What Causes Seizures in Kittens?

A number of kitten owners may be concerned and may ask themselves what causes seizures in their pets. The seizures may be due to an inherited disease, infections or a recent head trauma. Getting a proper diagnosis from a vet is essential to establish what can be done to prevent the seizures in the future.

Kitten Seizures

In kittens, the seizures may manifest differently than in adult cats. Some kittens may only display symptoms such as:

• Sudden mood swings
• Sudden collapse
• Staring at fixed points
• Shaking
• Meowing

Other kittens have more severe symptoms such as:

• Drooling
• Shivering and shaking
• Open jaw
• Fixed stare
• Eliminating urine and feces
• Unconsciousness

A seizure may last between one and five minutes. The kitten may have numerous seizures per week, or more isolated episodes.

Main Causes of Seizures in Kittens

Kittens may have seizures due to various causes, but most commonly these episodes are due to infections, toxicity and internal worms:

• The feline leukemia virus (FeLV)
• Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)
• Toxoplasmosis
• Feline immunodeficiency virus
• Cryptocossus
• Roundworms
• Hookworms, which often eliminate toxins in the kitten's body, leading to seizures
• Lead poisoning
• Ingestion of poisonous substances such as rat poison, chocolate or alcohol

You may also suspect that your kitten has epilepsy, which is associated with seizures. However, epilepsy is quite rare in kittens. Epilepsy is considered a genetic disease, but there are still a lot of unknown things about this disease.

Low Blood Sugar

Kittens may also experience seizures when they have a low level of sugar in their blood. A kitten with low blood sugar or hypoglycemia will display symptoms such as:

• Lethargy
• Lack of energy
• Pale gums
• Sudden fainting

The lack of sufficient blood sugar can be solved by giving the pet maple syrup or honey. You can rub these on his gums, to make sure the sugar will get in his system faster. The kitten's diet should be monitored and possibly altered, to make sure he gets sufficient food. Kittens that skip a few meals may also have hypoglycemia.

Less Common Causes of Seizures

Less common causes of seizures in kittens include:

• Brain tumors
• Trauma to the head
• Bacterial infections in the brain
• Liver disease, due to the fact that the liver will not be able to eliminate the toxins properly
• Kidney disease
• Congenital portosystemic shunt

In some cases, the vet will not be able to find the cause of seizures in your kitten, and the seizures will be considered idiopathic.

The treatment options for kittens with seizures may vary, according to the intensity, the frequency and what causes the seizures. If the kitten has an isolated seizure episode, the vet will not prescribe any medications, but will keep the pet under surveillance. If the pet has frequent seizures, anticonvulsant medication will be administered.