Epilepsy is a disease that appears for various reasons, and is not contagious. Signs of epilepsy in your cat immediately identified is not so simple, during a seizure, you can decide that the animal is just fooling around. In this article we will talk about the signs and treatment of this ailment.
Symptoms of epilepsy in cats
If you notice that your pet is starting to behave strangely, it has a fixed, point-to-point look, there is a loss of orientation, and this condition lasts about 5-10 minutes, you know - so the cat has symptoms of epilepsy. The hosts often do not notice them, but if you observe such unusual behavior, try to transfer the animal to a safe place for it, for example, on the floor.
During an attack, cats, directly, fall, lose consciousness, breathing stops, legs are extended, and the body hardens. Maybe this state lasts for 10-30 seconds, then immobility disappears, but there are convulsive movements of the paws as during walking, the jaw moves, as if doing chewing movements.
During an attack of epilepsy, the cat may have involuntary discharge of feces and urine, and the hair becomes on end. After a fit, the animal can immediately recover or stay in a state of stupor for a few more minutes, or even hours.
Causes of epilepsy in cats
This disease can be caused by genetic changes in the animal's body (congenital), arise as a result of brain injury or be a symptom of any other diseases (false). If you seek help from a veterinarian in a timely manner, the causes of epilepsy in cats can be identified by clinical studies, and then the disease will give in to treatment. To determine the cause of epilepsy, you need to pass tests and pass special tests. If it is revealed that seizures are the consequences of an existing disease , it is necessary to treat the main disease, after which the attacks should stop. If the diagnosis is "idiopathic epilepsy" (congenital), the animal needs increased care and constant supervision of the doctor and the owner.
What if the cat has epilepsy?
In the case where seizures occur once a month and more often, therapeutic treatment of epilepsy in cats is simply necessary. For this, regular preparations should be used against convulsions, and during a visit to a veterinarian, non-compliance with these rules may result in the resumption of seizures and worsening of the condition.
If seizures occur as a result of brain trauma or infection, then in addition to taking medications for convulsions, it is necessary to treat concomitant disease.
The success of treating epilepsy in cats depends largely on proper care, a good attitude of the owners and a relaxed atmosphere. This helps reduce the number of seizures and facilitate the course of their course.
If you have observed symptoms of epilepsy in a cat, you must:
- Carefully observe the animal. With an apparent approach of the attack, you should place the cat in a warm darkened room and, if possible, with soft pillows.
- Do not forcefully unclamp the jaw if the cat does not choke.
- Start a special notebook or notebook, and regularly write down all the information about the attacks - the date, time, duration and condition of the animal.
- Annually conduct a full survey.
- It is necessary to try to feed the cat with a special food designed for animals with epilepsy.
- Try to protect the patient from stressful situations.
- If seizures do not occur more than once a year, then there is nothing to worry about, in this case there is no threat to the life of the cat, but it is worthwhile to monitor the animal's health.