Last Updated on April 13, 2020
Something that is not widely discussed in the pet world is stress-induced seizures. While it is not something that is common, it can happen to any cat or dog. Dogs are more typically prone to this especially in purebreds, but that doesn’t mean it never happens with cats. Knowing how to recognize a stress-induced seizure vs a true medical problem will help you keep your cat happy and healthy.
What Causes Stress Seizures?
The short answer is obvious; STRESS! While it can take a lot of stress to make this happen, a cat who previously had a medical condition that caused them is more likely to experience them. The chances of it happening are also increased in cats who suffer from separation anxiety or bipolar syndrome.
Just like a human experiencing a panic attack under high amounts of stress, a cat can have mild seizures from high amounts of stress or after stressful situations. Things like being yelled at, getting into fights with other cats or animals, or a stressful move can induce them.
Are They Dangerous?
While they won’t hurt them directly, they can be hurt by accidents. When a cat has a stress seizure, they can easily fall off of a high place, bite their tongue, or get stuck somewhere. This can lead to other issues like head injuries and broken bones. It is important to watch over your cat when this is happening so they do not hurt themselves. Make sure they are on the floor and not biting their tongue.
What Does a Stress Seizure Look Like?
Typically, the cat will do a bellow or deep meow because they know something isn’t feeling right. They feel scared and are asking for help. This follows the cat either lying down or clasping over. They will tense their legs pretty stiffly and followed by this they usually become unresponsive. They may roll their eyes back, have their mouth open, and tense their neck as well. This usually only lasts 20 seconds to a minute long. As they come out of it, they will look exhausted and this is because they are. Some may go to walk only to lay back down after a few feet. It is very important to provide your cat with the opportunity to rest. Make sure they eat and/or drink shortly after this. They may need to rest several hours before they are feeling better so keep things peaceful around them.
Signs and symptoms to look for with serious medical problems:
- No appetite, not eating or drinking
- Wetting themselves before, during, or after the seizure
- Excessive panting
- Crying and uneasiness
- Signs of stomach or abdomen pain
- Hiding/wanting to be left alone
- Disorientation after the seizure has stopped
- Multiple seizures happening in a short amount of time
When to see a Veterinarian
If your cat is experiences anything from the above list, it is very important to take them to the vet ASAP. Those are common symptoms of Feline Pancreatitis which has a high fatality rate when left untreated.
If your cat appears fine after and you want to make sure, there is no harm in taking them in for a checkup. I do not advise putting them on medication for this. Simply removing the causes of stress will keep this from happening. I have personal experience with one of my cats and it rarely happens but when it does, he is back to normal a few hours later. Medication risks making them worse, causing them to happen more often, or just giving them other general health problems they don’t need.
Im looking for an outside opinion. My wife and I adopted a 4yr old big boy named Sugar from an adoption agency. He had been moved around a couple times recently prior and took some time to acclimate and feel at home. In the first month we noticed he liked to hang his head when sitting in cat trees or the edge of a chair or couch, and he always had a twitchy tail. We’ve had him now for 8 months and he settled in very well and we love him very much. In the last 3-4 weeks he began having ear twitches. I used ear wipes on them but at no time ever saw any sign of ear mites/biuldup, they were always clean and looked healthy. Gradually the next 2 weeks came twitching/muscle type spasms in his belly when falling asleep and occasional head shakes. We saw them more often and took him to the vet. He cried and was stressed the way there (10 min ride), that surprised us since he made no objections bring him home from adoption (25min ride). The vet checked him out and commented ” looks like you have a healthy 41/2 yr old”. She recommended bloodwork and a medicine to calm his nerves. Sugar was checking out the exam room and hopped up behind me on the bench then spat up and went into a seizure for about a minute or so. The vet then took him back ,drew blood and gave him a shot of valium to calm him. She prescribed phenobarbital. His bloodwork came back normal except for some electrolyte values “most likely due to the seizure” we were told, and his urine tested ok. Currently waiting results of toxoplasmosis and are verifying his leukemia and FIP. We are concerned about the pheno use because we dont know the cause. My wife read about stress seizures here and would like your opinion. What if its a virus or other treatable issue, is taking the pheno harmfull or slow the treatment. And he doesn’t seem to want to eat sometimes for long periods. Thanks
Thanks for your comment, Christy. Cats who are very comfortable will fall into a deep state of sleep. This is where you will see twitching of the ears, tail, legs, and really anywhere else on the body. If he was sleeping during this, it is completely normal. Cats sleep in all sorts of ways as well so him hanging his head is fine. The tail twitching is more a less a nervous tick. Some cats will display this when they are nervous, excited, or curious. One of mine rattles his tail (the tip) when it is time to eat as he gets excited about food. Twitching is also a common issue with food allergies as they feel “jolts” under their skin. They will appear itchy all the time in the ear, neck, paw, and stomach areas. The paws tend to be a hotspot for them so they will often chew and nibble on them to ease discomfort. You can get him checked for food allergies if you would like. Chicken, corn, and soy are common allergies some cats have.
