Ouch! "I have a really bad headache!" said Fuzzy the Feline after it was all over. Fuzzy's owner was quite upset, and said, "Fuzzy was just fine, his usual normal self, and then he got all stiff and started jerking all his legs. He was panting hard and it looked like he was drooling and foaming at the mouth, I was just terrified!" His owner went on to say, "It only lasted a few seconds, less than a minute at the most, but it seemed like it was forever when it was going on!"

Fuzzy was seen right away by Dr. Young, because she always keeps a few appointments open every day for emergencies like this one. By the time Fuzzy got to The Cat Doctor, the seizure was over. "Seizures usually last only thirty to sixty seconds, at most a minute or two," said Dr. Young. "It's very serious if they last longer than five minutes, that's called "status epilepticus" and we need to give Fuzzy medicines in a vein to stop the seizures by then. Most of the time, they stop on their own."

Dr. Young checked Fuzzy's blood sugar and electrolytes (salts in the blood, like sodium and potassium), and they were normal. "Most of the time, the blood tests are normal," said Dr. Young, "but we have to check to see what might have caused the seizure." She also did a Complete Blood Count (CBC) to check for infection and anemia, which was also negative. "I was worried about epilepsy caused by a toxin (such as a plant or other chemical Fuzzy may have eaten), or a brain tumor," she said, "but most of the time a seizure disorder is idiopathic, which means we can't identify the cause of it."

Fuzzy's owner also thought that his seizure might have been caused by a toxin from a plant, and brought a list of all the plants in Fuzzy's house to The Cat Doctor. Fuzzy had probably eaten one of the plants at his home, including Boxwood (Buxus sp., also Cornus florida), Joseph's coat (Croton tiglium), and Red Sister (Cordyline terminalis). Dr. Young checked in her books (she also recommends the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center), and found that they may be neurotoxins (poisonous for nerve cells, and cause seizures). She advised Fuzzy's owner to remove the plants from the house, and kept Fuzzy in the hospital overnight.

Fuzzy did well, and didn't have any more seizures. He went home, and came back to The Cat Doctor in two weeks for a recheck, and still had no other seizures. Dr. Young thought that Fuzzy's seizures were probably due to the houseplants, and Fuzzy has done fine after that.

Dr. Young is not only concerned about cats eating poisonous plants, but she also wants to remind all of her clients that kitties also like to eat any shiny objects, such as the tinsel that you might want to put on your Christmas tree. She had to do emergency surgery last year on a cat that had eaten the string that tied a Thanksgiving turkey's legs together! "Please be careful with any object that your cat might eat, because tinsel can cause severe damage to a cat's small intestine." she said, "and when Christmas time comes, keep a lower level of "cat toy" safe ornaments on your tree."

Dr. Young (and the entire staff at The Cat Doctor of Dover: Traci; Sara; Joy; Diann; and Jerry) do wish everyone a very happy and healthy holiday season! Have a Thankful Thanksgiving, a Happy Hannukah, Cool Kwanzaa, Serene Solstice, and a very Merry Christmas to all of you!

Editor's Note: November is National Epilepsy Month, more information is available online.