My Cat is Having Constant Spasms and No One Knows Why!!! HELP ME!!!!

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lycan709

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Yeah, Lycan definitely does not have Feline Hyperesthesia. He does not have the right symptoms for it. Still, we have no diagnosis for him. The good news is: THE FULL BODY SPASMS ARE GONE! Perhaps the phenobarbital has helped, or maybe it's a coincidence. But he is still having problems. His back legs bother him a lot and he seems edgy. He also experiences small twitches in his face and difficulty walking/jumping. But he's happier than he was, because he doesn't have the spasms to keep him up a night. So now he can sleep peacefully. Thank ******* god. But yeah, we did more and more and more tests, and the only out-of-normal results we've come up with is that he has an extremely high Corona Virus Titer Level, which supports but does not prove a diagnosis of FIP (cats can have high levels and never get FIP), and his Thyroid levels were still normal, but a little low for someone of his age. He has been checked for everything, including Hyper and Hypothyroidism, but now I'm wondering, though rare, if he may have Hyperparathyroidism. There's so little left to check, unless we do a spinal tap, which seems extreme and dangerous, considering the results of disease discovered through spinal fluid is usually grave and incurable. He's been biting/licking at his right back leg (the one he seems to have the most trouble walking with) and he has some cuts on it - we don't know if this was a rough-play injury that he keeps bothering so it can't heal, or if it's a lesion that has developed randomly, which also supports an FIP diagnosis. He seems less interested in food and water than he used to be. He lost weight within a two-week period, but then he gained some back, so we're not sure if that is a factor, or if he was just eating less because of the hot weather. This is very frustrating.

Oh and EmilyRose, I already use an anxiety hormone to help my cats stay happy and calm, but thank you for the recommendation. I once had a little Calico cat (her name was Fluffy RIP) who had Hypersthesia too. She was precious, and beautiful, and snotty. lol.  I have noticed that anxiety disorders/etc are quite common in Calicos, and breathing/lung disorders are quite common in Grey Tabbies. I know that seems weird, but I have been researching things for a long time now, and you start to see patterns after a while. 

And thank you for the website burretje - but I have read that site inside and out. lol. I have spent so much time researching cat diseases and symptoms, and have used many resources, including a Veterinary Encyclopedia. Lycan is an anomaly to Medical Science thus far. He is not alone, because I've found various other cases of cats with idiopathic spasms, and they never received a diagnosis either. Unfortunately, a lot of these cats ended up dying prematurely due to lung/heart/blood issues, so maybe there is something to look into there. I have checked his heart/lungs/blood/liver/kidney/thyroid/etc. But still no conclusive results. Something is hiding somewhere. I hope I can find out what's wrong before it is too late. It is unlikely, but I have to try, while keeping in mind that he may in fact have FIP (which can have neurological signs), which means he may be dying, so I should be careful what I'm willing to put him through (less stress is best), I want him to be happy and stress free, even if that means I may not discover the truth. It is a very difficult situation.
 

luvmybengals33

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I'm so sorry for what you're going through but I'm glad your cat's spasms have subsided a little. When your vet did blood work how was his potassium level?
 

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...I have spent so much time researching cat diseases and symptoms, and have used many resources, including a Veterinary Encyclopedia. Lycan is an anomaly to Medical Science thus far. He is not alone, because I've found various other cases of cats with idiopathic spasms, and they never received a diagnosis either...
A couple of weeks ago, I had left you a suggestion on another forum just after you posted there (in an unrelated thread).....I have a feeling you may not have seen it. Just last night I saw this identical post from you in that same forum....and I replied.

I'll repeat that post here, in the hope that you'll pick up the suggestion sooner or later...somewhere!

My suggestion came from personal experience with 2 other diseases...and reflects what I would do today were I faced with your dilemma.

Now, you've researched 'all over the place' and you've posted your story on at least two other forums.

What you haven't yet done (so far as I can tell) is to bring Lycan's story in front of a group or two of feline guardians whose sole online focus is FIP.

