Odd behavior-any answers?

Our 12 year old male cat does something odd. When he's alone (the other cat isn't anywhere near him or bothering him), he'll hiss and growl and whip around like something is attacking him from behind. This has been going on for 7 years so I assume it's not something serious but I'd still like to know what's causing it. Our vet at first thought it might be a type of seizure, but since he stops when we go to him and pet him, a seizure is ruled out. Another vet (an internal medicine specialist) thought it might be a nerve thing at the base of his tail. A third vet just expressed his anal glands a week ago (she said that can cause growling) but it hasn't stopped it. For some strange reason it seems to be more frequent in fall and winter. This time of year we hear it daily, sometimes several times a day. If anyone has any answers I'd love to hear them.

He also has started (in about the past year) what I would call moaning. We'll hear him in another part of the house. There doesn't seem to be a pattern. It doesn't happen daily or even weekly. Does anyone else have experience with this? Another cat we had used to do this the last 2 or 3 years of her life. She died at 18 of kidney disease. Hers seemed to happen after eating so I thought maybe she had stomach problems. A vet told me thyroid problems can cause vocalizing and she was hyperthyroid. but on medication for it. Our male doesn't have thyroid problems. Thanks!

Sue

Originally Posted by sjde

For some strange reason it seems to be more frequent in fall and winter. This time of year we hear it daily, sometimes several times a day.

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This bit made me wonder - do you have problems with static shocks this time of year? I wonder if he's getting little shocks from things, maybe the carpet or rug? Or possibly an allergy of some sort is making him itchy? Just ideas, I am sure more suggestions from others will come along soon

I find the seasonal reaction interesting as well. I don't know whee you live but my experience in the colder months you often see different behaviors in pets. A major part is due to humidity levels, heat dries the air out so much, generally cold weather already has extreme low humidity levels, even when it snows! It could be a reaction of discomfort, or static shocks which are also increased in lower humidity levels...

Ill hazard a guess, but its more based on my work with lab mice...
Fall and Winter (not sure where you live) tend to be "dry" months with very low humidity. In these conditions, skin can dry out, and become very itchy and flaky etc. I notice this myself in the winter, especially when I shave my legs etc. ANyways, the base of the tail skin wise is a sensitive area in cats, and can dry out easily, causing discomfort and itching. I know sometimes when I am hit with a sudden itch at one of my dry spots, I go a little crazy for a moment....maybe this is happening with your kitty? Back to the lab mice, our colony is predisposed to a dermatitis condition, and some of the affected mice do just that.....suddenly strike an aggressive pose, usually turning towards one of the areas of dermatitis....

Originally Posted by Februa

Ill hazard a guess, but its more based on my work with lab mice...
Fall and Winter (not sure where you live) tend to be "dry" months with very low humidity. In these conditions, skin can dry out, and become very itchy and flaky etc. I notice this myself in the winter, especially when I shave my legs etc. ANyways, the base of the tail skin wise is a sensitive area in cats, and can dry out easily, causing discomfort and itching. I know sometimes when I am hit with a sudden itch at one of my dry spots, I go a little crazy for a moment....maybe this is happening with your kitty? Back to the lab mice, our colony is predisposed to a dermatitis condition, and some of the affected mice do just that.....suddenly strike an aggressive pose, usually turning towards one of the areas of dermatitis....

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That was crazy, we said almost word for word the same thing to start!

Wow! No vet has ever mentioned static electricity and we live in dry Denver. Although we lived here 4 years before he started this. Maybe it could be a skin problem though nothing is visible.

Sue

The vet said in the wild, fall and winter are more stressful times for cats.

Sue

I'm sure it is quite challenging for cats to scratch the base of their tail, as opposed to an ear for example in which the hind leg can do the trick. So perhaps it is this difficulty that drives him a bit crazy. Kind-of like when we have an itch on our backs that we can't reach.

In regards to the moaning, have you ever seen your cat moaning (versus hearing him). What is his posture like?

I had an older cat who would sometimes moan due to bowel trouble.

After posting this questionon some other sites as well, I'm pretty sure now that it's a type of seizure disorder called feline hyperesthesia. It doesn't always need to be treated.

Sue