Strange problem with cat.

Dr. Marie replied:

I'm so sorry that you and Lightning are going through this difficult time.

I can give you a few possible reasons for her behavior.

First, it may be that she has something called feline hyperesthesia syndrome. You can read more about this condition here. However, it is not common for this condition to start happening in an 11 year old cat.

Next, it's possible that she has some pain somewhere. Something that can cause this is back pain or possibly something called lumbosacral pain which is pain at the end of the spinal cord just as it meets the tail. If this were my case I might be trying her on some pain medication to see if this makes a difference. An xray of her spine is the best way to diagnose this, but may be more money than you can spend.

It could be that she is having a form of a seizure. But this is definitely not a normal presentation for a seizure. Unfortunately if this is a seizure problem it is likely caused by a tumor in the brain. If this is the case then there is not much that we can do for her.

And finally, this may seem really silly, but is she on a good flea prevention? Even if she does not have any fleas that you can see it would be great to treat her with a dose of Revolution (you need to get that from your vet). Some cats are so sensitive to fleas that even one flea can cause them to be really aggressive and do very strange things. They often can be super sensitive to everything because of fleas. If the flea treatment fixes the problem then you will want to do it monthly for a few months to be sure that any fleas that are in the environment will be killed as they hatch and jump on the animal.

This is a tough case. If this were my case I would be recommending blood tests and xrays if you could afford it. If not, then I would try a flea treatment. If that didn't work I would try pain medication. And, if that didn't work I'd recommend an anti-anxiety medication such as amitriptyline or clomicalm.

I really hope things improve soon!

Dr. Marie.


Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?

---

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.

Dr. Marie replied:

I think doing blood work is a good place to start. I'd also suggest asking your vet to have a good feel of her tail and spine to see if they think there is any sign of pain there.

I'm not sure what to say about the fact that she is standing at the door waiting for your dad to return...that's a little strange.

I've had a few cases like this and unfortunately I haven't always gotten a diagnosis. I really hope she gets some relief soon.

Dr. Marie replied:

Ooops...not sure if you got the response above.....look up and you'll see my response.