Bites/sprays when I touch his lumbar area

You guys are great and I’ve picked up some wonderful tips from this site, but now I have a question.

Mazie is my 13 year old male silver tabby buddy.  He’s been getting old and doesn’t like to jump up like he used to, but he is freaking old so I kind of expect that.  I travel a lot for work and he hates that too.  He will run off and hide when I come home and stay there until I come find him (anxiety issues?).  The biggest thing I am concerned on right now is what seems to be EXTREME sensitivity to being touched in what I would call the lumbar area and back, down to the base of the spine.  ANY contact with the top of his back and he instantly freaks out, bites on whatever is in front of him, and most recently starts to urinate.  He is NOT having a good time.  Other than that the dude is totally normal.  I don’t know if this is dry skin, a Rash, anxiety issues?   This happened last winter for a short period of time and then went away on its own.  This time it doesn’t seem to be going away.

Yes I will be taking my cat to the vet next week when I stop traveling for work, but until that happens I wanted to ask the experts. 

Welcome to The Cat Site.
Glad you're taking him to the vets (hope it's sooner rather than later). We are not experts in the medical sense (I don't wear a white coat or play a doctor on tv).
My first thought is that he has injured himself somewhere along the spine or is developing arthritis, though the urination is puzzling, concerning, especially given it's a repeat performance.
Do you have fleas yet where you live?
If he is developing/has a joint/cartiledge problem, you might try him on gluocosamine.

Interesting thought on the joint issues.

We are in Iowa so no fleas up here just yet.

He may have injured his back somehow while you weren't looking. I knew a cat who seemed fine until I touched the base of her spine right at her tail. She hissed and leapt at me. Her owners were shocked and scheduled a vet visit the next week. Turned out she had a wound where I touched her. If I hadn't accidentally hit that spot, no one would have known.

Glad you're taking him to the vet. At 13, I hope he's getting regular check-ups. He's a senior now and his later years will be much healthier and happier if problems are identified before they become crises.

Best regards.

My old man is feeling much better. Turns out that had fleas limited to that one spot in his back. He also had the only spot in the whole house that had fleas in it, his bed in my wood shop.

So frontline your cats, even in the winter. Also if you were black flecks, comb them out, place them on a white paper towel and crush them. Red dots mean fleas.