My second cat had FeLV, and it was only after his passing that I learned of all the specialized online resources which I could have availed of - in particular, that there are specialized online support groups where guardians of cats with chronic diseases/conditions gather to share experience, information, developments and practical advice. If only I had known about them...I am convinced that my kitty would not have passed when he did, before his time. The collective experience of these groups far outstrips that of anyone's individual Vet. I can assure you that, if I had the possibility of a FIP kitty today - if there were any question/suspicion of it, I would be involved with such a group/s and posting my story there.

Now, since 1999, about 4,000 people with FIP kitties have participated in those groups and, while not all of them are active participants today, the group owners and many core committed members will populate the groups. Certainly, there have been cats with neurological symptoms dealt with by these people and, nowhere else in cyberspace will you have access to so much collective experience....which is precisely why I would be bringing my story there.

There are two separate groups I'm aware of that have FIP as their focus. From my own bookmarks, here they are:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FIPCatSupport/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FIP/

Whilst there is such despair associated with FIP, it's of value to know that there appears to be hope on the road ahead.

There is much current ongoing research into FIP...one such project was recently profiled here http://winnfelinehealth.blogspot.ca/...nt=Yahoo!+Mail (at the bottom of that page, you'll find a "Search This Blog" box - type in fip and you'll see many other investigational reports at the top of the page

Last Year, The Winn Feline Foundation also held a symposium with leading FIP experts. There are audio recordings of those proceedings here
1. http://petworldradio.net/winn-sympos...lfred-legendre
2. http://petworldradio.net/winn-sympos...niels-pederson
3. http://petworldradio.net/winn-symposium-part-3-q-a

I certainly hope that this information will catch up with you in the near future.....I do not appear to be able to do so
 
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lycan709

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No I did not see this post! Thank you for tracking me down. lol. I will check out those groups right away. Thanks!
 
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lycan709

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No, you were right. I did not see your post. I will check these groups out right away. Thank you very much:)
A couple of weeks ago, I had left you a suggestion on another forum just after you posted there (in an unrelated thread).....I have a feeling you may not have seen it. Just last night I saw this identical post from you in that same forum....and I replied.

I'll repeat that post here, in the hope that you'll pick up the suggestion sooner or later...somewhere!

My suggestion came from personal experience with 2 other diseases...and reflects what I would do today were I faced with your dilemma.

Now, you've researched 'all over the place' and you've posted your story on at least two other forums.

What you haven't yet done (so far as I can tell) is to bring Lycan's story in front of a group or two of feline guardians whose sole online focus is FIP.

My second cat had FeLV, and it was only after his passing that I learned of all the specialized online resources which I could have availed of - in particular, that there are specialized online support groups where guardians of cats with chronic diseases/conditions gather to share experience, information, developments and practical advice. If only I had known about them...I am convinced that my kitty would not have passed when he did, before his time. The collective experience of these groups far outstrips that of anyone's individual Vet. I can assure you that, if I had the possibility of a FIP kitty today - if there were any question/suspicion of it, I would be involved with such a group/s and posting my story there.

Now, since 1999, about 4,000 people with FIP kitties have participated in those groups and, while not all of them are active participants today, the group owners and many core committed members will populate the groups. Certainly, there have been cats with neurological symptoms dealt with by these people and, nowhere else in cyberspace will you have access to so much collective experience....which is precisely why I would be bringing my story there.

There are two separate groups I'm aware of that have FIP as their focus. From my own bookmarks, here they are:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FIPCatSupport/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FIP/

Whilst there is such despair associated with FIP, it's of value to know that there appears to be hope on the road ahead.

