Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Seizures in cats - how common are they in the UK?
By O'Neill, Dan Gerard et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·Royal Veterinary College-Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Epidemiology of recurrent seizure disorders and epilepsy in cats under primary veterinary care in the United Kingdom.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that about 0.16% of cats in the UK experience recurrent seizure disorders, with 0.04% diagnosed with epilepsy. Older cats, particularly those between 3 and 6 years old, are more likely to have epilepsy. Interestingly, insured cats were diagnosed with epilepsy more often than those without insurance. While these conditions are less common in cats than in dogs, they are still significant and can affect your pet's health. If your cat is having seizures, it's important to consult your veterinarian for proper diagnosis and treatment options.
People also search for: cat seizures causes · cat epilepsy treatment · why is my cat having seizures · recurrent seizures in cats · cat health insurance and epilepsy
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Little epidemiological evaluation of recurrent seizure disorders in cats currently exists in veterinary literature. OBJECTIVES: To report the prevalence and risk factors for recurrent seizure disorders (RSD) and epilepsy in cats presented to primary care veterinary practices in the United Kingdom (UK). ANIMALS: A total of 285 547 cats under veterinary care during 2013 presenting to 282 primary care clinics in the UK. METHODS: Cohort study using multivariable logistic regression modeling for risk factor analysis. RESULTS: There were 458 confirmed RSD cases, giving a 1-year period prevalence of 0.16% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.15-0.18). A subset of 114 (24.89%) cases was recorded as having epilepsy, giving a 1-year period prevalence of 0.04% (95% CI, 0.03-0.5). Increasing age was significantly associated with increasing odds of RSD. Breed, sex, neuter status, and body weight were not associated with RSD. Epilepsy was most frequently diagnosed in adult to middle-aged cats. Cats aged 3.0 to <6.0 years had 3.32 times higher odds of epilepsy diagnosis compared to cats <3.0 years of age. Insured cats were more likely to be diagnosed with epilepsy compared to noninsured cats. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Although less common than in dogs, RSD and epilepsy still comprise an important disorder group in the UK cat population. Aging is a significant risk factor for these disorders in cats.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32974979/