Chickster Growling at butt

Okay guys. Me one more time. Chickie Sue has bouts of constipation, I know that, and she will go through the growling, hissing and swatting of her own butt (she never really catches it) and runs around the house hiding sporadically and briefly in certain places.
I gave her 1/4 teaspoon of miralax mixed in a good bit of water yesterday, ... trapping her is very dangerous as she is absolutely wild in this state.
This morning she was playing, jumping, eating, everything was fine until she saw Boca and then she started her butt-fighting again. Now she's looking out the window completely calm.

A few minutes ago, after about 30 minutes of her running about hissing and growling, I trapped her and shut her in the litter box room with me. She rubbed on me as if to say she was sorry and went pee. She left the pan and went to the door. I put her back in the pan and she eventually started scratching like mad, then pooped. It was a good sized poop and she gave a pathetically hard grunt towards the end. Part of it was very, very solid and the other half was soft but together. She is still occassionally growling and hissing (stopped now that she's in the window with something to take her mind off of it maybe) but I am wondering if her butt doesn't hurt a bit from it. It's like she refuses to go poop because maybe it hurts her?

I have been grooming her and have switched her over to Sensitive Systems by Purina One since I am thinking the Purina One "Special Blends" Chicken and Rice was constipating her.

Besides this, should I be worried about anal glands? (I've never had any experience nor never [as far as I know] had any cat have their anal glands expressed) She needs to go in for her shots soon and I will make sure to bring this up with my vet, but it is really starting to worry me, not to mention the agonizing sound of her hissing, growling and throwing fits. The weird thing is, yesterday she was doing it until I laid down to sleep and she came up and laid down with me and was totally quiet. So this is why I'm not entirely sure if it's a butt related problem or a jealous "I want time with my mommy" problem or both. I don't know. She's very confusing to me.

Thanks guys for any help. I am putting extra water out everywhere (she is not a big water drinker)

Problem is, she hates canned food. I never could get her to eat anything canned. I will be taking her into the vet Monday morning because she has had the worst fit of all tonight, I mean I swear she's going to hurt herself. She is peeing, but no poop. She is very aggitated and earlier when I tried to get to her to feel her bum she absolutely freaked out and screamed in the worst horrifying way, never heard her do that before.
I can't afford to take her to an ER vet and honestly, I don't trust the couple that are around here. But this is enough of this and I don't want her in pain. She's been eating and drinking water well though. One second she's fine and wanting loving, she slept on the bed with me again for quite a long time this morning and was ok up until around the time it got dark an hour or two ago.

*sighs* I hope it is not IBS or Megacolon, I am hoping it is just glands... thanks guys.

I had to throw a towel or shirt over her because she continued to run away from me and hissed and growled at me. I didn't want to get attacked. I trapped her to took her to the pan room hoping she would poop, since we weren't sure if she wasn't going because it hurt or whatever it was. She pooped once (when I took her in there and shut the door), but hasn't again over the weekend. She's peed. And I've seen her drink water and eat. It seemed her scratching in the litter really got her stuff moving that one time. But it hasn't worked again. I was afraid it was a UTI too but I will find out in the morning, am taking her in the AM. She refuses to use the corn litter anymore and is back to using clay.

Once when I tried to take her back to the pan room she screamed like she was being murdered, it was such a horrible sound I left her alone and just said I would wait, I was doing more harm than any good. I had to keep eating Xanax just to keep calm with all her yowling, growling, hissing and thumping around the house all weekend. Somehow it didn't bother Mom at all.
Her tail will be twitching and she'll turn her eyes towards her tail, pupils fully dilated, and I'll make a sound to distract her. She looks at me, pupils contract and she stops growling. She even played all weekend whenever I wanted to play with the stick and never stopped once in the middle to growl at her butt.

I am just praying it is nothing extremely serious. I've seen a couple of photographs of abscessed anal glands and I've felt of her tookus and her butthole and don't -feel- anything (except a small bit of poop at the base of her tail in her rectum) but that of course doesn't mean anything.

I will update you guys as soon as we get a report from the vet. Thanks guys.

