlying disease antiepileptic medications may be considered.
When this disease is diagnosed in your cat you need to make sure that its environment and surroundings are calm.
With epilepsy the seizures can be single or may occur in clusters and they can be infrequent and unpredictable or may occur at regular intervals.
Approximately 75 of cats presented for epilepsy have an underlying cause for their seizures.
Unfortunately many of the anti seizure medications used to treat epilepsy in dogs are toxic to cats and treatment options are limited as a result.
Your cat may also suffer from idiopathic epilepsy meaning all known causes for seizures have been eliminated.
If you have an older cat that will be undergoing treatment for epileptic seizures your veterinarian may recommend a diet change for the cat.
However there are a number of medications and lifestyle changes you can try to treat and control epilepsy in your cat.
