Why does my cat have seizures when in heat? Is spaying the answer?

I am sorry to hear about your kitty! We do routinely do surgery in many pets that have seizures, and as long as we are aware ahead of time we can prepare for this concern by doing things such as selecting certain drugs for anesthesia and having an IV catheter in place in case a seizure occurs so we have quick access to a vein to administer medication. I would say that the risk of not being spayed is a greater health risk than the risk of being spayed. I would, however, recommend having your cat examined/have work-up done which may involve bloodwork and ultrasound to ensure there isn't a cause for seizures such as a liver shunt that needs to be addressed if your cat hasn't already been examined for the seizures. I would also recommend you have your cat spayed at a full service vet clinic and not a spay/neuter low cost clinic because of her issues she is going to need more intensive monitoring than they can offer. The risks involved in spaying are the same for any surgical procedure and include adverse reaction to the anesthetic drugs, bleeding during surgery, and infection of the surgical site. These complications are extremely rare.

One of the medical indications for spaying is indeed idiopathic seizures. Sexual hormones do have an impact on brain cell excitability and seizures. Estrogen is consistently found to increase susceptibility to seizures. So spaying is recommended.

Hello, sorry to hear about Suzy. It may be that her heat is causing the signs you are seeing. Cats in heat will vocalize more often and frequently and this is to be expected. However, the vomiting may or may not be associated with her heat cycle. If she continues to vomit, then you should have Suzy evaluated to make sure she does not have any evidence of dietary indiscretion, ingestion of foreign material or an infection in her uterus. If you want to prevent future heat cycles and the behavioral changes associated with this, then considering spaying her would be an option. Contact your veterinarian to have Suzy evaluated if she continues to vomit. Hope this helps and best of luck.

This is likely normal behavior if she is in heat. It is really recommended that she be spayed if she is not a breeding animal. Cats that are not spayed are at risk of developing mammary (breast) cancer and/or pyometra (a life-threatening uterine infection). The more times they go through a heat cycle the chance rises. You know her best and if you are worried I suggest you take her to urgent care. Since I cannot examine her in person I can only guess at to what is going on. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

It doesn't affect Samra in anyway, but her in heat behavior will be extremely annoying until her heat passes. Unfortunately cats cycle quickly in heat during certain times of the year, and this will happen over and over. I recommend having her spayed so you don't have to deal with this behavior anymore.

Yes, indeed a cat that is not spayed and has to spend a lot of energy by going through heat will lose weight. If you do not intend to breed her, you should have her spayed, especially since cats will stay in heat until they get bred. She will be happier when she does not have to go through constant heat.

HI, thanks for Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry to hear about Layla! In cats even spaying them at 6 months of age they can still get mammary cancer. In dogs getting them spayed before too many heat cycles lowers the likelihood that they develop mammary cancer. When you say Layla is in heat, are you seeing discharge from her vulva? or is she vocal and behaviorally acting like she is in heat? If she is having discharge I would get her checked for an infected uterus. If no discharge there could be a metabolic condition, like hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) that can cause increased vocalization. I don't think any of the above is related to the mammary tumors. Hope this helps!