I don’t agree with giving seizure medication to cats because the risks outweigh the benefits and should only be used in severe cases. Given that the seizure seemed very mild and his bloodwork is okay, I would say it likely was a stress seizure but I would not rule out a panic attack. Both can seem very similar if you have never seen a cat have either one. It would seem the visit to the vet coupled with the car ride stressed him out. If he is calm at home and you don’t notice any stressing triggers, then don’t worry too much about it. You can also get a second opinion from another vet to ease your mind. Just use your best judgment.
This may be of use as well: https://purrfectlove.net/stress-seizures-in-cats/
Remove the source of the seizure!? How can I do that when it’s a persian that needs to be groomed and trimmed down every month and shampooed and dried? She started collapsing and falling over at age 10 either during a blow out or during a grooming session.. by the way I am a retired groomer … it started out infrequent back then and now it seems like she collapses either now during a grooming or during the blowout .. and by the way I don’t groom her and shampoo and dry on the same day due to the stress … she is 16 and I’m good health except for thyroid disease diagnosed and being treated for since December … she has fo be groomed and shampooed regularly
Thanks for your comment Sherry. Given her age and how stressed out this event is for her, I think it is best to get her hair cut very short and manage it from there at home. You can trim it weekly and brush it daily to manage it. Purchase some cat wipes as well. They will keep her fur clean without needing to put her in water. For tangles, just use a small amount of coconut oil (virgin and organic is best) before you brush her a few times a week.
My 3.5 year old cat was asleep on the back of a tall lounge chair when some visitors came in with a big dog. She tried to jump down but in mid air something happened and she fell to the carpet, went limp, eyes were huge and she was yowling like she was dying. When I went to pick her up she ran off under the bed and continued to yowl and lay on her side for 3 minutes. The yowl was terrible! I was able to get to her and isolate her from all the people and dogs. She was floppy and wide-eyed for 30 minutes. She finally got up and zigzagged her way to the litter box and peed. Then she flopped down and just laid on her side for another hour. It seemed like she couldn’t see or recognize me. When she came out of this she was happy and played with the dog and other people like normal. Could this have been a stress seizure? Should I take her to the vet?
She is very healthy and eats only true organic expensive food.
Thanks for your comment Jaucelyn. What you described could be a stress seizure but it could have also been a panic attack. Panic attacks last much longer than seizures which only last a few moments. I would guess that she was startled and had a panic attack based on what you shared. I don’t think there is any real cause for concern here but if you do want to stay on the safe side, you can let her vet know what happened and see if he/she feels a visit is necessary.
My 7year old cat had a seizure and has now lost her eye sight is there a possibility that she will have her sight back again?
Thanks for your comment Susan. Vission loss due to seizures is usually temporary. Most of the time it only lasts for a day or two but in more severe cases, it can take a few months for a cat to fully regain sight. If her sight doesn’t return after a few days to a week, it is best for her to be evaluated by her vet to make sure nothing else is going on.
Hi there. I am seeking help but struggling to find exactly what my cat is doing. About 2 weeks ago she started to fall off of things (she insists on sleeping in weird higher up places). She falls onto the floor, urinates and then frantically chews at her fur around her sides or legs. She is perfectly fine once she stops aggressively cleaning herself. She isn’t hiding away from us, still likes attention, is still eating and drinking, doesn’t pant or lay down afterwards, doesn’t shout before during or after, her eyes don’t role back and she doesn’t go stiff. Not sure if it connected but arpund the same time she has started to groom herself so much that her hair is getting patchy arpund her sides and anus?
