My Cat's Seizures Led to Suspected "Idiopathic Vestibular Disease"—A Vet Explains What to Prepare for a Clinic Visit and Key Observation Points

In mid-January 2026, when I was having dinner with my husband as usual, my beloved cat Leon suddenly had a seizure. The seizure stopped within a few minutes, but as it was the first time we had ever seen one, my family and I panicked...

In this article, I will detail what happened at that time and share how to approach cat seizures as I learned from my regular veterinarian.

My healthy cat had a “sudden seizure”...

That day, my cat Leon went onto the floor chair where my husband was sitting, just like always. They were having a cute interaction with comments like, "Don't bite my hair~," but when he hopped down from the chair, my husband said, "Huh? Leo, is his hind leg okay?"

At that moment, Leon was right behind me. I panicked, thinking, "Is the way he's walking strange?" and turned around to check on him, but Leon had already passed by me and was trying to climb onto the table.

Leon, who is athletic, usually jumps onto the table easily. But this time, he missed the jump once. While my husband was saying, "See! Something is definitely wrong!", Leon made a second jump. He managed to get onto the table, but immediately after, something went wrong.

For some reason, his right front leg wouldn't extend and was tightly curled up. Then his head began to tilt, and he fell off the table. Fortunately, he landed on the kotatsu quilt, but I blamed myself for not being able to react in time.

After the fall, Leon tried to crawl and walk on his own, but his limbs wouldn't listen to him. He ended up on his back with his limbs curled up tight. I thought he might die right then and there... We were frantic, panicking and crying, "Leo! Are you okay? What's wrong!?"

Symptoms of poisoning should include vomiting or loss of appetite. If it were a seizure due to heart problems like a blood clot, his paw pads should have turned pale and cold. As various possibilities and symptoms crossed my mind, I first checked Leon's paw pads, as seizures related to the heart are highly life-threatening.

Fortunately, Leon's paw pads were their usual pink color and felt warm. And, not even five minutes later, he started walking as usual, so I was relieved, thinking, "It doesn't seem to be heart-related..."

However, even though he could walk again, Leon seemed a bit dazed. I debated going to an emergency animal hospital, but since he had an appetite and was jumping and playing normally, I judged that the urgency was low. I decided to visit the animal hospital first thing the next morning.

However, to prevent another seizure and a potential fall accident, I had him sleep in a pet playpen that night.

Suspecting "Idiopathic Vestibular Disease" and consulting the vet

Leon's seizure wasn't like an epileptic seizure where he would flail his limbs; it was more like his limbs were curling up tight or stiffening.

I wondered if there were other cats with the same symptoms... Searching for various seizures on social media and YouTube, I learned about "idiopathic vestibular disease," a seizure of unknown cause that occurs suddenly.

Feeling that this might be the case, when explaining the symptoms at the animal hospital the next day, I shared the specific symptoms I saw and mentioned, "When I watched videos online, the symptoms of idiopathic vestibular disease looked similar."

The veterinarian checked by moving his hand near Leon's eyes. Apparently, with idiopathic vestibular disease, it becomes difficult to gauge distance. I was told, "In this cat's case, he can recognize when I move my hand close, so the possibility of idiopathic vestibular disease is low."

When a seizure occurs, owners tend to think the cause is in the brain or heart (e.g., thrombosis), but according to the vet, seizures can also occur when there is an underlying issue with organs like the liver.

So, we ran blood tests to check for any abnormal values.

The results showed that Leon was perfectly healthy. We even checked a heart disease biomarker (NT-proBNP), which can detect early-stage heart disease that doesn't show up on ultrasounds, but there were no abnormalities. We were left in the most painful situation: not knowing the cause of the seizure.

How to approach "cat seizures" as taught by the veterinarian

Should I have him get an MRI or CT scan now? Having experienced the importance of early detection through the illness of my late cat, I was worried.

Seeing this, the vet explained how to approach the seizures carefully. According to the vet, some cats have one seizure and never have another one for the rest of their lives.

"Medication to stop seizures must be taken for the rest of their life once you start. In this cat's case, since only one mild seizure has been observed, I think it's still too early to start medication." The vet explained that for cases like ours, where a mild seizure different from epilepsy occurred, choosing to wait and see is also an option.

According to the vet, if a seizure occurs about twice in six months, it is common to consider tests like CT or MRI scans, or medication. Since MRI, CT, and EEG tests are expensive, the choice for owners generally splits between "investigating the cause thoroughly" or "learning to live with the condition using anti-seizure medication."

Fortunately, Leon has not had another seizure since then. But because the cause is unknown, I spend my days living with the lingering anxiety of a recurrence.

The importance of "pre-preparation" after experiencing my cat's seizure

After experiencing my cat's seizure for the first time, I learned a lot. First, I realized how important it is to record the symptoms on video. It is really difficult to convey symptoms just by explaining them in words.

Even though worry tends to take over during a seizure, I realized it is important to be prepared to record a video, staying mindful of that possibility in advance.

For those who are not confident that they can record a video during an emergency, I think it is also a good idea to install a pet camera with a recording function. I was told about this on social media, and I thought, "That's exactly right!"

Since I work from home like this, I think many households don't use pet cameras, but I felt that installing one as an insurance policy for a rainy day is a good approach.

It is also important to decide in advance which treatment you would choose, assuming the seizure might happen again. The costs differ between "thoroughly testing to identify the cause" and "using medication to stop seizures and living with the condition."

If you want to "identify the cause," it is important to consider pet insurance or increase your cat savings fund while they are symptom-free. For docile cats, sometimes a non-anesthetic CT scan can be performed, but naturally, a CT scan with anesthesia allows for a more detailed examination.

There are many choices to make during a recurrence, such as how much testing to have done or when to consult with the vet to start medication. That is why I wanted to determine a treatment plan for myself in advance, taking into account my cat's age and health condition, so that I can take appropriate action.

Also, I deeply appreciated the pet playpen during this seizure. Even if the steps on a cage can be removed, cats can sometimes use the wire mesh to climb, leading to a fall accident, so I think having one pet playpen in the house brings peace of mind.

However, if you can only prepare a cage due to room space or other reasons, it might be good to remove the steps and place it on its side to prevent fall accidents.

For now, even if there are no seizures over the next six months, I want to check frequently for any difficulty in moving his limbs. I live every day feeling the value of my cat being healthy all over again.

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