What can be mistaken for epilepsy?

What can be mistaken for epilepsy?

Many conditions have symptoms similar to epilepsy, including first seizures, febrile seizures, nonepileptic events, eclampsia, meningitis, encephalitis, and migraine headaches.

• First Seizures.
• Febrile Seizures.
• Nonepileptic Events.
• Eclampsia.
• Meningitis.
• Encephalitis.
• Migraine.

What is the main cause of seizures in cats?

One-time occurrences of a seizure in your cat may be caused by a metabolic disturbance, head trauma, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), severe fever, or toxin ingestion, while repeated seizures can be an indication of epilepsy or other serious illnesses.

What are the symptoms of s seizure?

General symptoms or warning signs of a seizure can include:

• Staring.
• Jerking movements of the arms and legs.
• Stiffening of the body.
• Loss of consciousness.
• Breathing problems or stopping breathing.
• Loss of bowel or bladder control.
• Falling suddenly for no apparent reason, especially when associated with loss of consciousness.

How long do cats with epilepsy live?

Median survival time of treated cats was 2.3 years (range 0.1 to 11 years), and 65% were still alive at the time of follow-up. Treatment appeared effective in 44 (71%) cats (total number of improved seizure status including cats with complete and partial remission).

What diseases cause seizures?

Causes of seizures can include:

• Abnormal levels of sodium or glucose in the blood.
• Brain infection, including meningitis and encephalitis.
• Brain injury that occurs to the baby during labor or childbirth.
• Brain problems that occur before birth (congenital brain defects)
• Brain tumor (rare)
• Drug abuse.
• Electric shock.
• Epilepsy.

Can stress cause seizures without epilepsy?

Even in people without epilepsy, stress and anxiety can trigger PNES, which are also known as pseudoseizures. PNES are physiologically different from the neurological seizures found in epilepsy.

Can kidney disease cause seizures in cats?

Anemia will add to the lethargy, weakness, and loss of appetite. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is also seen in chronic kidney disease and may cause sudden blindness or stroke like signs (sudden behavioral changes, seizures), as well as damage to the heart.

Can kidney failure in cats cause seizures?

Older cats often have disease of the liver or kidneys – these organs are responsible for filtering out toxins from the body. If they aren’t working, these toxic products can reach the brain and cause seizures. We term these diseases hepatic encephalopathy and renal encephalopathy respectively.

What can provoke a seizure?

Here are some of the seizure triggers that have been reported by people with epilepsy:

• Not taking epilepsy medicine as prescribed.
• Feeling tired and not sleeping well.
• Stress.
• Alcohol and recreational drugs.
• Flashing or flickering lights.
• Monthly periods.
• Missing meals.
• Having an illness which causes a high temperature.

What happens before a seizure starts?

Some patients may have a feeling of having lived a certain experience in the past, known as “déjà vu.” Other warning signs preceding seizures include daydreaming, jerking movements of an arm, leg, or body, feeling fuzzy or confused, having periods of forgetfulness, feeling tingling or numbness in a part of the body.

What are 4 types of seizures?

These words are used to describe generalized seizures:

• Tonic: Muscles in the body become stiff.
• Atonic: Muscles in the body relax.
• Myoclonic: Short jerking in parts of the body.
• Clonic: Periods of shaking or jerking parts on the body.

How do you know if your cat has kidney disease?

Kidney Disease in Cats: What Cat Owners Should Know. Most cats show no outward signs of kidney disease until the problem is very advanced. Even when they do, the first signals of kidney disease in cats are easy to miss, including subtle weight loss, urinating/peeing more often and drinking more water.

What kind of epilepsy does a cat have with no consciousness?

Idiopathic Epilepsy in Cats Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes the affected cat to have sudden, uncontrolled, recurring physical attacks, with or without loss of consciousness. When this occurs for unknown reasons, it is referred to as idiopathic epilepsy. Epilepsy is more common in dogs than in cats.

How do vets diagnose epilepsy in cats?

The two most important factors in the diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy is the age at onset and the seizure pattern (type and frequency). If your cat has more than two seizures within the first week of onset, your veterinarian will probably consider a diagnosis other than idiopathic epilepsy.

What does it mean when a cat with renal disease throws up?

Cats with advancing renal disease will often start to vomit as a result of the irritation and/or develop ulcers within their gastrointestinal tract, along with other metabolic changes. Some cats also develop diarrhea, but if dehydration becomes severe enough, constipation may result.