There is much current ongoing research into FIP...one such project was recently profiled here http://winnfelinehealth.blogspot.ca/...nt=Yahoo!+Mail (at the bottom of that page, you'll find a "Search This Blog" box - type in fip and you'll see many other investigational reports at the top of the page

Last Year, The Winn Feline Foundation also held a symposium with leading FIP experts. There are audio recordings of those proceedings here
1. http://petworldradio.net/winn-sympos...lfred-legendre
2. http://petworldradio.net/winn-sympos...niels-pederson
3. http://petworldradio.net/winn-symposium-part-3-q-a

I certainly hope that this information will catch up with you in the near future.....I do not appear to be able to do so
 

daddyincr

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man, i wish cats could tell us exactly what their complications might be. i get so upset when one of my "kids" appears to have a problem.

then i think, never again do i want a pet. i think i get more depressed and stressed than my cats. my human brain thinks the worse.

i read afflictions here and i get more frightened. what we all need is an animal mind reader.
 

white shadow

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man, i wish cats could tell us exactly what their complications might be.....what we all need is an animal mind reader.
Here you are: http://www.gazehound.com/

Meantime, and - it's easier said than done, I find that I'm in the best position to help when I've observed and noted behaviour changes, changes in routines (and, cats thrive on routines!)...all down to the closest detail I can extract. From all of that, there's often valuable and telling info which can lead to figuring things out.....and, that's more productive than the fretting.
 

wa cat guy

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My cat was doing something very similar with tensing and then relaxing repeatedly when relaxed (not sleeping). He was eating and drinking but we noticed he seemed run down and was not purring as much as he used to. They ran blood, urine and feces tests as well as looked for anything topical. All came back fine. They also gave him subcutaneous fluids and sent us home with some very expensive  glucosamine. He seemed to have more energy immediately so I remembered my old buddy Mickey (previous cat I had for 18 years and had kidney issues so I had to give him fluids.) He would have a lot more energy after fluid injections so I though our current cat may be dehydrated even though he was drinking. One thing we know he likes is running water so we setup a fast drip in the bath tub and he will spend lot so time playing and drinking. He is back to normal after 2 weeks now.

Background - we moved out to WA from WI. He traveled out with my wife and was in the car for almost a week and did not have full access to water, food or litter box. We are thinking he basically trained himself to go without and was still keeping himself partially dehydrated. Now that he is hydrated normally, he has lots of energy and no more spasms. 

Not saying this is what you cat has, but through I would offer up what helped for our cat. We just needed to find an easy way to keep him hydrated. Next step is to find a recirculating water dish that he likes. Seems to only want water dripping from faucets.  
 

bubbalove

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Yeah, Lycan definitely does not have Feline Hyperesthesia. He does not have the right symptoms for it. Still, we have no diagnosis for him. The good news is: THE FULL BODY SPASMS ARE GONE! Perhaps the phenobarbital has helped, or maybe it's a coincidence. But he is still having problems. His back legs bother him a lot and he seems edgy. He also experiences small twitches in his face and difficulty walking/jumping. But he's happier than he was, because he doesn't have the spasms to keep him up a night. So now he can sleep peacefully. Thank ******* god. But yeah, we did more and more and more tests, and the only out-of-normal results we've come up with is that he has an extremely high Corona Virus Titer Level, which supports but does not prove a diagnosis of FIP (cats can have high levels and never get FIP), and his Thyroid levels were still normal, but a little low for someone of his age. He has been checked for everything, including Hyper and Hypothyroidism, but now I'm wondering, though rare, if he may have Hyperparathyroidism. There's so little left to check, unless we do a spinal tap, which seems extreme and dangerous, considering the results of disease discovered through spinal fluid is usually grave and incurable. He's been biting/licking at his right back leg (the one he seems to have the most trouble walking with) and he has some cuts on it - we don't know if this was a rough-play injury that he keeps bothering so it can't heal, or if it's a lesion that has developed randomly, which also supports an FIP diagnosis. He seems less interested in food and water than he used to be. He lost weight within a two-week period, but then he gained some back, so we're not sure if that is a factor, or if he was just eating less because of the hot weather. This is very frustrating.

