Cramps in a cat - causes, symptoms, treatment

People who have even a lot of experience keeping cats are often lost when a pet cramps. Convulsive seizures in representatives of the cat family are very similar to human ones. Adults with epileptic seizures are taking medications that reduce their risk of occurrence, intensity, and frequency. Cats with epilepsy have the only hope for owners.

Seizures in these animals can also be triggered by other causes. To understand what they arise from, the help of a specialist - a veterinarian is required. As a rule, this phenomenon is quite unexpected when a healthy animal begins to suffer from convulsions and can lead to loss of consciousness.

Their symptoms are similar to paralysis, but the cat continues to breathe. After attacks, the animal behaves as before. But after a certain period of time, convulsions may recur. To provide the necessary assistance to the animal, the owner needs to carefully monitor the pet during the attack. Such an observation will provide an opportunity to understand exactly what convulsions arise from.

Characteristic symptoms

Most of the human population of the globe is well aware that muscle cramps are accompanied by severe pain. The same thing happens with cats when they have a similar attack.

You can suspect a seizure in a cat by observing the following symptoms that are characteristic of them:

1. At this time, unusual paw movements are observed, or vice versa - an unnatural absence of limb movements with their chaotic twitches. They can be squeezed under themselves, and the paws are compressed into a "fist".
2. When trying to change the position of the body of an animal, it may have difficulty. Often, the desire to move is suppressed by the fear of pain. Foaming from the mouth or involuntary urination may be observed. The cat does not respond to the call of the owner, ceases to recognize him during attacks. Perhaps it shows some aggression or caution.
3. When the attack ends, the behavior again becomes natural. After a certain period of time, the cat may begin to get lost, moving around the apartment or get lost on the way to the sofa or to the kitchen.

Many owners who have not previously seen something like this do not consider it necessary to seek qualified help until they become eyewitnesses that the seizure attack has repeated. Just the same, this behavior is erroneous. After all, the sooner a visit to a doctor occurs, the greater the chances of recovery. The causes of convulsive attacks are often diseases that are dangerous.

How to find a reason?

The cause of convulsive attacks in representatives of the cat family is a lot of all kinds of violations, which are often considered quite dangerous. The first thing that owners of a cat who have cramps think about is what they come from. Identifying the exact cause is possible only with the help of a veterinarian who has sufficient experience in this field.

In order to find the exact reason, the owner will need a certain amount of time to carefully observe the animal. The doctor will prescribe diagnostic measures, including all kinds of blood and urine tests, an X-ray examination, a cardiogram of the heart, an ultrasound examination of the peritoneum and an MRI of the brain.

For the period of examination and diagnosis, the veterinarian prescribes anticonvulsant drugs that will help reduce the frequency of such phenomena, their intensity and risk, in fact, of their occurrence. Vitamin-mineral complexes can also be prescribed with B vitamins as a part of means for strengthening the nervous system and the general protective forces of the body.

Cat Cramps

Most often, cramps are a symptom of epilepsy, however, there are many other diseases that cause muscle cramps. Among them, those that provoke metabolic disorders are evil and benign formations in the brain, intoxication caused by poisoning. Despite the fact that epilepsy is the main reason for the appearance of seizures, they can be caused by other inflammatory processes.

Toxoplasmosis, plague, rabies and damage to the body by various fungi can lead to this. More than 10 pathologies affecting the central nervous system that lead to damage to brain cells have been identified.

In addition, convulsive seizures can subsequently appear after traumatic brain injuries, vascular diseases, tumors of various locations and degrees of malignancy, and a lack of vitamin B1.

The cause of seizures can be hypoglycemia - a lack of glucose in the blood. Also, sometimes convulsive seizures develop due to liver disease or diabetes. A reduced amount of calcium can also lead to seizures. This condition is also called hypocalcemia. It often occurs due to the presence of kidney disease and endocrine disorders.

Many other factors can be provoking factors of convulsive seizures, for example, intoxication during poisoning by poisonous plants, heavy metals, rat poisons, as well as intestinal diseases caused by parasites. The cause of seizures in cats may be a violation of the thyroid gland.

For the reason that there are a lot of factors in the development of seizures in a cat, determining their exact causes is a rather complicated and laborious process.

What to do

The owners are usually lost when such conditions appear in the animal for the reason that they do not always know what can be done in this situation. The first rule that will help protect the cat is the exclusion of all objects from its environment, which can lead to injury.

1. During a convulsive seizure, the cat needs to be well covered with a blanket and carefully hold it coiled for a while. This will provide an opportunity to alleviate the general condition of the animal and provide him with protection from the possibility of injury. To protect yourself from possible cat aggression in this state, you need to wrap your hands in a dry towel.
2. As a rule, convulsive seizures do not last more than 5 minutes. After it ends, you need to try to psychologically support the cat, talking to her in a low voice and periodically stroking. Most often, animals come to their senses after a certain time after the incident.
3. If an attack of seizures has occurred, then you must immediately contact a veterinary clinic for advice. For transportation, it is best to use a closed carry.
4. Do not resort to the use of medications without an appropriate purpose. This can cause irreparable harm to the health of the animal. The only things that can be used are drugs like Corvalol or Valocordin, as well as Valerian's infusion. They can be dripped onto the tongue of the animal. Such medications will help the cat calm down, while reducing the risk of seizures recurring.
5. After a seizure, the pet should not be given food or drink, but the water should be in an accessible place so that the pet can quench his thirst when necessary when he comes to his senses.It must be borne in mind that after an attack of a cat for a certain time, they can lose coordination and orientation in space.

What is important for diagnosis?

Anamnesis in this situation will play a big role in making an accurate diagnosis. For veterinarians, it is important what happened before the seizure attack, how they appeared and how long they lasted. If this happened repeatedly - the fact that exactly when it happened, during sleep or during wakefulness plays a role.

Also, special attention is paid to whether there are other diseases in the cat, what medications were used, and whether poisoning was possible. The doctor will ask about what the animal eats, whether it was eating raw meat or fish.

Attacks of seizures in cats look quite intimidating, and many owners can be confused when they observe something similar. Nevertheless, you should pull yourself together and try to help the pet: secure it by wrapping it in a blanket and carefully monitoring the condition. At the end of the seizure, you need to urgently seek help from a veterinarian to determine the exact cause and engage in timely treatment.

During such attacks in the animal, it is important to protect not only him, but himself from the sudden manifestation of aggression. Being in a state of confused consciousness, a cat can injure its owner with claws, therefore it is important to protect hands. You should not bend over to the animal’s face to calm him down; it’s enough to speak in an affectionate and quiet voice, stroking him periodically. After the attack is over, you can give the cat sedative medicine in a small amount by dropping on the tongue or using a syringe, and then deliver it to the veterinary clinic for consultation and examination by a specialist.

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