My cat has seizures.

She is a spayed 1and1/2 yr.old mix breed. She's currently on pheno-barb 2x daily. Still having occasional seizures, which seem to run in streaks. She'll have several over a few days, then goes several wks or more without. I cannot afford to sent her for an MRI. Do you have any suggestions. I've heard (read) cats w/ seizure disorders tend to have much shorter life-spans? Is there anything else I could be doing for her? Thank you for your time. She is much loved! Thank you, Colleen Kansier

[nancyjac]

Has the vet done blood tests and an EKG to rule out the more common causes of seizures?  Did she have any kind of head trauma before the seizures started?  An MRI is not typically done until other probable causes for the seizure are ruled out. The seizures themselves do not shorten their life spans, but depending on the cause of the seizures, the problem causing the seizures could.  

Seizures can often be predicted by a sudden change in her normal behavior.  This may occur a few seconds to a few hours before a seizures.  During those behavior changes, keep her at ground level until after the seizure and her behavior has returned to normal to keep her from falling or otherwise injuring herself.

[PrettyKitty1]

Sweet heart. I am so sorry about your sick kitty. Very sad indeed.

Well, off of the top of my head there is something you can do for her, and that's to look for options to afford vet care. For instance, one of our community leaders, Opus, has posted a great source of information on how to afford vet care. I will post the link. Hang on...

[PrettyKitty1]

Here is the link.....

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Cats/RESOURCES-TO-HELP-PAY-FOR-VET-CARE/show/1301863

I hope it helps you. I have never owned a cat with neurological problems. But I sure know it is not easy caring for one. I hope you'll find the best solution for both you and your pet. You will find plenty of support on here.

PK

[nancyjac]

Has the vet done blood tests and an EKG to rule out the more common causes of seizures?  Did she have any kind of head trauma before the seizures started?  An MRI is not typically done until other probable causes for the seizure are ruled out. The seizures themselves do not shorten their life spans, but depending on the cause of the seizures, the problem causing the seizures could.  

Seizures can often be predicted by a sudden change in her normal behavior.  This may occur a few seconds to a few hours before a seizures.  During those behavior changes, keep her at ground level until after the seizure and her behavior has returned to normal to keep her from falling or otherwise injuring herself.

[slydemanzgirl]

Thank you both for responding to my post. When she started having seizures my vet did bloodwork on her and nothing showed up. There was no head trauma before they started. We are keeping her seizures under control w/ meds. Pheno-barb and Potassium Bromide. I've gotten so much info from this site, and being led to other links that have had good information has helped alot. I'm so glad I joined this site. Thanks so much! Colleen

[slydemanzgirl]

You both were great. I didn't want to pick either as the best, but they asked me to. Love U both for your concern. Colleen