Possible seizures?

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh dear...I don't like the symptoms that you are describing with Teddy.

If your vet feels that these episodes are neurological then unfortunately, with Teddy's age, a brain tumor is the most likely explanation. It is often very hard to know though as we can't officially diagnose a brain tumor without an MRI or CT scan. If this is a tumor then there is likely little that can be done. Sometimes anti seizure medicines such as phenobarbital will help for a while, but not always. Sometimes steroids such as prednisone or prednisolone can help temporarily as well.

The other possibility that I can think of is something called a partial saddle thrombus, or (aortoiliac thrombosis). This is something like a stroke, but instead of affecting the brain it affects other blood vessels. A saddle thrombus happens when a blood clot forms in the large vessel that supplies blood to the back legs. Cats end up having trouble moving their back legs and it is quite painful. Sometimes if the clot is just a partial one the symptoms can come and go like this.

A saddle thrombus only happens in cats with a heart problem. Heart problems are common in cats with hyperthyroidism. Sometimes the heart problem can be hard to diagnose without expensive tests.

If this is a saddle thrombus then you will probably find that there are more episodes like this and eventually he may lose use of his back legs. There is no treatment that reliably treats this condition.

One other possibility is something called vestibular syndrome. This is much more common in dogs than in cats. It is an episode that is like a stroke but not exactly. Animals can make a full recovery if this is what it is.

I wish I had a more clear answer for you. At this point, I think all you can do is try the medicine that your vet has prescribed and see how things go. Looking at things logically (which is hard to do when dealing with a cherished pet), this is likely something that is either going to get completely better or get drastically worse. If this is a tumor or a saddle thrombus then there is not much that can be done and the symptoms will increase. If this is happening then it is a good idea to have the family discuss euthanasia.

Please let me know if you have questions. I really do hope things improve.

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

We really don't see many strokes in cats. And a stroke is usually a one time thing, not multiple episodes like this. It does sound like these are some kind of seizure activity.

While a tumor is the most common reason for seizures in an older cat I have seen some animals that have episodes like this that scare everyone and then they are perfectly fine afterwards and we never figure out what the problem was. Hopefully that's the case for Teddy!