Oh and EmilyRose, I already use an anxiety hormone to help my cats stay happy and calm, but thank you for the recommendation. I once had a little Calico cat (her name was Fluffy RIP) who had Hypersthesia too. She was precious, and beautiful, and snotty. lol.  I have noticed that anxiety disorders/etc are quite common in Calicos, and breathing/lung disorders are quite common in Grey Tabbies. I know that seems weird, but I have been researching things for a long time now, and you start to see patterns after a while. 

And thank you for the website burretje - but I have read that site inside and out. lol. I have spent so much time researching cat diseases and symptoms, and have used many resources, including a Veterinary Encyclopedia. Lycan is an anomaly to Medical Science thus far. He is not alone, because I've found various other cases of cats with idiopathic spasms, and they never received a diagnosis either. Unfortunately, a lot of these cats ended up dying prematurely due to lung/heart/blood issues, so maybe there is something to look into there. I have checked his heart/lungs/blood/liver/kidney/thyroid/etc. But still no conclusive results. Something is hiding somewhere. I hope I can find out what's wrong before it is too late. It is unlikely, but I have to try, while keeping in mind that he may in fact have FIP (which can have neurological signs), which means he may be dying, so I should be careful what I'm willing to put him through (less stress is best), I want him to be happy and stress free, even if that means I may not discover the truth. It is a very difficult situation.
I just came across this thread tonight and am SO RELIEVED to see other kitties suffer from (and have found relief!) from what my lil' guy is going through.

his spasms look just like your lycan's, and have started in the last two weeks. he recently underwent his second FPO surgery (removal of his broken hip joint), and at first I thought it was a part of healing that I didn't notice with the first surgery. but just like your guy, it's now happening essentially any time he's relaxed and about to fall asleep, and has started happening all over his body, not just localized to his back legs (which first made me think it was healing from surgery). he was just at the vet last week, and I briefly mentioned it, as it had just started, and the vet brushed it off and said not to worry. but I feel like something is truly wrong... and after him having to go through two surgeries, I can't bear to think there's something majorly wrong that's causing him to still be in major pain or distress! 

do you know that the medication he was on was the cause of his spasms to stop? have they returned since/if he's gone off the meds? did you every find out any more info on it?

sorry to bombard you with so much, but I haven't been able to find any relevant information online that isn't completely terrifying! he just turned two, has had both his hip joints removed, i just want him to be able to live a normal kitty life now! ps, hope your guy is still goin' strong!!! 
 
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lycan709

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Bubbalove, 

Yes, the phenobarbital and the prednisolone have stopped the spasms. I have tried to take him off both of the meds (at different times), and the spasms come back. So far, he is still going strong! I give him his meds twice a day (he loves taking them because I use Pill Pockets!), and I feed him special low-fat food from the vet to prevent him from gaining weight from the steroids. He is such a happy cat and I will continue to do whatever it takes to keep him that way.

WA Cat Guy,

Lycan is thoroughly hydrated. I leave the tap running a lot (I know - not environmentally friendly!), and I have "glasses" of water everywhere. He feels special if he thinks he's drinking from MY glass of water. I even put a straw in it. lol.  But hey, it keeps him drinking! I also mix water with his daily wet-food treat.

Thanks guys! I'm so glad people are still contacting me about this! We never did get a diagnosis for Lycan - no one knows what is wrong. But we are treating the symptoms, and if that's the best we can do, it's better than nothing!
 

emilyrose323

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Hi All!

So a while ago now I found this thread because my CaliCat had been experiencing spasms. They were similar to the ones Lycan was experiencing, but at times my kitty would also have full body shivers. After a ton of research and talking to my vet, I started giving Cali Standard Process Feline Whole Body Support. They have a lot of great organ support supplements for kitties, but I opted to give aid to all her organs. It's been since November of 2013, and I'm SOOOO happy to say my kitty no longer experiences shivers or body spasms—EXCEPT when she doesn't get her kitty vitamin (as we call it). So Miss CaliCat gets two pills per day, one in the morning and one in the evening, and she loves them so they just get stuck on top of her food. 