Edit: And in the past, when she got a large cross wrapped around her tail by a string and went thrashing around the house because it scared her, I went to try to help her and she growled, hissed, yowled and then attacked me. She is quicker than a rattlesnake and nothing like Boo, so after that incident I do not take any chances with a mad Chickster

Quick update - She pooped overnight. It was soft, mostly, a couple of smaller bits were pretty hard. Bout the thickness of a nickel, looked normal and brown. No blood. She is still after her rear. Taking her in right this moment. Prayers, vibes and crossed fingers that it is nothing too serious!!

Well, they checked her out VERY thoroughly, and nothing. The vet was completely mystified. She said her anal glands were perfectly sized and empty, her colon was great, her teeth were beautiful, her coat was gorgeous, and she was 100%! She had no fever, and recommended I keep her on the Sensitive Systems Purina and keep an eye on things. She said the next steps are blood work and x-rays, to rule out joint issues. She mentioned sometimes nerves can sometimes spontaneously start acting up (Like phantom limb syndrome, I think she said) and maybe that was it. But she's had no injuries to her back or hips. In any case, she pooped and it was normal, no blood. So the vet thinks things are perfectly fine unless it continues, then she also mentioned behavior therapies (Meds) which would be her last choice. Chickster also likes to kick herself in the lower jaw with her back foot over and over and over again sometimes out of nowhere.
In any case.... um, 68 bucks later, she's perfectly healthy and acted like a total gem, she didn't yowl once, not even with the rectal exam, and she was very nice and didn't attack anyone. She did start panting on the way there but she was scared, and that has stopped.

Don't know what else to do? EDIT: And not ONE SINGLE FLEA! ....... so we're all confused. Vet said not IBS and not megacolon either.

Thank you for that article. She was 4 months old in Sep 2008 with her first rabies vaccine, so that makes her birthday around June 2008, making her now 2 years and four months.

The doctor DID mention Hyperesthesia, this is when she started talking about medications. She has all the signs mentioned in the article save for pulling out fur and excessive grooming. She has not harmed herself yet. And when she does fall over in the floor, and kick herself in the face it's not violent, she's never hurt herself, but I don't like seeing her do it. It's not gentle, but not crazy, if that makes any sense. I didn't mean to make it sound like she was beating herself up, but it is like she is "play" (maybe roughly) fighting with her foot. Then she will start sucking on her back foot or her front paw, which is another thing she's had since she was little. I was reading up on torties and general behavior disorders in some cats that mentioned the face kicking thing as a behavioral issue, but it didn't ring any bells at the time. I just figured I received another weird cat (Always had very quirky ones)

The reason the vet mentioned Hyperesthesia is because she can be distracted during an episode. I can scratch on fabric or make a noise and she will look at me, totally fine. She will go 15-20 minutes or more playing with the stick with no obvious signs. Vet said if I can distract her like that and she's not wiping her butt on the carpet, no blood, no other physical signs, she would be leaning towards behavioral.

This is sort of distressing. Medication? That is worrisome to me. She's passed out sleeping in the bed now.
It very well could be bringing in Boca. I hadn't connected the two, and we kind of figured maybe Boca was just aggravating her constipation, but Boca is only transported through the house from the back porch to the front room where all of his stuff is set up and the door is shut. They only saw each other face to face once, when Boca mistakenly thought Chickster was going to attack him, when it was really her attacking her own butt.

So maybe that is what it is (Which I also mentioned to the vet).

I don't know. This is just worrisome to me. We've decided to keep an eye on her and if it continues, we'll do blood work and x-rays, but I was told rather loudly today that my credit was special circumstances for Boo and does not include Chickster, so I will have to try to save up some money. I used most of my bill money to pay her bill today. I didn't know rabies vaccs had gone up to 25 dollars... kind of shocked me.

Anyway, thank you for this article and I will do some more researching. Thanks so much

Ah, no problem with the billing. The lady looked really embarrassed after she did it and when I came back with the money she slipped out of the office. I try to be discreet when I make payments because I know they can't give credit to EVERYBODY, ... so no biggie. I'll get over it.

