Change in behavior

[smichelle88]

Hello guys!
My dad and myself have currently noticed a slight change in behavior in one of our cats. He is 3 years old, neutered. He’s very chill, likes to run around. Very picky eater but likes to eat his brothers dry food a lot. In fact he likes to bully his older brother. My dad told me he noticed he’s been different since yesterday. He usually gets up in the morning with my dad and follows him around. But he did not do it yesterday. He also noticed his back muscles seem to twitch and has caught him look at something on the floor try to catch it and then run away. (There’s nothing on the floor) I noticed the slight changes as well today when I came over. He’s eating fine, drinking water okay and using the bathroom fine. He plays when the string toy comes out (his fav) but he lays down, gets restless and is now sleeping in the closet on the towels. His back muscles seem to twitch a lot now and then. And he hasn’t bullied his brother (weird for him, he likes to jump on the older cat which I’m sure he’s super fond that he’s not getting bullied) but it just has me slightly worried. I called the vet and they told me to just monitor him for the next few days.

Maybe I’m overthinking but does this sound at all like an underlying issue? Nothing new has happened in his environment.

 

[ArtNJ]

Staring at or pouncing nothing means nothing in isolation -- its a time honored cat tradition. However, twitching out of nowhere can be fleas. Especially if this is an indoor/outdoor cat, that would be my suspicion. Long term twitching of back muscles would lead me to suspect hyperesthesia, but you seem to be saying this came out of nowhere so that probably isn't it.

But your vet's advice to watch and wait wasn't terrible since its been all of a day. In fact, I like to hear that from a vet, since any of the big business animal hospitals around me try to suck in every scrap of business, so a vet that doesn't do that is gold. I'd check the cat carefully for evidence of fleas, and if the behavior doesn't stop, take a video to post here, and possibly to give to your vet.

 

[smichelle88]

I also thought fleas especially considering two of my kittens have fleas at my place and my dad has visited but because of this reason i made sure to put him and the older cat on front line the min I realized I had fleas. Just because my dad and I go back and forth. I also combed him today and i couldn’t find anything. No flea dirt or fleas. So I’m just at a loss as to why his muscles are twitching so much.

Edit: he is strictly an indoor cat. I live in the city so I can’t risk them being run over or abused by sick twisted people.

 

[rubysmama]

I tend to be a worrier, so my first thought is always to check with your vet, but you've already done that. So I guess monitor him. Make sure he's eating, sleeping and using the litter box normally. And, of course, if your gut feeling is that something isn't right, call the vet back and make an appointment.

Here's a link to a TCS article that might be helpful, if you think he might be in pain.
35 Signs That Your Cat May Be In Pain – Cat Articles