Itchy Cat

I have an orange cat named Marmalade... Marmals for short.  My wife and I adopted her about a year and a half ago.  About 3 months ago, she started behaving oddly.  She would suddenly become very itchy.  It starts with her twitching her back and bum.  Then she spins around quickly and starts licking her fur forcefully.  Then she starts licking / chewing different spots on her body including her back, tail, legs.  She then runs looking for spots to hide and usually ends up on top of the fridge - still itchy and freaking out.

I've checked her more than once and can't see any crawling things in her fur.  I can't see anything in her ears.  She doesn't seem to have a rash.  And, I don't know what has changed in her environment.  It first started only when she went outside in the backyard.   The only thing I can think of was the lawn care company recently put some treatment on our grass... I think just fertilizer.  But, it started happening when she's in the house too now.  Also, that was 3 months ago - there's snow on the ground now and she doesn't go out and she still has these itchy episodes were she freaks out and runs (usually for the top of the fridge).

I'm worried about taking her to the vet becuase I don't think the vet will find anything.  They're just going to say something lame like "Oh, it must be allergies" and then charge me $75.  Also, they'll want to put a glass thermometer up her bum and I don't agree with that.

I don't know.  I'll probably have to take her to the vet but I thought I would check the forums first.

What you describe sounds like Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome (FHS). This will give you something to Google. My Boo has it and there are a few other TCS members whose cats have it. Definitely rule out a food and/or flea allergy first. Some have had success with a diet change. It's a very frustrating condition that is often unexplained, and vets don't know much about it.

There's an active thread right now about it: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/267665/vagus-nerve-twitching-fhs

Here's another one that I participated in several months ago: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264686/possible-fhs

What does Marmalade eat? (cute name)

Sorry your cat isn't feeling well.
Some of her symptoms sound like FHS. It is also known as rolling skin disease. The cat mentioned in the article had an extreme case of FHS. Here is a more general article. There are several youtube videos you might want to watch.
Ritz' case is less severe, at its worst, she ran down the hall as though something was biting her (it wasn't) and twitched a lot. It clearly bothered her.
A three month course of Prozac decreased the symptoms. She's been off Prozac for about four months, and the symptoms have come back but not as severe. I'm not sure what my next step is.
However, in your case, because you don't have a definitive diagnosis, your cat should really be seen by a vet.
Meanwhile, a change in diet might be good--as few ingredients as possible in case she is allergic. (I fed Ritz raw, and was doing so when the symptoms appeared in January 2013).
Also, stress seems to make the symptoms worse; try to play with her as much as possible.
You can also buy some Feliway; it is cheaper to buy online than in big box stores.
Good luck and let us know if you take her to the vets and what the vet says.

Heya... It's all guesswork really until you take him to the vet - or trying eliminating causes. Your cat, other then the freaking out is just like my cat after a couple of things - one was an abscess caused from a bite/cut. It healed over and we didn't see it until it grew in size. Going from the odd behaviour with over-grooming, we think it was a few days from bite to infection. He has also displayed this behaviour once when we had fleas. In years of dog and cat owning, I'd never had flea's, so although I suspected it may have been, I didn't think the jumping and skin rippling was fleas as I looked at him regularly and had no evidence.  Until they grew in numbers!! Then I saw about 4, finally found some little black dots (blood) on his belly and immediately treated him and sprayed the house.  Some cat's can be allergic to flea's and even a single bite can give the symptoms you're experiencing - I read that after I looked up my cat's reaction to the flea's. Yay for google!

Have you treated your cat for fleas, even tho you may not see any?  Poisoning can also do this, I wonder if there is something in the house that she regularly gets exposed to, if you don't think it's the grass outside? Nutritional deficiency?  FHS? I think the vets is the way to go, I know it's expensive, but it can't be fun for your poor kitty living with these episodes.

Best of luck in finding out what it is..

I took Marmals to the vet.  They didn't have much to say other than to add fish oil to her diet.  The vet said something about antioxidents for her skin.  Marmals still freaks out a few times a day but it doesn't seem too serious.  I'm trying to change her diet to a healthier one in the mean time.  I don't really know what else to do.

I know how frustrating it is to feel helpless. Some people have had luck using anti-depressant or anti-anxiety meds for their cats with FHS, but I've never tried these for Boo. I'm currently using an herbal/homeopathic blend, but that isn't a cure-all either. He still gets his episodes. It seems to be a common occurrence that vets just don't what to do about FHS. Even my vet, whom I trust, could only offer a limited ingredient, novel protein diet and steroids, which I haven't tried either of yet.

This absolutely sounds like FHS. My cat Binky also had the exact symtoms that started about a month and a half ago. Interesting about the fertilizer - I bet this is what caused these symptoms. I did a ton of research when my cat started getting symtoms and read that chemicals (such as fertilizers) can cause muscle twitching/licking/itching and many other symptoms. I also suspect that my Binky ingested chemicals from fabric that was chemically treated. Vets don't believe this but I  am 100% sure. Did marmalade's symptoms start shortly after the fertilizer was used? Most likely it got into her/his paws and maybe fur if they were laying down on the lawn or even just from breathing it in. I also tried to rule out fleas so I used Advantage a flea treatment from the vet which didn't work as Binky's symtoms came back a few days later. I also tried Omega 3 fish oil, virgin cold pressed coconut oil, hypoallergetic grooming foam, bachs rescue remedy for anxiety relief for animals and nothing worked. So now I had to give in and put her on Prozac and Prednisone which has kind of worked but her symptoms are getting bad again and she is now non stop twitching and licking like crazy. I just picked up a new medication called Gabapentin that i am going to start giving her tomorrow. Just know that vets are frustrated also with FHS as they are seeing a lot of animals with this condition and it's very difficult to treat as Binky's vet told me. We are here for you and please ask any questions and let us know how things are going.