I will research the food. As for now, Chickster is all over me and slept on my bed all day and is following me every. single. place. I. go. Mom says she is jealous and wants my attention and we both believe Boca has a part in this. So I'm going to go spend some time with her.

Thank you guys for all your help. I'm glad she's physically healthy, but scared about the possible diagnosis.

Most possibly definitely has more to do with Boca than I previously thought. He is outside on the back porch and Chickster is watching him through the back door. When I looked to see all of this, she looked at her tail and started growling, then looked back at him (He had his back turned to her). Hmmmmmmm......

Just a quick update, Chickster did not have an episode last night while I was at work. The rabies vacc probably made her feel kinda icky and she stayed in Boo's tent last night then in the livingroom. This morning she is pretty normal and Mom said she didn't hear a peep out of her. Hoping this continues. Thanks for all of your guys help, I also found out a friend has a friend with a cat who has the same issues, so that will be of some help too.

Chickster had an episode not a few minutes ago. I looked up on youtube other cats with FHS and they apparently have rather mild cases compared to what Chickster does (Which is completely flip out, growl, just plain scary stuff) ... I read that a lot of people have had success with simply switching to a grain free food. Can anyone recommend some good grain-free foods? Wellness Core is one I saw recommended. I am going to do that tomorrow. She has been fine all day until this evening, and no other cats were around or outside to provoke it. This just makes me sad, I don't want to have to put her on meds and I'm afraid she's going to hurt herself.

Anyone think there's a possibility there could be a pinched nerve? She likes to jump and flip in the air and do twists... which I have personally put a stop to in case she's had any injury. Thanks guys.

I bought the Wellness Core today. A 2 lb bag was all i could afford but I should be able to get more Friday. She does not seem interested in it at ALL. But .. mixing it in ... she'll get it.
She has had a few attacks this morning, BUT she went poop AGAIN over night and AGAIN While I was gone to the store not less than an hour ago to get her wellness core. Both were soft but the last one was a lighter color and very soft. Still together, but soft. And stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinky.

She is cleaning her butt now and looks like she feels she isn't getting it cleaned, though is not focusing on her balloon-knot so much, she is cleaning back paws, entire tail and balloon-knot too

I will slowly transition her and keep you guys updated. Thanks for all the help

Edit: And the pinched nerve, I am throwing that idea out the window because I just witnessed her tail raise up in the air, it was strange, she looked back at it frightened and hissed at it. So like I've been reading, the tail seems possessed all on its own and that's exactly what it looked like.

Okay guys. Please bear with me but I'm trying really hard to keep my patience, ... Chickster is still having attacks, I am transitioning her over to Wellness Core, but she is going nuts this morning. Mom says it is best to try and soothe her when she is having an "attack" and I just don't know what to do. Should I leave her alone, should I try to distract her?

I am seriously at a loss here and she is making me outrageously nervous with her wailing crying growling hissing cat-fighting sounds. She's been to pee this morning. No poop yet.

I feel like I should be doing something but I don't know what!!!

Thanks Otto. I called the vet and she was very open to starting meds and said I could pick up some tomorrow (Today, Friday) She wants to try prozac or another one I can't remember the name of now. I asked about phenobarbital because I read cats with this problem respond well to it. She also wants to do an x-ray on her hips and lower back. I told her I'd have to save the money up for that. I asked about doing an ultrasound for IBD, she said she'd be willing to do it but she was pretty sure we wouldn't find anything.

She slept with me on my bed all morning and a ll afternoon (I work nights) and had no fits this evening. Even after I left for work, which is usually when she starts having them lately, Mom said she was totally fine.

I will pick up the medication tomorrow and talk a bit more with the vet about it. The lady who took my call to begin with heard Chickster having the fits over the phone (AND Kept interrupting our conversation with her loudness!)and got very quiet, and asked fearfully, "Is.... is that her right now?" I said "Yes!! DO you hear her? She is going crazy!" She said "You just hold on I'll have the vet call you in just a few minutes as soon as she gets done!"

