A few years ago Sonny started reacting when I'd pet him down his whole body. His skin on his back would (look like) a spasm when I pet him, so I assumed it was part of the aging process. I had a great great aunt when I was a child who had an elderly cat who could only be pet on the head and I was told it was because she was old. I never thought there might be a different explanation.
But now that I've done research I've seen it could be a variety of things. I haven't found a description though that matches what's going on with Sonny. He is pretty lazy but he still plays with the other cats, runs, and jumps, and gets around fine. So I don't think it's ostioarthritis.
When I pet him, he's fine until I reach the shoulder blades. Whether I'm petting him on the side or the back from there to his tail, he nips at me at first then relaxes if I keep petting him. (I can pet him on the tummy and tail no problem). If I keep petting him, occasional one of his paws will shake and he'll start purring loudly and stop nipping at me. But with Sonny purring can mean either he's happy or that he's in pain. (When I got him he had just been attacked by a dog and was in very serious condition but purred all the way to the pet hospital).
I made a short video showing his response when I start petting him and showing that it also bothers him on the sides (which makes me think it's not a spinal issue). I read about what seems to be a psychological problem cats can have (Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome) that sometimes causes this, but he doesn't really have other symptoms. The only thing he does is sometimes howl at night for no reason, and because he's deaf it's super loud as he doesn't know the volume of his own voice. When he's playing with my almost 2 year old cat, he sometimes gets aggressive after startiing out with the licking each other. He'll suddenly start to bite him, then they get physical and Sonny will growl and hiss until Roman leaves alone. So he can go from loving to aggressive (at least with cats) very quickly. He's normal with me, never aggressive.
Is this something that really can just be attributed to old age and not other underlying factors? Like I said it started a few years ago and that was before we moved here (where we've had a flea problem) and at the time it started he definitely did not have a flea problem.
If anyone has experienced this with your cat, specifically as they aged, please let me know if this sounds familiar or similar to your experience and what you did. With him being deaf, if I come up behind him I have to be very careful to make my presence known and touching him anywhere in that sensitive area means being bit and scratched immediately.
I made a video a bit ago showing what he does when I first start petting him. I didn't keep on with it so he doesn't do the paw shaking or purring, but I didn't want to aggravate him any further. (I don't know why I still talk to him since he's deaf, but it's a habit. We used to have full fledged conversations)
Thank you for any insight.
But now that I've done research I've seen it could be a variety of things. I haven't found a description though that matches what's going on with Sonny. He is pretty lazy but he still plays with the other cats, runs, and jumps, and gets around fine. So I don't think it's ostioarthritis.
When I pet him, he's fine until I reach the shoulder blades. Whether I'm petting him on the side or the back from there to his tail, he nips at me at first then relaxes if I keep petting him. (I can pet him on the tummy and tail no problem). If I keep petting him, occasional one of his paws will shake and he'll start purring loudly and stop nipping at me. But with Sonny purring can mean either he's happy or that he's in pain. (When I got him he had just been attacked by a dog and was in very serious condition but purred all the way to the pet hospital).
I made a short video showing his response when I start petting him and showing that it also bothers him on the sides (which makes me think it's not a spinal issue). I read about what seems to be a psychological problem cats can have (Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome) that sometimes causes this, but he doesn't really have other symptoms. The only thing he does is sometimes howl at night for no reason, and because he's deaf it's super loud as he doesn't know the volume of his own voice. When he's playing with my almost 2 year old cat, he sometimes gets aggressive after startiing out with the licking each other. He'll suddenly start to bite him, then they get physical and Sonny will growl and hiss until Roman leaves alone. So he can go from loving to aggressive (at least with cats) very quickly. He's normal with me, never aggressive.
Is this something that really can just be attributed to old age and not other underlying factors? Like I said it started a few years ago and that was before we moved here (where we've had a flea problem) and at the time it started he definitely did not have a flea problem.
If anyone has experienced this with your cat, specifically as they aged, please let me know if this sounds familiar or similar to your experience and what you did. With him being deaf, if I come up behind him I have to be very careful to make my presence known and touching him anywhere in that sensitive area means being bit and scratched immediately.
I made a video a bit ago showing what he does when I first start petting him. I didn't keep on with it so he doesn't do the paw shaking or purring, but I didn't want to aggravate him any further. (I don't know why I still talk to him since he's deaf, but it's a habit. We used to have full fledged conversations)
Thank you for any insight.