Thanks for your comment David. This sounds like she may have some kind of skin infection or parasitic issue. Excessive grooming can also be anxiety related. When she falls to the ground from her sleeping position, it likely scares her enough to make her urinate. I would take her to your vet ASAP to rule out any kind of parasitic issues or skin infection. I wish I could be of more help.
Really want to thank you for this article. Yesterday, my SO was taking our cat to the vet. The cat really hates the car, and as he was lifting her carrier into the car, she suddenly flopped over and began to have a seizure. He was really panicking and raced to the vet. The episode lasted maybe 30 seconds, and was followed by her normal car behavior – crying, panting and pacing. I usually use a Feliway spray in her carrier when we have to go in the car, but I forgot to tell him about it. The vet couldn’t find anything wrong with her after a regular checkup but she will have some tests if it happens again. When she got home, she ate normally and wanted a lot of attention, then fell asleep in her current favourite spot. I’m still really worried but your article gave me some hope that the seizure was just from stress. Last summer she and I had to travel in the car several times and she was more stressed out every time. Do you have any advice for how to make this less stressful for her?
Thanks for your comment Kate. I am glad it helped ease your mind. You are doing the right thing by using Feliway when you need to travel with her. Unfortunately, some cats just do not like cars and may never get over that. You can try to ease her into being in the car by taking small drives a few days a week around the block to help lessen the fear. You can start by doing this at night when there is not so much to see and fewer people out on the roads. I have never used a carrier when traveling with my cats, I use harnesses. For some cats being in a cage scares them more as they feel even more trapped. If you have someone who can sit in the back seat and hold her while she is wearing a harness, you can see how she does with that. I wish I could be of more help but I do hope everything check out good for your kitty.
So I was just scared beyond belief and am looking for some answers/guidance.
My cat who is 5 was just sleeping on the floor. I started vacuuming and he woke up, jumped on the bed to evade the vacuum, left the bedroom and went downstairs. My boyfriend saw him cross the room normally, stumble, and then teeter as he was low to the ground. He called me down and I saw him teetering and looking at me with a frantic look in his eyes. This only lasted for a minute. He then walked low to the ground into the kitchen, hopped up on one of the dining chairs and proceeded to drool heavily for a few minutes. I pet him softly and talked him through it and within moments he seemed fine. He was eating, talking, and mobile. The whole thing lasted maybe 3 minutes. It’s been a half hour and he’s behaving normally. I’m thinking that he may have had a panic attack? But we’re obviously concerned. Any information or direction would be appreciated. Thank you.
Thanks for your comment Aarika. Yes, that does indeed sound like a panic attack. The drooling is a reaction to adrenaline being boosted in his system. Stress seizures are very similar to panic attacks, some believe they are the same thing for cats. Since it would seem the sudden startle of being woken up by a loud noise triggered it, it is best to only vacuum or do anything loud when he is awake and away from the area. Next time you want to vacuum, just put him in your bedroom until you are done and then let him out and close the door to vacuum your room. Some cats are more prone to stress and handle it differently than others. If you notice this happening without a trigger or his reactions (drooling, dizziness, etc.) getting worse, it would be best to take him to a Vet to rule out any possible causes. As of now, I think he is okay and just experienced a panic attack.
Thanks so much for your response. It’s definitely put me a little more at ease. I’ll be keeping an eye on him and looking for other triggers or lack there of. Much appreciated.
Hello….I have 2 female cats, siblings, about 4 years old. One of them has stress seizures every couple of months. I was so happy to read the article and find that this is common and non life threatening. If they become more frequent I will take her to the vet for blood work to rule out pancreatitis. She is the passive sister…the other one is much more dominant. Whenever she has a seizure the other cat hisses at her. It happened last night and this morning she was still hissing terribly at the sight of her. This goes on for 4 or 5 days….then slowly they get back to normal, playing and grooming each other. Any idea why the other cat is exhibiting this hissing behavior?
