Did she have a seizure?

[BobbyandTommy]

My aunt and uncle's cat Flame died today. She was old, about 16. My uncle called me at about 12:00 and said that he thought she just had a seizure. He said that he reached in her box and rubbed her head, she was asleep and he scared her, she rolled on her back and her legs were shaking violently, she was making very loud, distressed noises, her eyes rolled into the back of her head. After a moment, she stopped and ran under the baby's crib. He coaxed her out and she seemed fine. He called me again at about 4:00 and said that she was dead. He said that she had red rims around her eyes and blood coming out of her mouth. Do you think that she had a seizure and it killed her? Just wondering because they could use the closeure. Thank you.

[Carina]

What a shock! I'm sorry.

My last 15 yr old cat did something similar - I came home from work and she was drooling, and looking very poorly. I wrapped her in a towel and raced to the vet before they closed - while in the waiting room, she did much the same thing. Seizure-type behaviour, then she just...died. It was awful, they had no exam room for me and all the people in the waiting room had no clue what to do. I just tried to hold her securely in the towel as best I could.

The vet (not my normal vet, who would have been MUCH nicer) said he had no clue - he was not helpful at all. But he DID say that she may have been ill for some time, and just hiding symptoms, as many animals do. She had actually lost a bit of weight without me noticing - she didn't like being petted, and had real long fur, so I couldn't tell that she'd been losing weight. The vet thought perhaps acute kidney failure.

I would think a seizure would be a symptom of what led to Flame's death, not the cause. That's just a guess from a non-vet type person though.

[QuinnsMom]

I am not a vet - but a human neurology tech. That sound like a Seizure - her quick recovery and the hiding. SHe probably didn't know where she was after the Seizure.

And yes, animals can die from SZ. Many people do. The World Heath Originization has recently named Seizures as the world most common neurological disorder.

But something had to be causing the seizures. without an autopsy it is very hard to tell.

If it was a seizure that killed her - she died without pain and suffering and compleatly unaware of what was going on. Almost as human as youthinasia.

my thougth are with you
samantha

[Jim Button]

While the cat may have had a siezure, it was unlikely to have been the cause of death but rather a symptom of the cause. In a person ( am a paramedic not a para-vet) what you describe could well have been either of the following: a CVA or stroke (increase in blood presure causing aa artery in the brain to balloon out and or rupture causing brain damage. OR actually sounds more likely, a heart attack. complete with chest pain.

Jim

[Bueller's Mommy]

I have to agree with Jim that the symptoms sound more like a stroke or heart attack, rather than a seizure. I have a dog with epilepsy and have done a lot of research on it. I'm sure the same must apply to cats as well, but when Bueller has a seizure, he becomes completely stiff and rocks back and forth, but not violently shaking. His eyes stay fixed straight ahead and he makes no noise, in fact, it seems like he's not even breathing. After the seizure, he is very disoriented and wobbles around like he's drunk; hardly enough balance or energy to dart away and hide. And yes, seizures can kill, but I don't think so in this case. So from my experiences with seizures, I really don't think it was one. Good luck with your search for an answer. I hope we were helpful.

[QuinnsMom]

As much as I am not a vet or a nurologist, I am a seizure specialist. The eyes rolling back and the crying really, really sound like a SZ.

There are many different type of seizures. But 4 main types. Generlized tonic clonic seizures (or Grand Mal), absence (or petite mal / staring spells), partial (where you do not lose awareness and complex partica (where you do lose awarness but there is no full body shaking).

Seizures can be as short as one sec, or as long as death allows (seizures unteated can go into status and last days or weeks.

Seizures can be caused by a number of things - renial failure, strokes, old age.... Yes, he may not have died from a SZ but I still think that is the strongest differential diagnosis.

The epiosed in the arms sound VERY, Very much like a SZ and that is my profesional and personal opinion. Take is as you will.

Bobby and Tommy - It is still my strongest opinion that your aunts and uncles cat did not suffer and that it was a quick death. You have my sympathies.

Samantha RET, REEG, ENPY, DT

[BobbyandTommy]

I would like to thank everyone who has replied to my post, and for the help you have given us. On behalf of my aunt and uncle as well as myself - Thank you.