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Why is my senior cat suddenly having fits, dilated pupils, and balance issues?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 12 years and 9 months old | 8 lbs

I have a 13 year old male cat who is neutered. Over the last three days he has had three fits where he will suddenly have dilated pupils, be unresponsive to movement in front of his eyes (possibly dizzy), will tentatively touch his paw around as though he can't sense whats happening, and seems to be unsure of his footing and balance. These fits have come on suddenly and last between 20 to 60 seconds. Afterwards he's back to normal. No other changes in behavior, eating, or litter box use.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

Veterinarian

Published on May 12th, 2020

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The symptoms do suggest short seizures or mini strokes. You should take Cheshire to your local vets for full clinical examination and a blood test to check his blood sugar level, red cell count, kidney and liver function. If the blood results come back normal and he keeps having the episodes, he may need further investigation, like MRI scan of the brain. Alternatively, your vet may recommend treatment with anti-epileptic medication asa trial.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Cheshire. That is not good! I'm actually wondering if he is having seizures, which can happen in older cats due to serious illnesses such as cancer. I think it's best you take him into the vet in the morning for a health check, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis. The cause of these fits needs to be diagnosed and treated. I hope this helps!

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