Thanks for your comment Beth. Are they both spayed? I have to ask because many unspayed females will fight over territory. If they are both spayed, it can be an issue of under-stimulation. What this means is that the more aggressive sister is acting out because of boredom. More often than not, aggressive cats are typically just bored cats. This is an easy fix but you will have to get involved. This will require playtime every day with both of them equally. A feather wand is the cheapest and most well-loved cat toy there is in terms of human and cat interaction and playing. You also want to make sure both are stimulated without you. They should have an area to look outside the house, a place that is higher in the home, and things to keep them busy at night (toys that won’t wake you up). You can even consider an outdoor enclosure so they can spend time outdoors without fear of them getting injured. If that is not an option, leash training works just as well. Read this post for more ideas on how to cut down on kitty boredom: https://purrfectlove.net/keeping-an-indoor-cat-happy/
Hello thank you do kindly. My cat had a violent seizure last night around 3am . I heard cats screaming. Cat was in seizure few seconds then went limp and panting. I was getting ready to take her to emergency, i stroked her and she got up and walked. I thought she was stone blind, she was very disorientated. Daylight came she can at least see where she is going is resting on her favorite chair. Has drank water and ate some. One of my sweet cats sometimes attacks other cat usually only her son. But has once attacked other girl if she’s fired up.She can be vicious. She’s been stalking the poor cat,that had seizure is 15-17. I thought the cat Stacey might have had seizure when attacked. It was horrible I thought she was dying.Now she’s purring. You’re post helped calm me. Will still see vet.
Thanks for your comment Edenslight7. Yes, being that she is old a vet visit is a good idea. It sounds like it may be stress induced from the other cat attacking her. I hope everything works out for her.
Dear purrfectlove
Last week my cat ran an started going in circles with spit dripping from her mouth, now this week she was purring an rubbing my legs an it was hard for her to swallow, an she started to run off all of a sudden she got confused an fell over trying to get up but kept falling over hitting her head, then she got stiff an was kicking her back legs, it all lasted about a minute or so, then she just laid there, she got up but it was like she couldn’t move she meowed loud 3 times, then she moved but was wobbling an laid down her breathing was fast
Thanks for your comment Myrahnna Love. That sounds like it can be more serious than a stress seizure. She should be seen by a Vet asap to rule out more serious medical issues. If she is older, it could have been a stroke the first time.
My cat got her head stuck about a month ago and was unresponsive for about 30 seconds Last night she started having seizures she had three four hours apart can this be a result. I’m very low income but can call my vet tomorrow maybe he can work with me. I just was wondering why she is four years old
Thanks for your comment Michele Barbera. Where was her head stuck? Stress seizures usually come on during a stressful event or shortly after. This sounds like it can be down to oxygen loss in the brain but I am not sure if it would trigger the seizures a month after. I think it is best to get the vets opinion on the situation and go from there. I wish I could be of more help.
Hi! Thank you for posting this, it is putting my mind at ease but still have questions. My 12 year old cat had his first seizure ever two nights ago and since then he has had about 4 cluster seizures. When his first seizure occurred it was the longest of all and he went stiff and neck out etc. Thst was the night before we moved, boxes everywhere and the place was a mess. We move the next day and he was fine, unless I missed something. Then the following day (yesterday) was when he had the 3 cluster seizures. They all start out while he is in a deep sleep, where he has a limp body and doesn’t wake up easily. We took him to the vet yesterday, they kept him overnight and said he didn’t have any seizures while there. They ran his blood work and everything came back normal. Since he’s been home for about 12 hours he had one more cluster seizure after about 11 hours of being home. The vet said that if it happens again they recommend putting him on medication but I do not want to do that unless it is absolutely required. Do you think these will stop soon, once he’s adjusted to the new house?
Thanks for your comment Nikki Hart. Every cat is different and if these are indeed down to stress, then once he feels safe they should stop. Cats do not like moving nor do they like when we rearrange the furniture. Since he is older, it likely was a scary thing for him. Some cats at his age have lost some of their vision already. When a cat loses any amount of vision they rely on mind-maps of where they live using shadows, counting steps, and smells. That alone would prompt me to think this is down to stress. I would try to get more scents he is familiar with in the new home. Don’t over clean anything or add in anything new for a good month. Let him adjust. Ad long as you keep him indoors, there is no harm in waiting it out. He should be okay with everything in 2 weeks tops. Just treat him as if he is scared even if he doesn’t look it. Don’t play any loud music, avoid vacuuming around him, and keep your voice low in the home. I hope everything works out for him and he feels more at ease soon.
