Feline Hyperethesia

brutis&miep

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Okay, so last week I posted about my mother's crazy cats only to discover mine is the craziest.

My cat has been diagnosed with feline hyperethesia, otherwise known as mutilating disease. Yesterday he chewed off the end of his tail. I thought he was just playing with his tail until upon closer inspection I realized the white tip was missing off the end of his tail and 2 inches of bone were sticking out. We went to the vet. she had to amputate 3" off his tail. Later that night after the anesthesia wore off, he began attacking his tail again, growling at it and mutilating it. To the best of my husbands abilities he tried to stop him, but he found a good hiding place that took a while to get to him and when he he finally did he had chewed off another portion of his tail.

So after a trip to the emergency vet clinic at 1pm, he was diagnosed with feline hyperethesia. They wrapped his tail tightly and gave him an e-collar, which he can't move or get into the litter box with. So we locked him in or small bathroom overnight with the e-collar on.

My vet, gave me pain killers and herbal nerve stuff called Hypercalm after the amputation. She now wants to do a VOM Adjustment, which as far as I understand is a nerve realignment.??

The studies I've read explain that hyperethesia is a nerve disorder that makes the back end of the cat feel twitchy and uncomfortable, like it's fallen asleep. The studies recommend an antidepressant drug. My vet would like to go the holistic route first with VOM adjustments and acupuncture.

The studies also suggest that I play with him more too.

Causes are unknown, but the symptoms to the disease can be brought on by stress, hense I am in a play with rehersal from 6-11p and I work at least 50 hours a week. He used to pee when I went away too long, now he eats his tail.


Anyone have any suggestions?
 

hissy

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You have my sympathies. This disease, affliction, chemical imbalance? is poorly misunderstood. I had a cat with this a few years ago. Wrote about my experience mostly out of frustration as I tried to understand what happened.


http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/86/...resthesia.html

You can PM me if you would like to know what all they tried on him to get this under control. Just be careful and don't mix the meds. If you take him to another vet be sure the other vet knows what medications have already been tried.

Best of luck
 
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brutis&miep

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Brutis doesn't seem to have a rippling back. I've read that too and maybe I don't know what a rippling back looks like. He also does not have seizures or stare off into space for no reason. But he does howl for no reason, which the studies say is a symptom of the disease. He also is not obsessed with his tail. In fact, yesterday was the first time I've seen him pay any attention to it - boy did he pay attention to it. I have seen his pupils dialated when he is howling and darting in the hall way - another symptom.

He eats Wellness canned food and a very little bit of Solid Gold Katzenflocken, so he eats premium food.

Blood work showed nothing abnormal (we thought is might be a bug bite, but nothing showed). He had his wellness exam in May with nothing abnormal.

I'm wondering if it's something else.
 
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