Cat is suddenly behaving in unusual fashion

Question

Urgent help. My cat has gone mad. She can't recognize us anymore. She is continuously running from side to side up and down as if a ghost is chasing her. If I try to hold her she is struggling to get away. Her situation is like a fish taken out of water struggling to breath.

Edit: She was in heat and shouting constantly. The neighbors were complaining. So I gave her Alprazolam 0.5 to make her sleep.

Update: Went to vet. He said that the cat is Ok. Given antime this Friday for surgery to neuter the cat. Also gave medicine for worm, liver tonic, essential amino acids + multivitamins + DHA + arginine.

Answer 1

If she's been doing this for more than 10-15 minutes then I would say you need to contact a vet ASAP. A short one off could be something spooking her (remember they can hear and smell things we can't) but if it's sustained then a professional needs to check her out.

EDIT

Following this update from the OP:

I suspect it was the human medicine that I gave her caused this. She was in heat and was shouting constantly and loudly. Neighbors were complaining. So I gave her alprazolam .5 which is given to humans as sleeping pill. And this triggered the behavior. Now she is much normal.

I feel the need to add the following (I've put this in comments as well but given the possible non-permanence of comments I felt the need to edit this in to the answer):

DO NOT GIVE HUMAN MEDICATIONS TO NON-HUMANS!

You have no idea what effect it will have on their physiology, and even if it were to act on them in the same way as it would on a human the dosages will be massively wrong - even a pretty big cat will generally only be 5-6kg compared with an adult human that will easily be 10 times that weight.

While alprazolm (a.k.a. Xanax) can be used to treat cats , and for similar conditions to it's uses in humans 0.5mg is double the maximum normal dose for a cat! And while I'm not sure on the levels required I do know that it is considered toxic to them in excess. Even though the cat seems "normal" now there may be underlying damage caused by the medication - a visit to the vet has to happen ASAP, along with information about how much of the medication the cat has been given taking the pills with you and showing to them to the vet may be useful also.

So unless a veterinary professional explicitly instructs you to do so:

DO NOT GIVE HUMAN MEDICATIONS TO NON-HUMANS!!

Answer 2

Is there a chance your cat injured itself while you weren't home anytime in the last 72hours before the behavior started? This sounds neurological. If there have been no mishaps it could also be a tumor or anything else doing harm to the central nervous system (CNS is brain and spinal chord) like parasites or a pathogen. There is obviously something going on, you can't see, either psychologically, physically and/or neurologically.

Brain/cerebellum injuries can cause crazy behaviors. An injury to the CNS can strongly effect the cat's ability to sense it's surroundings (including it's home, furniture, people etc). This can also cause behaviors including but not limited to: pacing, running in circles, loss of balance, loss of hearing, smell and memory which includes the inability to remember it's owner or home.

Parasites(even if not in the CNS) can cause a cat to go loopy, as can some medications. If you have recently changed or started new meds, you may want to discontinue use until your kitty has been seen by a vet. Not all animals have the same reaction to simple meds you wouldn't give much thought to (example- I fostered an adolescent cat that couldn't be given Advantage Multi because it'd make her stumble and lose her balance for a few days after administration, and was just how her brain reacted to one if the chemicals in it, but she did fine on Revolution).

Your cat could have a number of sicknesses that may cause a fever. Fever can cause hallucinations in cats, or shock which would also cause a cat to act out, in the behaviors you're describing.

Just to list a few sicknesses that may cause fever, as found on petmd (cited below for more detail) are: Bacterial,Fungal, or parasitic infections.
Metabolic or Endocrine diseases.
Drugs or toxins.
Tumors.
Viruses.
A number of inflammatory conditions.

Information provided in part from: https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/brain,-spinal-cord,-and-nerve-disorders-of-cats/nervous-system-disorders-and-effects-of-injuries-in-cats

And

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/neurologicdisorders.cfm

And

http://m.petmd.com/cat/conditions/immune/c_ct_fever

I'd check out these 3 sites, read further, and have your kitty taken to the vet.

Whether or not it's an injury or a physical health concern, or a psychological concern, a treatment plan can be put in place.

Just something to think about: If there is a new roommate, or family member etc.. living in your house or temporarily staying (or leaving) or if furniture has been rearranged or removed a new pet added OR ANY NEW changes you can think of in your home that may be a stressor to your cat; this behavior may go away or ease up in time. BUT (even if there IS a lifestyle change you can pinpoint as a stressor) I would not risk waiting to find out. If it is physical and/or neurological, she may need emergency care, and waiting can be harmful to recovery or a treatment plan.

Good luck, and keep us updated by comment or by adding updates to your original post.