My cat won’t leave the window sill and he frequently falls out of it. I think he has some skin issues also at the base of his tail. Could he be suffering from stress seisures? His behavior changed when I stopped him from going outdoors introduced a liter box and started keeping him indoors.
Thanks for your comment Candace. This sounds more like an anxiety issue unless he is sitting up and just falling over. Since there is a skin issue as well, it is best he see’s a vet asap. It is a good thing you brought him in. Cats should only be outdoors under supervision.
My comment maybe long. First my Female cat Remy was a rescue, She was abused kicked and they broke her pelvis. Vet took custody of her to fix her up and I adopted her. Her age wasn’t exactly known but She was at least 1 year old. She is now 14. Never has needed to see a vet until recently. We have 3 adult cats Remy included, They were not raised together but they got along great. I got suckered into adopting a kitten he is now 6 months old. I was told HE was a she, which is why I agreed to take it. But he is a boy, and he is a nightmare for the other cats. They all hate him. He is making himself the Alpha and bullying the others. I don’t want to get rid of him, So Im trying everything. With that said, Remy has separation anxiety and is a Mama girl. The kitten is trying to be a Mamas boy. Makes for more problems. Shes been stressed for 6 mnths now. Just when it seemed everything was calming down right back to chaos. Remy has lost a lot of weight, wasn’t eating barely drinking, or going to the bathroom. And depressed. She keeps begging for food then wont eat it. ( she isn’t catfood picky) I took her to our Vet 3 days ago and had a full chem screen blood test and CBC,and Iv fluids. We took her home the same night, and She started to eat a lil, but more than she had in a week. Next day I get the results of the blood work and everything was fine. Yesterday she went right back to begging and not eating. ( not a people food cat) She ate some of my husbands Lasagna. It’s rare she would eat ppl food and if she did it was chicken, or lil bite of steak, then turn her nose up. Late last night I was eating ham and cheese. She wanted it, I gave her some ham and she was devouring it, made her slow down so she wouldnt make herself sick. While she was chewing her head suddenly drooped down, face went angry/evil like she was going to attack but blank stare, like she wasn’t there, lightly purring during this. Her front paws extended and went stiff, frozen. Only way to describe it is she went gimpy with no control over her extremities, sliding slowly down from a standing/ sit up position. It got intense terrifying me. Lasting at least a min or 2. I scramble for phone for video for evidence, By then it had stopped. Calming myself down I went to comfort her and look her over. At first seemed she wasnt seeing me. But then it passed. Suddenly back to begging for the cheese. I gave her a little more, maybe 5 mins later it happened again. I tried to video it again but I panicked and ran to my neighbor to come see whats happening. By the time we got back to her it was over again. This was terrifying, Remy rested for the whole night but still wont eat right. Just a lick or two of can food gravy, thats it. But still begging for food and not eating. Vet wants me to bring her back and of course I do too. But I will not have the money for MRI’s x-rays. Over 300 just for the blood work that told me nothing. My neighbor found this article and this seems to fit perfectly for what is going on with her. Any advice, suggestions, products, medications anything would be greatly appreciated
Thanks for your comment Lilith. I can’t say for certain if these two episodes were stress induced seizures but based on what you said, they sound like it. After they come out of them, they are usually very tired but VERY hungry. It would seem you have two issues going on here. She seems to be fighting for attention and wanting to eat your food (and your husband’s) only out of bonding/attention seeking. The other issue is that she isn’t eating enough of her own food. This is bad because she can become deficient in key vitamins and minerals. I don’t think the new kitten being a male has anything to do with this, but just a general uneasiness of a new member and it is stressing her out. You need to get her to eat her food. Is she on wet food? If she is not, I would suggested including that in her diet for starts. As for the stress, the kitten will likely calm down in another 6 months to a year but it is not worth putting stress on your 14 year old to wait. You can try having the 6 month old stay with someone for a few days and see if she improves. If she does, then you know for certain it is down to him being in the home. After this you will have to make a decision. You will have to get them Remy to be comfortable with him or you will have to re-home him.
