Cat excessively licking & then running away

[marc_5947]

Please offer advise, if possible!

My cat is a 5 year old Bobtail. Had him since Sept of 2016.
My wife and I took both of our cats to the vet last month for their annual checkup and shots. When they got home, my male cat (Mylo) started licking near his tail and then running away like he was trying to get away from something. He gets very agitated just prior to licking, and does not like when someone is trying to take a look to see if anything is going on.

I thought maybe he had fleas, so I went out last week and bought Advantage II for cats and put a few drops on the back of his neck. I did that last Wednesday, April 7th. It seemed to have calmed down a bit, but today he's right back to where he was before the flea drops.

We called the local cat doctor (where he went for his checkup) and they mentioned bringing him in and possibly giving him Gabapentin and maybe some other type of psychiatric drug. I Do Not Want To Do That! ...He was completely normal before going to the vet last month!

He has about 10-15 episodes per day where he starts licking like crazy, then running away.

As of now, there is no hair missing. I changed one type of food back in Feb, but they didn't seem to have an issue with it. I've literally just changed-back to the previous dry food this morning to see if anything changes.

Couldn't catch him in the act of licking his tail, but I got this:

 

[marc_5947]

Got it

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I hate to say this because I love my vet, but Feeby did something similar over a year ago after visiting the vet. And, tbh, I think she got fleas from his office.

I also have treated Feeby with Advantage II, and while I think it is keeping the fleas down to a minimum, it is not eradicating them entirely. I live in Central FL, and it seems that Adv is not as effective as it once was here.

The best way to check for fleas is to use a flea comb and a dish of soapy water (any dish soap will work). Take long strokes on your cat from head to tail and then dip the comb in the soapy water. Any fleas/flea debris caught with the comb should fall into the water; live fleas will drown. Clean the comb off on a paper towel after each stroke - any reddish tint on the towel is another tell tale sign of fleas - the blood they are sucking from your cat causes the tint. Repeat this process over his entire body, then do his tail and legs.

The other thing you can do, is to set up dishes of soapy water on the floor in parts of the house your cat frequents (ideally when he is not there) and place a light over the dish that shines directly into the dish. If you do this overnight, or while dark, within a number of hours you can check the dish to see if any you find any fleas. The light attracts them to the water, and then they drown in it.

 

[marc_5947]

Thank you very much!
I will try that if I can find a flea comb. Looking around now!
We live in North Port: Sarasota County.

 

[blumarine916]

Hi. I think it may be fleas too. Notice your cat’s skin is twitching before he starts licking the area. My cat had the same issue and I was really worried. It’s like she’s running away from things she can’t see. The flea meds helped. I also gave mine a warm bath even though she hates it but it helps to calm the twitching.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thank you very much! I will try that if I can find a flea comb. Looking around now! We live in North Port: Sarasota County.

Most pet stores carry flea combs; even Walmart as I recall! Maybe even your local grocer. Let us know what happens!

 

[marc_5947]

Had to go to three different places but I found one at Walmart. It was the last flea comb on the shelf!

My wife and I used the comb on the area's that he licks, then immediately putting the comb into the water, but we see nothing -except hair. We've tried about 10 times in multiple area's and trying to get the comb as far down to the skin surface as possible.

I bout a package of Frontline Plus (for cats) and I applied it to his neck and a small amount on his back right where his tail is.
If there is another product that anyone recommends, please let me know!
I'll call my local vet tomorrow to see if they have a prescription for me to try.

This has me worried-sick, but thank you for all of the help!

 

[She's a witch]

This looks like partial seizures, feline heperesthesia syndrome, milder symptoms (as he doesn’t mutilate his tail). Some owners of FHS cats claim that topical flea drops, as well as vaccine, will make it worse. Unfortunately anticonvulsant such as Gabapentin may be the only way to stop it.