Fhs?

Alright, so heres the scoop.
I have a 7 year old maine coon mix cat. Last year, thanks to some rather disgusting neighbors (I live in a duplex) who left their house infested with fleas, my cat, Parker, got them. The twitching, licking and scratching was a warning sign to me, so I took him to the vet where he was treated and also treated for the worms he got due to the fleas. I finished the flea treatments and watched the other two cats carefully. Seemed all was back to normal.
However, the twitching and licking didn't stop... He'd still do it once or twice a day, roughly. Over the last few months though, its gotten progressively worse. He licks himself frantically, darts off randomly, licks again as the skin on his back rolls. He flicks his front paw a lot and sometimes thumps his back leg.
He has a lot of classic FHS symptoms but his skin is not sensitive to touch. I can pat him and it doesn't seem to bother him in the least. He hasn't become aggressive at all either, although he has hissed a few times randomly (very rare for him but mostly at the other cat who likes to play... A LOT, hehe)
So I am really confused. I will be taking him to the vet as soon as I get a few extra dollars...but I am trying to rule out things now in the mean time.
He is eating/drinking/eliminating just fine. He hasn't lost or gained any weight and he is still playful. But these episodes are almost constant now..except when he is laying down. After he gets up for a moment or two, it starts and sometimes goes for 5-20 minutes straight. I was feeding him crappy food (bad, I know!) but starting this week, I am going to be gradually changing him to the high quality food to see if MAYBE its an allergy to the crap food.

Aaanyway, lol...I am just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience...and what may have caused it. As I said, there is no indication of pain and his food and litter habits are unchanged. Could it be trauma from his first flea experience? A food allergy? Some type of seizure thing? I feel so bad for him, the twitching must be driving him crazy...I know it irritates me when I am trying to sleep and he is dashing around, running from nothing. Thanks for any help!

It sounds like you've read up some.

First thing. Is he kept treated on a monthly flea topical? It's possible they've got inside again, and even possible that through the year you've brought one or two in. I have one that could look like a FHS cat if she so much as gets one flea on her - she'll go nuts trying to get it off. (she also seems to have really sensitive skin that will roll if something brushes against her fur, so I worry about her getting FHS)

The other thing these cats are sensitive to is stress. You can try adding feliway diffusers to your home to see if that helps him any - if not, they're still good to have if you have a cat.

Food allergy is harder to narrow down since you'll have to rule out ingredients. Some very nice foods have high allergen ingredients, too.
What were you feeding?

I did a few monthly treatments and stopped. I check him all the time with a flea comb as well as the other two cats. I have found no fleas or flea dirt at all in the last year. He doesn't even really scratch himself, its just like excessive grooming. I suppose there is still a chance it could be fleas. I may as well get some treatment, regardless.

Funny, I was just looking at those feliway things. I suppose it wouldn't kill to try them, especially having three cats.

Since at the time of his last visit, I couldn't really afford the expensive food, my vet suggested fancy feast but I didn't keep him on that for long because the cost for the amount of food thats in the cans was ridiculous and I was buying it constantly to keep up with all three cats, so I switched back to Friskies...I just mix in a scrambled egg, chicken or other cat friendly ingredients. I didn't notice much change even with the fancy feast because the twitching/licking was still rather sporadic at that point.
I used to have him on a dry food diet but he was getting crystals in his urine, so the vet said no more of that.
I'd like to change his diet regardless because I know how bad this cheap stuff is for them...although the other two cats seem to be in perfect health.

It is worth treating. I hope that actually solves this for you. Flea combs can miss fleas, though. I recently had some on my cats and only managed to actually catch one flea in the comb - I caught more by hand. (if you have a cat with a light colored chin and neck, check there as that's where fleas often hang out)

I think amazon is the current cheapest site anyone has posted for feliway. You'd have to look for Canada, or maybe someone can post a Canadian site that's cheaper.

Friskies has a lot of artificial additives in it, some which bother cats.
You mention that you're balancing that and homemade items. In what proportions? If you're not careful or supplementing properly you can actually make your cats a bit deficient in some vitamins and minerals. Everyone knows about the big one - thiamine deficiency which can have serious side effects, but others can, too. iirc in humans low B12 can cause skin sensations such as pins and needles feeling, burning, and even a crawling (like insects) feeling. I can only imagine that it can happen in cats, too, and with each cats metabolism being a bit different it could explain why the other two seem ok.

Point being: You need to get diet straightened out. That could be what is going on.

And last but not least. At 7 he's nearing senior age. It's always a good idea to look and rule out senior kitty issues with a senior blood panel.

Fancy Feast is no better than Friskies. . .probably worse, in fact. Do you feed them canned only, or do they get a dry food as well? What brands?

Originally Posted by Willowy

Fancy Feast is no better than Friskies. . .probably worse, in fact.

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No dry, she states so clearly.
FF and friskies are pretty much the same thing, only FF has a few flavors that are decent. The reason cats go nuts of FF more than friskies is pretty much just the particular artificial flavors added to FF. Otherwise, both are made by Purina.

Yeah, I am aware that they are both terrible. The prices of the good stuff scares me a little though, triple what the cheap stuff costs. Would be worth it to see my cat stop twitching, licking and running. He looks miserable and its been worse the last week or so. I just hope thats what it is but I am scheduling a vet appointment regardless, just in case it is fleas or something I am missing.