If you want to try and work through this, you can do a few things to see if it improves for Remy. Have her eat her own food with you and your husband separate from the other cats. Share your meal times with her meal times to make her feel important to you both. You can also use Feliway in your home. It is a natural pheromone spray that is good for stress, anger issues, and so on. It should help her relax more. You will want to keep the kitten away from her and busy doing his own thing so adding in some new toys, maybe a window perch (or putting a cat tree by a window), anything to keep him busy and satisfied. A lot of people assume dogs only get jealous of other dogs when it comes to living with humans. In my experience, cats tend to be worse with this. You will have to make sure he still feels included and accepted as well.
This process will not happen overnight either. It is going to take work, communication, and adjustments to make sure everyone is happy. The most important thing you can do right now is get Remy eating cat food again and making sure her stress levels come down. If you feel she needs to see a vet again, check local cat-only shelters and see if they can help you pay for the vet bill. Some will work with cat owners when they know there is not another option. I hope everything works out for you, Remy, and the new kitten.
Hi my cat has a seizure last night she got under my bed and started meowing really really loud and my boyfriend and I got her out and was petting her, her eyes like wouldn’t focus like she didn’t know what was going on her body started twisting and she was shaking really bad I’m not sure why she did this it’s the first time she was a stray she had to of came from another family we took her in and she’s been great but yesterday scared me, at the time me and my boyfriend was wrapping gifts, could that of caused or is there something really wrong here ?
Thanks for your comment Bre. She needs to see a vet to know what the underlining cause is. If nothing can be found, it is likely down to stress/anxiety that induced the seizure. It is important you make she she gets tested as certain things that cause seizures in cats, like pancreatitis, can be deadly if left untreated.
Thanks for your comment Lucy. While I am not a vet and can’t make medication recommendations, I think it is better to approach this from a panic/anxiety perspective. If her episodes are mild in nature, she may even just be having panic attacks. A lot of vets and pet owners aren’t fully aware this happens in cats and dogs. It sounds like what is going on has to do with a night time fear. You can approach this like you would a child. Leaving lights on, keeping her in one room at night with you close by, reducing her consumption of food at night so she is less likely to need to get up to use her box, and so on. You can talk with her vet about the possibility of anti-anxiety medication but that won’t take care of the problem, just minimize the symptoms caused by the problem.
Hello. Our cat Bella is 3 years old. She’s been having seizures for 2 weeks now, nearly every night but only between the hours of 8pm and 5am. She’s averaging 6 per night. Lots of vet visits and different doses of ani-seizure meds tried which reduce the severity but does not eliminate them. She never has a seizure in the daytime (i work from home so I’m with her almost 24/7).
The only possible explanation i can think of for night time only seizures is (she’s awake prio to the seizure so they’re not sleeping ones) shes been in lots of cat fights at night and on a few occasions cats have come into our home and terrorised her. I now lock her in and she shows little interest in going out. Could these seizures be association of night time with being attacked and therefore be stress/anxiety related? Should we be trying anxiety medication rather than epilepsy medication? Thanks u. Lucy
We recently brought a new cat into the house and my older cat is 15 years old didn’t like them and would constantly growl at him a fight with him one day he was fighting with him up on the top of the counter next thing you know my cats foaming at the mouth and now he won’t eat but he seems to be okay otherwise but he will not eat what should I do
Thanks for your comment dawn ferro. Which cat was the one foaming at the mouth?
Thanks for your comment Hadley. This seems strange. Was she falling asleep? My older cat will sometimes sleep very heavy to the point where I can move his limbs and he will not wake up, not even when I move his head. This is down to him (I believe) not getting enough oxygen in certain positions. What you are explaining doesn’t sound like a seizure to me. Have you contacted her vet about this?
I was just casually petting my cat a couple of days ago when she suddenly went limp and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She only snapped out of it when I lifted her up and shook her slightly, and then she seemed fine.
It happened again a few minutes later. I did the same thing, and again, she seemed fine. It hasn’t happened since, but I’m worried that it might happen again, because even though she didn’t seem to be particularly hurt by it (she didn’t meow or make any noise, and after she came back around, she acted as though nothing had happened), I do want to know if this is the same thing, or if it might be something different.