The Tom and Jerry Syndrome
Author(s):
Mark Lowrie, Laurent Garosi
Updated:
JUN 01, 2018
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The current approach to seizures in cats is largely based on our knowledge of canine epilepsy, but recent evidence suggests that this could be a simplistic and possibly misleading method, as evidenced in this paper from Mark Lowrie and Laurent Garosi on one specific feline disorder.
Mark Lowrie
MA, VetMB, MVM, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS
Dr. Lowrie qualified from the University of Cambridge and is a RCVS and European specialist in veterinary neurology. He has a Master‘s degree on steroid- responsive meningitis-arteritis in dogs and has particular interest in involuntary muscle contractions, reflex epilepsy, inflammatory central nervous system disease and feline neurology. He is currently Clinical Director at a private referral practice.
Laurent Garosi
DVM, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS
Dr. Garosi graduated from Toulouse Veterinary School in 1996 and is a recognized RCVS and European specialist in veterinary neurology. He is currently head of the neurology and neurosurgery service at a private referral hospital, where he set up a dedicated feline neurology service in 2012, the first of its kind in Europe. His main clinical research interests are cerebrovascular diseases, complex neurosurgical procedures, neuroimaging and feline neurology.
Key Points
- Feline audiogenic reflex seizures (FARS) – also known as the “Tom and Jerry Syndrome” – represent a condition in older cats that suffer from myoclonic seizures with occasional generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
- The condition is thought to be degenerative, with a predisposition to Birman cats. Half of all affected cats are deaf.
- Seizures are often induced by noise; these seem to include very high pitched, relatively quiet sounds such as the jangling of keys or typing on a keyboard.
- Treatment with levetiracetam has been shown to be very effective for the management of myoclonic seizures.
Introduction
Information regarding feline disorders has often been obtained by extrapolating knowledge from dogs with similar conditions. No better example of this can be found than in feline seizure disorders, whereby treatment and management has mirrored what is considered appropriate for dogs with epilepsy. However, the last decade has given more focus to specific seizure disorders in the cat, and feline audiogenic reflex seizures (FARS) – also sometimes colloquially known as the “Tom and Jerry Syndrome” after the children’s cartoon series – is one such disorder whose recognition may alter our management of some aspects of companion animal epilepsy in the future. A description of FARS and its setting within feline epilepsy is given in this article.
Seizure classification
Epilepsy is defined as chronic, recurring seizures and is therefore not a single disease but a group of heterogeneous disorders (1). Historically, seizures have been divided according to either the etiology or clinical type (semiology). [...]
About
Affiliation of the authors at the time of publication
Dovecote Veterinary Hospital, Castle Donington, Derby, UK. Davies Veterinary Specialists, Higham Gobion, Hitchin, UK.
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