Our question this week was:I have a cat that is a little over a year. Two months ago, she started having these little spells where she will be eating or doing a regular activity, and then she just stops and stares as in a trance. Her heart also starts pounding, but once the spell is over, she seems fine. Also, she actually collapsed twice on the ground and my mom had to pick her up. It's almost as if she has had a seizure or something. I took her to the vet and had her blood tested and everything came back fine. What could be causing this?
Lucia LeggioAnswer Hi – thanks for your email. I would worry about this. I don't know the underlying cause of your cat's problems but if possible, get it on video. That can be helpful to your veterinarian. I'd worry about either a seizure or some sort of syncopal (fainting) spell that can be caused by an underlying heart problem. Some cats can have abnormal heart rhythms that can cause a "collapse" event.
Discuss seeing a specialist with your veterinarian. They may want you to see a cardiologist that can do some specialized tests to help determine the underlying cause.
A couple articles that might be helpful to you is on our Petplace.com is
Seizures in Cats and
Syncope in Cats.
Best of luck!
Dr. Jon
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