Information about Blind Feline Epilepsy

When referring to the term blind feline epilepsy, it refers to the temporary blindness of cats after they had a grand mal seizure episode. The post seizure episode is referred to as the post ictus stage. For cats, there are 2 general types of seizure disorders that they can get affected with; these seizure disorders are generalized seizure that is a more common type and the focal seizure. In generalized seizure, the whole body of the cat is affected while in focal seizure, a single body part of the cat will only get affected.

Symptoms of Feline Seizures

Symptoms of seizure in cats or feline seizure are not so different from symptoms of seizure episodes in human beings. Symptoms of feline seizures include sudden loss of consciousness, changes in the behavior (commonly aggression), excessive salivating, and involuntary tremors. For cats who are experiencing grand mal seizures, it is common for cats to thrash and roll.

Epilepsy and Feline Seizure

Some cases of seizures in cats are associated with epilepsy. For feline seizures to be diagnosed as an epileptic seizure, an episode of feline seizure should last for not shorter than 30 minutes or the cat will have no less than 3 seizure episodes in a single given day.

Management for Blind Feline Epilepsy

Owners who can witness their cats undergoing a seizure will most likely be shocked and traumatized. Owners who are in a state of shock will commonly not be able to decide on what to do during their cats’ seizure episode. The most important approach during a seizure episode is to maintain safety all the time, during pre-seizure, during seizure, and post-seizure. It will also be very important for the owner to stay calm all throughout the seizure episode for him or her to note the time or the length of the entire seizure episode and other abnormal activities observed, such as vomiting, involuntary urination or defecating, and many more. This information can help the doctor in diagnosing your cat’s medical condition.

Not all cats who had epileptic seizures suffer from blindness during the post ictus stage. For cats who suffer from blind feline epilepsy, do not approach your cat right away. Your cat may be terrified and confused at the same time, making your cat to unknowingly bite and/or scratch you. Once your cat has totally recovered from his or her seizure, bring your cat immediately to the veterinarian.