Also, FYI, after YEARS of research to help get my kitty as healthy as possible, she is on a canned food only diet (she's allergic to nearly all protein but we've had success with Addiction's Rabbit formula, as well as their Buffalo). She also gets an Omega supplement (vegan) and Colostrum. 

She is currently the healthiest she's been in SO many years. Our issues began in 2006, and to date she is happier and healthier than ever. 

Just wanted to shoot you all a line and spread my story (and remedies) of success!

Much love to everyone and their kitties!

- Emily Rose
 
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walker2882

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I wonder if he may benefit from acupuncture? If it's just spasms, it might help control them and give him some relief. Hopefully the spots you've found on the floor have nothing to do with it. Anywho, its something to bring up to your vet while waiting to see a Neurologist. Regardless, I hope you find out whats going wrong with your handsome boy soon! :vibes:

 
Hey! Did you ever find out anything on your kitty Lyncan? My kitty Ivy, 6 years old started a lot of the same symptoms- three vets and Cornell all with no answers.
 

walker2882

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Bubbalove, 


Hey! Did you ever find out what was wrong with your kitty? I'm having the same symptoms with my six year old Ivy- stiff gait, trembling/spasms, decreased activity (she only really gets up to pee/poop. I also had her on pred and gabapentin- shes only on gabapentin at this point- her walking has improved slightly but its been three weeks now. Three vets, including cornell, with no answers. Xray, bldwrk all normal. This started two days after flea med Advantage II but vets think it has nothing to do with this. She also has hx of feline hyperesthesia. Im so frustrated.

Yes, the phenobarbital and the prednisolone have stopped the spasms. I have tried to take him off both of the meds (at different times), and the spasms come back. So far, he is still going strong! I give him his meds twice a day (he loves taking them because I use Pill Pockets!), and I feed him special low-fat food from the vet to prevent him from gaining weight from the steroids. He is such a happy cat and I will continue to do whatever it takes to keep him that way.

WA Cat Guy,

Lycan is thoroughly hydrated. I leave the tap running a lot (I know - not environmentally friendly!), and I have "glasses" of water everywhere. He feels special if he thinks he's drinking from MY glass of water. I even put a straw in it. lol.  But hey, it keeps him drinking! I also mix water with his daily wet-food treat.

Thanks guys! I'm so glad people are still contacting me about this! We never did get a diagnosis for Lycan - no one knows what is wrong. But we are treating the symptoms, and if that's the best we can do, it's better than nothing!
 
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lycan709

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Hey! Did you ever find out anything on your kitty Lyncan? My kitty Ivy, 6 years old started a lot of the same symptoms- three vets and Cornell all with no answers.
No, we never figured out what was wrong. He is still taking Phenobarbital and Prednisoline and doing well with that.
 

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Hello all! I found that my kitty was shivering/spasming because of not getting enough nutrients in her food. I wound up giving her a supplement and it works very well. I've tried to reference the supplement on this site before, but my post was pulled (saying I was promoting a brand). So look into kitty "formula" vitamin supplements for kitty's "whole body" and maybe the "standard process" you can move the cat feeding through will help! Best of luck to all of you! 
 
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lycan709

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EmilyRose, you said your cat appeared to have FHS which is often stress-induced, and treatable w/ anti-anxiety meds. These spasms are not related to stress; they NEVER stop except w/ the help of Epilepsy medication. Thank you for the info though, as I do have another cat w/ severe FHS and nothing seems to be helping.
 

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No, we never figured out what was wrong. He is still taking Phenobarbital and Prednisoline and doing well with that.
My Ivy is on neurontin now but the pred was tapered off. Today marks week three although she has been moving better/more the last few days. Have you ever tried to see how he does w/o pred ?
 
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lycan709

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My Ivy is on neurontin now but the pred was tapered off. Today marks week three although she has been moving better/more the last few days. Have you ever tried to see how he does w/o pred ?
Autocorrect changed my spelling of Prednisolone in my last post. Annoying. Yes, I have tried to taper him off the Pred but he starts to have spasms again. I try every couple of months. I'm currently trying again. It's Day 2. I will see.
 
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