Even the vet said the lady told her what she had heard over the phone. So I am glad they are taking this seriously. I am still totally in love with this vet.

Anyway. I will update later. Thanks Otto and everyone for your help. Feel like I am going crazy here, so soon after Boo and now Chickster.. It is trying.

Just an added update, for anybody else who may pop along wondering about this, I found out from the guy (His name is Larry) who gave me Chickster that her mother "most likely has some siamese in her" I've read Siamese and some breeds are more prone to FHS than others, but who knows, that may have nothing to do with it. I am still clueless and she has had a minor fit already this morning. I am going to get her meds, which the doc was going to research Amitriptyline and Prozac. I am still asking about the phenobarbital. Now I am concerned about side effects of all these medications, as Larry was quick to point out. I surely don't want Chickster going the same route as Boo.

Any advice on these meds? I will be doing research as well, but you guys have so much more experience than me on everything cat related. Thank you so much for your patience and help. I know I always jump on ya'lls trunks crying out for help! love you all

Thank you Otto.

I am thinking that is her reason for skipping over the Phenobarbital altogether, too, as my research is saying long term use can cause liver impairment, and it seems the safest choice is Prozac, but it will take the longest to see improvement. And here is Chickster now, picking at her rabies tag that is taped to her paperwork. Gotta go pay 'ttention to her.

Thanks again

Okay. Vet gave me two bottles of liquid prednisone for IBD just in case she does have it, and a bottle of Amitriptyline liquid. I'm to give 1 ml twice a day of each and if her behavior changes within a couple weeks, we'll taper off on the Amitrip to see if it is just IBD. She said she picked the Amitrip because it does have more of an anti-anxiety affect to it and we're hoping it helps, but if she changes within 1-2 weeks, we'll be focusing on IBD, and if it takes about 3 weeks or more we'll be more sure of the Hyperasthesia. Basically. It is hard to take in all that information at once and I forgot my file.
I just administered it to Chickster who HIGHLY dislikes it and I cannot pill her, which is why I went with the liquid. Boy did she drool like crazy. I gave her a bit of water to wash it down with but it didn't help much. She went right to her bowl and ate a good bit. Hoping it doesn't come back up.
Here's to hoping one of these meds help!! They are mighty expensive!! But she took them well, was quiet while I did it through I had to scruff her to keep her from scurrying away.

Thank you so much for offering, but the vet and I thought it would be best to hold off on the Wellness Core and see if the medication worked first. She said the more I changed at this moment the less we would know about what was fixing/working. So I am just sticking with the Sensitive Stomach Purina One for right now. She hates the Wellness Core anyway and went out of her way to pick around what I had mixed in to the best of her ability.(I cannot believe she did that)
We have no clue why suddenly it's gone to this extreme. I'm trying to figure out if it's Boo passing and Boca coming indoors at night (In a closed room by himself, no physical contact with Chickster) and I've moved my bed twice since Boo's passed and rearranged some furniture in my room once.

So we're not sure if it's just the changes and stress or actually a problem in her head or body yet. I hate being clueless like this. She has gone since noon with NO ATTACKS whatsoever though, and has only had one round of medicine. So we'll see. She's been very laid back today.

Thank you for offering again, I appreciate it so so much <3

Thank You JustJayde.

Chickster has not had a fit ALL AFTERNOON OR EVENING! I am SO EXCITED. But I terrified myself a minute ago by trying to give her the prednisone. She flipped out this time and I couldn't hang on to her (Next time, bathroom, duh) and she went to the steps and coughed something awful, so I thought she had aspirated some medicine, then I'm freaking out that she's going to drown and die and I'm trying to wash the foam and spit off her mouth (Pred is apparently very bitter, why didn't I just get pills, *smacks self in forehead*) and had to call a friend to assure everything was ok. She is eating now, just like Boo, after a "traumatic" event she eats. She is ok but I still have to give her the Amitrip and I am so not looking forward to that.

And I thought liquids would be easier than fighting a pill down her throat. HA!

*Sighs* Thank you all so very much <3 <3