My cat has seizures and a heart murmur. Are they linked? Needs meds?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Kovu. Oh no, poor boy! That sounds awful. It could be an idiopathic seizure, meaning there is no known cause. There is a potential it could happen again, so I do think he should see a vet as soon as possible to get checked out, taking him into an ER vet tonight if you can. Best of luck.

I hate to hear this is happening to Kovu. Yes, I would say this could be medically related if he feels tired or just not himself. Make sure to bring this up at your next veterinary visit. make sure Kovu has lots of down time as well to rest. Lastly, here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for attention for Kovu and/or ask your vet about switching the food to Royal Canin Calm. Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with stress if really needed. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear that Clunker has been having seizures. It is important to see exactly what is going on, to determine that he is having a true seizure, as opposed to a collapse or localized tremors for a different reason. A video would be very helpful and I would be happy to provide a consultation. If this is a true seizure, they are usually the result of abnormal brain activity. This can be due to a large number of diseases including brain cancer, infection, or epilepsy (the cause of which is not currently known in cats). With brain cancer or epilepsy, blood work can be normal, however, x-rays or a CT scan would determine if there is something else causing the seizures. It may be helpful to know that seizures themselves are not thought to be painful, and it is normal for animals to urinate/defecate while they are having a seizure. This frequency of seizures is definitely confusing and distressful for Clunker, and a veterinarian can prescribe an anti-seizure medication to keep him comfortable. It is important to have Clunker evaluated by a vet to ensure that there is nothing else that can be causing collapse or tremors, such as a hormonal issue or viral infection, and to have him treated appropriately.

I’m so sorry this is happening with Bandit. It could have been a true seizure, but it is also possible that it was what we call a syncopal event due to the heart not being able to supply the brain with enough oxygen. It can look almost identical to a seizure. I would really recommend he proceed to an emergency veterinarian tonight. If this is not possible, then please have him seen by his regular veterinarian tomorrow morning. They can evaluate if he needs to increase his cardiac medications or if they think it was a true seizure they will discuss testing and treatment recommendations for seizures. Good luck to you and to Bandit. I hope he improves quickly.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Seizures can occur due to many reasons that go from a toxicity, metabolic diseases, inflammatory diseases and even tumors. I highly recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and treatment. Diagnostics that will be recommended will include bloodwork and advanced imaging such as an MRI. They would also be able to start him on anti-seizure medications to try to avoid the onset of more seizures. Good luck and have a good day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

I'm sorry to hear that Pickles has been experiencing so many problems! While I have not personally treated any young cats with concurrent seizures and ventricular tachycardia, despite normal MRI and CSF findings, I would be most suspicious of underlying portosystemic shunts (PSS), toxin exposure, or underlying heart disease. With PSS, blood vessels on their way back to the heart bypass the liver, which is responsible for filtering normal toxins (i.e. ammonia) out of the blood stream. When this does not happen and ammonia-containing blood reaches the brain, seizures can occur. Sometimes syncopal (fainting) episodes can resemble seizures and are actually caused by underlying heart disease. Consider asking your vet about abdominal ultrasounds and bile acid tests if they are concerned about a PSS, or about an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) if primary heart disease seems more likely. I hope that all goes well for Pickles!

Hi there. Thank you for using PetCoach. So sorry that Brea is having this issue. Seizures in cats can be very serious. A seizure from an inner ear infection is possible but I don't feel it is likely to be the underlying cause. Usually blood testing is done as a first line test to check organ function (mainly the liver and kidneys). If these organs are not working properly seizures may be the result. I would be a bit concerned since she only has one kidney. An x-ray of the skull may also be helpful in determining if the ear infection has gone behind the ear drum in which case that may need to be opened and flushed. Here is a link to an article about seizures in cats that may give you more information. I hope this helps. Best wishes. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2118&aid=224