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　　Sounds such as typing, the crumpling of tin foil orthe clinking of glasses or dishware are all just part ofthe background noise of domestic life, at least forhumans.

　　But such sounds can apparently trigger seizuresamong elderly cats.

　　This newly identified type of epilepsy is called felineaudiogenic reflex seizures, or FARS.

　　It's described in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.

　　The syndrome was discovered when a few such cases were reported to an organization calledInternational Cat Care, which then sought more info from veterinarians.

　　The vets then found enough additional feline subjects to perform a proper study.

　　They found that cats that experience the sound-induced seizures start having them whenthey're on average 15 years old.

　　Cats can hear frequencies above what we can, so the suspicion is that some of them may beextrasensitive to such stimuli.

　　On the other hand, or possibly paw,

　　half of the 96 cats in the study were either deaf or had partial hearing loss, at least accordingto their owners.

　　So cat hearing may have subtleties we're still unaware of.

　　The seizures occurred across various cat varieties, but members of the Birman breed seemparticularly vulnerable.

　　The antiseizure drug levetiracetam appears to help some afflicted kitties.

　　That's good news because you and your cat should be able to enjoy a life, to paraphraseMacbeth, that's full of sound—and furry.