Dear Jude Friends,

Jude had a fairly eventful month. I mentioned last month that Jude was having violent seizures, and we wanted to check her bloodwork to make sure her medication levels were in the correct range. Not enough medication can result in more seizures, and too much medication can be toxic to them, so it’s a careful balance.

I don’t look forward to taking Jude out of her usual routine and her home, because any change can trigger seizures. On the day she was scheduled to have her bloodwork checked I got up early and gave her some medication to help her keep calm and relaxed.  I did this over an hour before we had to leave, so it would be in her system in time for the trip.

When it was time to leave I did everything very calmly and quietly, put her in the cat carrier (I had the car running so it was warm), and left for Tabby’s Place. We had to be at Tabby’s Place by 8 am, because the bloodwork needs to be done at the low point of her phenobarbital levels (when she is due for her morning dose). I was very quiet in the car, no music, just calm and quiet. I had Jude on the seat next to me, so I could keep an eye on her. I live about a half-hour from Tabby’s Place, and we were doing really well…  …until we got to Ringoes. I was less than 5 minutes away from Tabby’s Place when Jude went into a seizure. I was able to pull over and make sure she was ok. Luckily, it was a fairly mild seizure and it passed quickly.

As soon as we arrived at Tabby’s Place I took her inside, where our vet tech was waiting to take her blood. Just after a seizure, Jude is a little out of it, so it did actually help that she was just recovering from a seizure because we got the blood very easily and with little stress on Jude. As soon as we were done I put Jude back in her carrier and headed for home. She was quiet on the ride home, and no more seizures. She was very happy to be back at home and immediately started eating. She was fine for the rest of the day and didn’t seem to have any lasting effects from her ordeal.

We got the bloodwork results a few days later, and everything is at the perfect level, so her medications are going to continue the same for the time being.

About a week after her trip to Tabby’s Place, she has another large grand mal seizure. I gave her the rescue medicine and the seizure stopped. After a seizure Jude is always quiet and mellow for a few minutes, so we clean her up (if she got pee on herself during the seizure), and enjoy holding her for a few minutes (it’s the only time she isn’t cranky while being held), but this has only ever lasted about 5 minutes, at the most, then she starts growling again.

This time, however, half an hour later she was still quiet and snuggly. She was pushing her head into me and allowing lots and lots of kisses. I was so happy to be holding her and kissing her, and she was enjoying it! I was also concerned something was very wrong because this is not typical Jude behavior at all! I actually considered if I should take her to the emergency room for a while. I can just hear that conversation “my cat is being sweet and loving, something is wrong with her!!” I decided to offer her some food because she is always so hungry right after a seizure. She gobbled all her food up, and then I tried to pet her again, which was met with a very loud growl. My Jude was back! Phew! I’m so glad she is back to her usual, cranky self, but it was wonderful holding her and kissing her for a while too.

Since that last seizure, Jude has been fine, and back to enjoying her usual Jude things… eating, sleeping, and playing. The last couple of days have been warm outside, so I opened Jude’s window and let her enjoy the fresh air for the first time in a while.

That’s all the Jude news for now. As always, thank you all for your continued support of Jude, we couldn’t do this without you.

Your correspondent,
Karina