Fitting cat - anything I should be watching for?

RacyRed

Oh that's awful ickle_me. To have lost Kizzie so soon after your dog (((hugs)))

Daisy is taking phenobarbital twice a day. She is still young (about a year old) so I'm hoping that this can be controlled. She hasn't been showing any signs of having the petit mal fits either since she has been on the medication. Her blood test didn't show anything unusual, so we don't know the case. She did have a quite bad head injury before I got her and I'm hoping the fits are not connected to that.

She is now sleeping better, she used to keep herself awake, possibly for fear of the fits, the big one happened when she was asleep, but is on her favorite cushion snoring happily as I type. :rotfl:

RacyRed

Hi

I wanted to post a last update on here, it is now 2 weeks since that horrible night when little Daisy had her fit.

She is now being monitored by the vet and is on medication to help control the fits. She has stopped showing any signs now, the Petit Mal have stopped too, she has the occasional little shake but that could be normal cat behaviour (or the little madam could have managed to spit out her tablet occasionally, despite the lengths I go to to try to make sure she swallows them :rolleyes: ). Best of all I often find her sound asleep now, she is doing a lot less of the sleep resistance stuff she used to. As a result she is a lot more relaxed than she used to be.

I should have been asleep ages ago but Daisy decided, for the first time since she has lived with me, that she wanted to play, and I mean really play, not the "sit in one place and pat a ball around" stuff I'm used to her doing, but the "lets climb up the curtains and jump onto the chair from there, then lets race through the flat as fast as I can and oohh look! a bit of string - Attack! Hmm, I wonder if I can climb up this door..." :rotfl:

She is now curled up beside me sound asleep again.

Thanks for your posts, advice and reassurances, :A they meant a lot to me.

foreign_correspondent

that sounds really promising!! Glad the meds seem to be working and that Daisy sounds to be so full of life and fun!

RacyRed

I spoke too soon, she had another fit last night.

Fortunately this time I was armed with the numbers for the 24 hour vet, who was very, very helpful. There wasn't much she could do for an already medicated Daisy just after the fit, but she did a great job of calming me down.
Thank you Wanstead Goddards :T

lowis

aw...sorry to hear about Daisy having another fit, you feel so helpless and scared when something happens to them don't you? i reckon it sounds like she is in good hands though. are the rescue centre paying for all the medication related to the fitting treatment?

RacyRed

Thanks lowis, yes, the rescue centre (Celia Hammond Animal Trust) both treat her and pay for Daisy's drugs and have made it very clear that, as they re-homed her with me, they will not charge me for any costs incurred because of her fits.

I wasn't charged for the phone call with the emergency vet (from the commercial Vet practice my tom is registered with) last night as she didn't think it was necessary to see her once Daisy had calmed down after the fit, unless she had another, of course. (I understand that the stress of travelling shortly after a fit can sometimes trigger more of them.)

When I am able to do so again I will make regular donations to CHAT, beyond the cost of the treatment because I'm full of respect for an organisation that will do something like this regardless of my financial circumstances. I'm also checking out what else I can do to show my support.

RacyRed

I'm hoping you kind people can help me again please.

I'm in need of advice from others who have or have had animals who have fits

Daisy is now regularly fitting despite the medication and I'm trying to work out if there may be some sort of trigger to them - but it could be anything! Have any of you been able to identify triggers in your animals?

If it something in her body chemistry then I'm sure the vet will find it, but if it is something environmental like sound or a visual trigger then none of the things I've thought of have fit the pattern - I'm obviously looking at the wrong things so any tips would be very welcome.

Thanks

lowis

im sorry to hear your Daisy is not responding to the meds as hoped. i hope someone can come up with some pointers. have you also posted this question over at catchat and purrsintheirhearts? loads of very experienced cat people over there who may have some advice. good luck x

RacyRed

Great Idea, thank you lowis :T

Charlie1986

My dog has epilepsy and we had to try and find anything that may be causing them. I keep a diary each day of the weather, what he has eaten and at what times etc.
His medication keeps his fits under control most of the time now we have the right dose but the odd fit he does have we have found it is normally a windy day and if he has been sat too close to a radiator and got hot. Also strong smells seem to affect him.
A few days before he has a fit he normally stands on the back of the chair in the lounge and barks all the time.