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Expert: - 3/24/2011


Question
Hello. My cat is 12 years old. He meows most of the day when not sleeping and all night. He also will get sick, puke and then act like he had a seizer. He walks around the house like he can't see or hear. After a few hours he snaps out of it. He is an indoor cat. What should I do?

Answer
Melissa,
this is very normal unfortunately for a senior cat. Your cat is like an 88 yr old person. Very often these cats get a condition referred to in humans as 'Sundowners syndrome."
What happens is that when it starts to get dark, they lose their ability to see as well and they get frightened, so they cry out with that awful sounding "yowl" that you hear.

They are sort of caught up in their own little world at that time. I don't know what to tell you about the vomiting, and seizure like activity. You need to have your vet look him over for that.

The only thing you can do for him when he has these episodes is keep night lights on and soothe him when he starts to cry.

Take him in for a check up and have the vet give him a good look over.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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