My 4-month-old kitten has seizures. Is it epilepsy or vaccine related?

This is a medical emergency and your kitten needs to see a vet now. Prolonged seizures require immediate veterinary attention, and I'm afraid there is nothing you can do for her at home. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

If she had what appeared to be a seizure, I would place a small amount of karo syrup on the gums and get her seen right away as her sugar level may be low. This could easily cause the seizures with low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Sick kittens oftentimes do not eat enough and will secondarily get hypoglycemia. I would take her into her vet right away to be examined and treated. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation.

Poor kitty. If her bloodwork is normal then that is unfortunately not a good indicator and in such a young kitty we have to consider the high possibility that this indicates a brain or spinal cord lesion. Some kind of trauma could have also occured to cause these seizures. IT is best to put Capser on anti-seizure medication right away to hopefully manage these better. If the seizures continue to happen at this frequency, then permanent brain damage is likely to occur. A referral to a neurologist should also be considered. An MRI or CT scan will likely be recmomended to get to the bottom of the cause of these seizures. Poor kitty. I wish you all the best with Casper moving forward. Take care.

If she is having seizures she needs to be rechecked to see what is causing them. It is good that she is eating and drinking again. I would worry about a toxin or neurological problem from her past that is affecting her health

If she seems perfectly fine now...eating, drinking, peeing, pooping and walking normally with a normal activity level (not lethargic)... and this was her first episode, there is nothing that your vet could do other than routine screening bloodwork to rule out a liver/kidney issue or low blood sugar as the cause of the seizures. Your vet may also prescribe rectal valium suppositories to have on hand to treat any future seizures. Cats and dogs are usually not started on seizure medications unless they have several seizures a month or a prolonged seizure. Hopefully Rey won’t have any more episodes, but if she does, a short video clip may be helpful to bring to your vet. Good luck!

I’m so sorry for your losses. The only way to determine what the babies have died from would be to have a necropsy or postmortem exam done. I understand with foster pets this might not be financially feasible, but it may give answers and potentially help the remaining kittens. If all from the same litter they could have a congenital Disorder causing the seizures and death, or they may have been exposed to a virus while in utero or shortly after birth. Some toxins, exposure to flea control products, or medications can cause seizure and death. Diagnostic testing can be difficult with kittens this little but it may be worth discussing running a Health screen or viral panel on the remaining kittens to assess their health. Otherwise, the best thing to do is make sure they are on a good plane of nutrition, use only Anti-parasite products recommended by your veterinarian, and vaccinate as they get old enough. Thank you for taking care of these kittens, best of luck with the rest of the litter. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Yes, I would make an appointment to discuss medication options with your vet and to rule out any other underlying or treatable conditions causing the seizures. While the meds may be lifelong, they are better in the long-term than letting your cat have seizures constantly which could lead to accidents, injury, or death. Your vet may also be able to work with you on a cohesive treatment plan in combination with medications that may help reduce seizures.