Another thought. Have you turned your heat on yet? If so, the skin sensitivity could be worsened by low inside humidity causing dry skin. Just another thing to think of that could irritate him.

I am in an apartment, on the third floor, we never have to turn the heat on.

Originally Posted by LuvMyParker

Yeah, I am aware that they are both terrible. The prices of the good stuff scares me a little though

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I'm not really saying that Friskies is so terrible (I feed it to my cats sometimes). Just that it sounded like your vet thought FF is better. And it's about the same quality.

Do you think your neighbors have their heat on yet? Do you have a humidity gauge in the house? I know I get terrible dry skin in the winter and I have to take fish oil to prevent it. Fish oil might help your cat, too, but I'm not sure of dosage for a cat. Might want to ask your vet about that.

Just thought I'd throw in a little update. My vet closed at 1 today so I didn't have time to get down there but my sister went to her vet and got some Advantage Multi for me. I came right home and put it on all three cats. Parkers twitches stopped almost immediately. It's been about 5 hours since I put it on and he hasn't had a single "episode" as I call, them since. So maybe it is fleas. He seems a lot more content and has been following me around, and staring at me with those big loving eyes all evening. I am just so relieved that its not something more serious, or expensive. Only cost me 40 bucks to treat all three. Would have been more for the long trip to my vet, the examination and the treatment to boot.

That's great! The fleas are really bad this year.

Originally Posted by LuvMyParker

Just thought I'd throw in a little update. My vet closed at 1 today so I didn't have time to get down there but my sister went to her vet and got some Advantage Multi for me. I came right home and put it on all three cats. Parkers twitches stopped almost immediately. It's been about 5 hours since I put it on and he hasn't had a single "episode" as I call, them since. So maybe it is fleas. He seems a lot more content and has been following me around, and staring at me with those big loving eyes all evening. I am just so relieved that its not something more serious, or expensive. Only cost me 40 bucks to treat all three. Would have been more for the long trip to my vet, the examination and the treatment to boot.

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You're going to have to go on an aggressive de-flea program in your house. Since it's beginning to appear that this is a flea allergy...all it takes is one flea to make a cat with a flea allergy so crazy.

Keep them on the Advantage multi for at least 6 months. Vacuum vacuum vacuum. Wash everything washable with lots of soapy water. As far as cat beds, if you can't wash it, throw it out.

Regarding FHS and diet. I have read of some success with diet change to a high quality canned food that contains nothing artificial and no sodium nitrites.

I read up on FHS when my Tolly's seizures started as his episodes did resemble FHS in some ways. But after lots of tests and seeing a neurologist it was determined that they were seizure episodes not FHS.

The medicine of choice for treatment of FHS if it gets very bad is phenobarbital. But it sounds like it was fleas all along.

Welcome to TCS, please keep us posted on how things are going.

He is still doing a little better but not as much as I'd hoped. The other two cats seem fine now and aren't really scratching. However, I noticed a new thing with Parker during his "episodes", he licks the floor after he licks himself, its weird...I've uploaded a video on youtube showing what his episodes are like. What do you think?

I think that looks like FHS. I've seen worse, but it sure looks like it to me.

What are you feeding?

Originally Posted by otto

What are you feeding?

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Go back and read the first page. I addressed diet with the OP when they mentioned that they're feeding friskies and trying to save money by mixing in things like scrambled eggs.

I spent the week changing him over to Wellness grain-free food. He really loves it! I have a feeling I might still have to take him back to the vet to make sure its nothing else...but just wondering, if this is food related, how long should it be before I notice any changes? A few days or maybe a couple weeks?
I just want to be sure before I drag him back to the vet (its a long drive).

You will need to give a food change 6 weeks after the full transition. I think you will begin to notice a difference in things like coat quality and energy level by then. If the change in diet is going to reduce FHS symptoms you might want to give it a little longer, say 8 weeks at least.

As long as in the mean time, the episodes are not becoming too severe or interfering in quality of life?

I think its bringing him down a bit. He is doing well in most aspects but unless he is laying down, he seems somewhat agitated. Perhaps I should take him back to the vet and see if his general health is ok. Thanks for the help! Muchly appreciated!

You're welcome.

If the episodes are getting worse and making his quality of life poor I would probably opt for medication, at least for a while. After he's been on the new food for a few months the medicine could be slowly reduced and stopped, to see if the diet change has made any difference.

I am not a vet, but have done some reading and formed my own opinions on FHS. My cat has a form of seizure disorder that is similar in some ways to FHS is why.

Phenobarbital is a very serious medication, but if it is going to help, the results will come quickly. Of course you want the lowest possible dose to control break through episodes, so it takes time to find the right dose. Cats on phenobarbital get dopey for a few weeks, but their bodies adjust and the dopiness goes away.

Amitriptyline will take longer to make a difference, up to three weeks, and it has a sedative effect that doesn't wear off, but I know some vets prefer it as being not as harsh on the body as phenobarbital.

Blood work should be done before starting any medication, and regular blood work is needed all the time the cat is on the meds, less frequently once a dose has been established.

There is another member here who has been dealing with something similar, you might find something in her thread useful:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=222318